Patrick Sullivan

Patrick Sullivan is a Professor of Psychiatric Genetics at Karolinska Institutet and the Yeargan Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He leads the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at KI, overseeing the KI Psychiatric Genomics Institute, which evaluates genetic risk loci in psychiatric disorders. His research focuses on schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, eating disorders, and autism through genomic studies.

Dr. Sullivan founded and directs the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, the largest psychiatry research collaboration globally. He holds multiple NIH grants and has authored over 320 papers. His work bridges epidemiology, molecular genetics, and clinical psychiatry, emphasizing translational applications.

Key projects include studying genetic overlap between psychiatric and somatic diseases, leveraging large-scale genomic data. His recent studies highlight X-chromosome influences on brain development and comorbid conditions like cardiovascular disease in depression.

Scientific contributions include defining genetic architectures of psychiatric disorders and advancing precision medicine through polygenic risk scores. He collaborates internationally on projects like the El Hierro Genome Study and global depression genetics initiatives.