# Kathleen Merikangas

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American psychologist

Kathleen Ries Merikangas Merikangas speaks at the National Human Genome Research Institute in 2014 Born Kathleen Ries Alma mater University of Notre Dame (BA) University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (PhD) Awards Rema Lapouse Award (2017) Paul Hoch Award (2015) NIMH IRP Outstanding Mentor Award (2015) Scientific career Fields Genetic epidemiology Psychiatric epidemiology Institutions National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Yale School of Medicine

**Kathleen Ries Merikangas** is the Chief of the Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch in the Intramural Research Program at the [National Institute of Mental Health](/source/National_Institute_of_Mental_Health) (NIMH) and an adjunct professor of epidemiology at the [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health](/source/Johns_Hopkins_Bloomberg_School_of_Public_Health). She has published more than 800 papers, and is best known for her work in adolescent mental disorders.[1]

## Early life and education

Merikangas was born Kathleen Ries to F. William and Dorothy Campbell Ries.[2] Merikangas earned her bachelor's degree *[summa cum laude](/source/Latin_honors)* in experimental psychology and music from [University of Notre Dame](/source/University_of_Notre_Dame) in 1973.[3][4]

She received her master's degree from [University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine](/source/University_of_Pittsburgh_School_of_Medicine), which was sponsored by [National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism](/source/National_Institute_on_Alcohol_Abuse_and_Alcoholism). During this time, she did her clinical training and internship at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

She earned her Ph.D. in chronic disease epidemiology from [University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health](/source/University_of_Pittsburgh_Graduate_School_of_Public_Health) in 1981, focusing on conducting clinical research on the [affective disorders](/source/Affective_spectrum).[3] With the help of Career Development Award from National Institute of Mental Health, Merikangas did her postdoctoral work in [population genetics](/source/Population_genetics) and [genetic epidemiology](/source/Genetic_epidemiology) at [Yale University School of Medicine](/source/Yale_School_of_Medicine).

## Career

Merikangas became a faculty member at [Yale University School of Medicine](/source/Yale_School_of_Medicine), where she did her postdoctoral work.[4] She worked as a Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Psychiatry and Psychology and the Director of the Genetic Epidemiology Research Unit in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. During her time at Yale, she proposed the genome-wide case-control associations of disorders, and conducted large population studies of mental disorders.[1] The perspectives article titled *"The Future of Genetic Studies of Complex Human Diseases"* that appeared in journal [Science](/source/Science_(journal)) in 1996, which she co-authored with [Neil Risch](/source/Neil_Risch), has been cited more than 3,000 times.[5] She left Yale in 2003.[1]

After joining NIMH after leaving Yale, Merikangas conducted large scale survey-based studies including the first nationally representative study of adolescent mental disorders.[1][6][7] Her 2011 study on shyness and social phobia of American teenagers attracted huge media attention.[8][9][10] Other areas of focus include [eating disorders](/source/Eating_disorder),[11] [bipolar disorder](/source/Bipolar_disorder),[12] suicidal behaviors,[13] and [substance abuse](/source/Substance_abuse)[14] in adolescents.

## Awards and honors

- 2017: [Rema Lapouse Award](/source/Rema_Lapouse_Award) for Achievement in Epidemiology, Mental Health and Applied Public Health Statistics[15]

- 2015: Paul Hoch Award for Career Contribution to Research in Psychopathology Association[16]

- 2015: NIMH IRP Outstanding Mentor Award[17]

