Honorary Professor

Sarah Medland

Email: 

Background

Professor Sarah Medland (OAM, FASSA, FAHMS, PhD) is a Psychiatric and Statistical Geneticist working in Neuroimaging and Mental health genetics. Her work bridges Genetics, Psychology, Neuro-Imaging, Health Economics and applied Statistics with a focus on understanding the genetic and environmental contributions to human behaviour and disease. She chairs the genetics working group of the ENIGMA neuroimaging consortium and is an active member of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium.

Primary Appointment: Coordinator of the Mental Health Research Program and Group Leader (Psychiatric Genetics) QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.

ORCID: 0000-0003-1382-380X

ResearcherID: C-7630-2013

Scopus Author ID: 34571085600

Email: sarah.medland@qimrberghofer.edu.au

Qualifications

2006 PhD (Psychology), University of Queensland

Dean's Award for Outstanding Research Higher Degree Thesis

2000 BA Hons (Psychology), University of Queensland, 2000 (Psychology Double Major, English Minor)

Availability

Honorary Professor Sarah Medland is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Applied economics Psychology

Search Professor Sarah Medland’s works on UQ eSpace

566 works between 2001 and 2026
All (566) Journal Article (479) Other Outputs (1) Conference Publication (81) Book Chapter (5)

1 - 20 of 566 works

2026

Journal Article

Autism traits, ADHD symptoms, and stigma as predictors of social camouflaging in adults from the Australian ASD and ADHD study

Giblett, Matthew J., Lind, Penelope A. and Medland, Sarah E. (2026). Autism traits, ADHD symptoms, and stigma as predictors of social camouflaging in adults from the Australian ASD and ADHD study. Research in Neurodiversity, 2 100047, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.rin.2026.100047

Autism traits, ADHD symptoms, and stigma as predictors of social camouflaging in adults from the Australian ASD and ADHD study

2026

Journal Article

A blended genome and exome sequencing method captures genetic variation in an unbiased and cost-effective manner

Boltz, Toni A., Chu, Benjamin B., DeFelice, Matthew, Liao, Calwing, Sealock, Julia M., Ye, Robert, Goldstein, Jacqueline I., Majara, Lerato, Fu, Jack M., Service, Susan K., Zhan, Lingyu, Medland, Sarah E., Chapman, Sinéad B., Rubinacci, Simone, Grimsby, Jonna L., Abebe, Tamrat, Alemayehu, Melkam, Ashaba, Fred K., Atkinson, Elizabeth G., Bigdeli, Tim B., Bradway, Amanda B., Brand, Harrison, Chibnik, Lori B., DeLuca, Samuel, Diaz-Zuluaga, Ana M., Fekadu, Abebaw, Gatzen, Michael, Gelaye, Bizu, Gichuru, Stella ... Martin, Alicia R. (2026). A blended genome and exome sequencing method captures genetic variation in an unbiased and cost-effective manner. Nature Genetics. doi: 10.1038/s41588-026-02669-w

A blended genome and exome sequencing method captures genetic variation in an unbiased and cost-effective manner

2026

Journal Article

Genome-wide genetic overlap between fear-based disorders and generalised anxiety disorder

ter Kuile, Abigail R., Mitchell, Brittany L., Lee, Sang Hyuck, Morneau-Vaillancourt, Geneviève, Skelton, Megan, Coleman, Jonathan R. I., Davies, Helena L., Mundy, Jessica, Peel, Alicia J., Hübel, Christopher, Davies, Molly R., Fürtjes, Anna E., Ahmad, Zain, Lin, Yuhao, Adey, Brett N., McGregor, Thomas, Palmos, Alish, Zvrskovec, Johan, Hotopf, Matthew, Kalsi, Gursharan, Smith, Daniel J., Veale, David, Walters, James T. R., Armour, Chérie, Hirsch, Colette R., McIntosh, Andrew M., Wray, Naomi R., Medland, Sarah E., Byrne, Enda M. ... Eley, Thalia C. (2026). Genome-wide genetic overlap between fear-based disorders and generalised anxiety disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 1-14. doi: 10.1038/s41380-026-03677-2

Genome-wide genetic overlap between fear-based disorders and generalised anxiety disorder

2026

Journal Article

Can we improve the prediction of early onset mania and hypomania in the community?

Scott, Jan, Crouse, Jacob J., Medland, Sarah E., Mitchell, Brittany L., Gillespie, Nathan A., Martin, Nicholas G. and Hickie, Ian B. (2026). Can We Improve the Prediction of Early Onset Mania and Hypomania in the Community?. Bipolar Disorders, 28 (5) e70140, e70140-e70140. doi: 10.1111/bdi.70140

Can we improve the prediction of early onset mania and hypomania in the community?

2026

Journal Article

Genetic and environmental influences on educational disparities in adult weight change: an individual-based pooled analysis of 11 twin cohorts

Obeso, Alvaro, Drouard, Gabin, Jelenkovic, Aline, Medda, Emanuela, Fagnani, Corrado, Toccaceli, Virgilia, Latvala, Antti, Aaltonen, Sari, Medland, Sarah E., Gordon, Scott D., Lee, Jooyeon, Lee, Soo Ji, Sung, Joohon, Pyun, Hyojin, Duncan, Glen E., Buchwald, Dedra, Ordoñana, Juan R., Sánchez-Romera, Juan F., Carrillo, Eduvigis, Franz, Carol E., Kremen, William S., Corley, Robin P., Huibregtse, Brooke M., Magnusson, Patrik KE, Karlsson, Ida K., Dahl Aslan, Anna K., Lyons, Michael J., Bartels, Meike, Ligthart, Lannie ... Silventoinen, Karri (2026). Genetic and environmental influences on educational disparities in adult weight change: an individual-based pooled analysis of 11 twin cohorts. International Journal of Obesity, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41366-026-02116-0

