April 9, 2004
ENH Center Studies Genetics of Schizophrenia
Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, a member of the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, has established a new Center for Genetics in Psychiatry, headed by Pablo V. Gejman, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine.
Dr. Gejman holds one of the largest National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) genetic grants awarded to a psychiatrist in the United States and directs the largest NIMH effort for the study of genetics of schizophrenia. Environmental factors interacting with different combinations of genes may cause schizophrenia, according to Dr. Gejman.
“Through our research we are trying to identify the genes that increase susceptibility to the disease and in the long run create credible testing and a cure,” comments Dr. Gejman, who joined ENH last year from the University of Chicago.
Evanston Northwestern Healthcare comprises Evanston, Glenbrook, and Highland Park Hospitals.