## See also

- [National Comorbidity Survey](/source/National_Comorbidity_Survey)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:2_1-3) ["Kathleen Ries Merikangas, PhD > 100 Years of Women at YSM | Yale School of Medicine"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180613135443/https://medicine.yale.edu/centuryofwomen/distinguishedwomen/326905.profile). *medicine.yale.edu*. Archived from [the original](https://medicine.yale.edu/centuryofwomen/distinguishedwomen/326905.profile) on 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2018-08-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Dorothy (Campbell) Ries's Obituary"](http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?n=dorothy-ries-campbell&pid=15501856). Post-Gazette. *Legacy.com*. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2018-08-20.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_3-1) ["Kathleen Merikangas, PhD | Child Mind Institute"](https://childmind.org/bio/kathleen-merikangas-phd/). *Child Mind Institute*. Retrieved 2018-08-14.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_4-1) ["NIMH " Principal Investigator: Kathleen R Merikangas, Ph.D"](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/research-conducted-at-nimh/principal-investigators/kathleen-merikangas). *www.nimh.nih.gov*. Retrieved 2018-08-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Risch, Neil; Merikangas, Kathleen (1996-09-13). "The Future of Genetic Studies of Complex Human Diseases". *Science*. **273** (5281): 1516–1517. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[1996Sci...273.1516R](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1996Sci...273.1516R). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1126/science.273.5281.1516](https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.273.5281.1516). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0036-8075](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0036-8075). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [8801636](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8801636). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [5228523](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:5228523).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Merikangas, Kathleen Ries; He, Jian-ping; Burstein, Marcy; Swanson, Sonja A.; Avenevoli, Shelli; Cui, Lihong; Benjet, Corina; Georgiades, Katholiki; Swendsen, Joel (October 2010). ["Lifetime Prevalence of Mental Disorders in US Adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Study-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A)"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2946114). *Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry*. **49** (10): 980–989. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jaac.2010.05.017). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0890-8567](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0890-8567). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [2946114](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2946114). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [20855043](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20855043).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Pedersen, Traci (2010-09-29). ["Teens Disproportionately Affected by Mental Disorders"](https://web.archive.org/web/20201129015455/https://psychcentral.com/news/2010/09/29/teens-disproportionately-affected-by-mental-disorders/18922.html). *Psych Central*. Massachusetts. Archived from [the original](https://psychcentral.com/news/2010/09/29/teens-disproportionately-affected-by-mental-disorders/18922.html) on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2018-08-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Burstein, Marcy; Ameli-Grillon, Leila; Merikangas, Kathleen R. (November 2011). ["Shyness Versus Social Phobia in US Youth"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3208958). *Pediatrics*. **128** (5): 917–925. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1542/peds.2011-1434](https://doi.org/10.1542%2Fpeds.2011-1434). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0031-4005](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0031-4005). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [3208958](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3208958). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [22007009](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22007009).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Harding, Anne (17 October 2011). ["Study: Nearly 1 in 8 Shy Teens May Have Social Phobia"](https://healthland.time.com/2011/10/17/study-nearly-1-in-8-shy-teens-may-have-social-phobia/). Healthland. *Time*. Time Warner. www.health.com. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0040-781X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0040-781X). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1311479](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1311479). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20111231214942/http://healthland.time.com/2011/10/17/study-nearly-1-in-8-shy-teens-may-have-social-phobia/) from the original on 2011-12-31. Retrieved 2018-08-23.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Neergaard, Lauran (2011-10-18). ["Half of teens shy, but for a few it's more serious"](https://archive.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/10/18/half_of_teens_shy_but_for_a_few_its_more_serious/?page=full). *Boston.com*. Retrieved 2018-08-23.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Study: Eating Disorders in Teens Are Common"](https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/news/20110307/study-eating-disorders-in-teens-are-common#1). *WebMD*. Retrieved 2018-08-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Gardner, Amanda. ["U.S. has highest bipolar rate in 11-nation study"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110830154505/http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/07/US.highest.bipolar.rates/index.html). *cnn.com*. www.health.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/07/US.highest.bipolar.rates/index.html) on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Pedersen, Traci (2012-10-15). ["Most Suicidal Teens Don't Get Professional Help"](https://web.archive.org/web/20121213054502/https://psychcentral.com/news/2012/10/15/most-suicidal-teens-have-not-received-professional-help/46068.html). *Psych Central*. Massachusetts. Archived from [the original](https://psychcentral.com/news/2012/10/15/most-suicidal-teens-have-not-received-professional-help/46068.html) on 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2018-08-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Ostrow, Nicole (2016-04-08). ["Increased Risk of Substance Abuse in Adolescents With Mental Disorders"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160616211713/https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/addiction/teens-young-adults-with-psychiatric-disorders-at-risk-for-drug-and-alcohol-abuse/article/488658/). *Psychiatry Advisor*. Haymarket Media. Archived from [the original](https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/addiction/teens-young-adults-with-psychiatric-disorders-at-risk-for-drug-and-alcohol-abuse/article/488658/) on 2016-06-16. Retrieved 2018-08-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Awards"](https://www.apha.org/apha-communities/member-sections/mental-health/who-we-are/awards). *www.apha.org*. Retrieved 2018-08-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["APPA: Awards"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150607012755/http://www.appassn.org/awards.html). *www.appassn.org*. Archived from [the original](http://www.appassn.org/awards.html) on 2015-06-07. Retrieved 2018-08-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["NIMH IRP Outstanding Mentor Award"](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/research-conducted-at-nimh/scientific-director/office-of-fellowship-and-training/nimh-irp-sponsored-awards/nimh-irp-outstanding-mentor-award). *National Institute of Mental Health*. National Institutes of Health: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 2018-08-14.

## External links

- [Kathleen Merikangas](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kfupcP0AAAAJ) publications indexed by [Google Scholar](/source/Google_Scholar)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kathleen Merikangas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Merikangas) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Merikangas?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.