The Developmental Psychiatric Genetics Program is designed to identify populations of patients at genetic risk for a wide range of physical and medical illnesses. Bipolar disorder has been a primary focus for investigations organized by Dr. Fred Goodwin and his research team. Dr. David Mrazek has investigated factors associated with the onset of asthma and is presently extending this work to include obesity.
Aggressive behavior is a new area of investigation.
Dr. Joyce Tombran-Tink is a molecular biologist who is principal investigator for a series of experiments designed to identify biological markers in a particularly aggressive strain of inbred mice. These programs are designed to integrate the study of biological and environmental risk factors and to develop new strategies for preventing or delaying the onset of illness.