Genetic and environmental influences on educational disparities in adult weight change: an individual-based pooled analysis of 11 twin cohorts

2026

Journal Article

Genome-wide meta-analysis of quantitatively measured generalized anxiety symptoms in individuals of European ancestry

Skelton, Megan, Mitchell, Brittany L., Assary, Elham, Li, Danyang, Morneau-Vaillancourt, Genevieve, Murphy, Alan E., ter Kuile, Abigail R., Wang, Rujia, Adams, Mark J., Byrne, Enda M., Corfield, Elizabeth C., Grimes, Poppy Z., Hannigan, Laurie J., Hu, Jihua, Kõiv, Kadri, Kwong, Alex S. F., Papiol, Sergi, Pettersen, Johanne H., Pistis, Giorgio, Castelao, Enrique, Strom, Nora I., van der Most, Peter J., Anxiety Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Bacanu, Silviu-Alin, Cheesman, Rosa, Purves, Kirstin L., Gedik, Hüseyin, Faucon, Annika B., Singh, Kritika ... Eley, Thalia C. (2026). Genome-wide meta-analysis of quantitatively measured generalized anxiety symptoms in individuals of European ancestry. Nature Human Behaviour. doi: 10.1038/s41562-026-02476-7

Genome-wide meta-analysis of quantitatively measured generalized anxiety symptoms in individuals of European ancestry

2026

Journal Article

Poor mood after oral contraceptive use is associated with increased vulnerability to peripartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and higher genetic risk for depression

Kiewa, Jacqueline, Lind, Penelope A., Hickie, Ian B., Medland, Sarah E., Mitchell, Brittany E., Middeldorp, Christel M., Martin, Nicholas G., Wray, Naomi R. and Byrne, Enda M. (2026). Poor mood after oral contraceptive use is associated with increased vulnerability to peripartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and higher genetic risk for depression. Archives of Womens Mental Health, 29 (3) 71, 1-13. doi: 10.1007/s00737-026-01708-z

Poor mood after oral contraceptive use is associated with increased vulnerability to peripartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and higher genetic risk for depression

2026

Journal Article

Development of a perinatal trauma screening tool: Detecting the silent struggle of perinatal post-traumatic stress disorder

Mackle, Tracey, Colodro-Conde, Lucia, De Dassel, Therese, Clarkson, Tessa R., Grasby, Katrina L., Braun, Anastasia N., Burke, Kylie and Medland, Sarah E. (2026). Development of a perinatal trauma screening tool: Detecting the silent struggle of perinatal post-traumatic stress disorder. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. doi: 10.1177/00048674261434407

Development of a perinatal trauma screening tool: Detecting the silent struggle of perinatal post-traumatic stress disorder

2026

Journal Article

A large-scale genome-wide association meta-analysis for nevus count provides direct insights into the genetics of melanoma

Jayasinghe, G. J. M. Shanika R., Zhu, Gu, Pandeya, Nirmala, Olsen, Catherine M., Martin, Nicholas G., Lind, Penelope A., Medland, Sarah E., Gordon, Scott D., Diaz-Torres, Santiago, Lingham, Gareth, Lee, Samantha S. Y., Nijsten, Tamar, Kayser, Manfred, Pardo, Luba M., Montgomery, Grant W., Hayward, Nicholas K., Palmer, Jane M., Hunter, David J., Han, Jiali, Hewitt, Alex W., Falchi, Mario, Bishop, D. Timothy, Brown, Kevin M., Bataille, Veronique, Mackey, David A., Iles, Mark M., Whiteman, David C., Duffy, David L., MacGregor, Stuart and Law, Matthew H. (2026). A large-scale genome-wide association meta-analysis for nevus count provides direct insights into the genetics of melanoma. Nature Communications, 17 (1) 3772, 1-11. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70368-5

A large-scale genome-wide association meta-analysis for nevus count provides direct insights into the genetics of melanoma

2026

Journal Article

Deciphering the causal influence of BMI and related metabolic, inflammatory, and cardiovascular factors on brain structure: a Mendelian Randomization Study

Painter, Jodie N., Refisch, Alexander, Rau, Moritz, Walter, Martin, Mackey, Scott, Laurent, Jennifer, Thompson, Paul M., Grasby, Katrina L., Hajek, Tomas, Medland, Sarah E. and Opel, Nils (2026). Deciphering the causal influence of BMI and related metabolic, inflammatory, and cardiovascular factors on brain structure: a Mendelian Randomization Study. Molecular Psychiatry, 31 (7), 1-8. doi: 10.1038/s41380-026-03501-x

Deciphering the causal influence of BMI and related metabolic, inflammatory, and cardiovascular factors on brain structure: a Mendelian Randomization Study

2026

Journal Article

Genetic and phenotypic associations With sustained antidepressant use in major depressive disorder

Walker, Alicia, Mitchell, Brittany L., Lin, Tian, Crouse, Jacob J., Albinana, Clara, Yap, Chloe X., Lynall, Mary Ellen, Lind, Penelope A., Cipriani, Andrea, Byrne, Enda M., Medland, Sarah E., Martin, Nicholas G., Taquet, Maxime, Hickie, Ian B. and Wray, Naomi R. (2026). Genetic and phenotypic associations With sustained antidepressant use in major depressive disorder. Jama Psychiatry, 83 (3), 247-258. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.4372

Genetic and phenotypic associations With sustained antidepressant use in major depressive disorder

2026

Journal Article

Association between polygenic risk for Major Depression and brain structure in a mega-analysis of 50,975 participants across 11 studies

Shen, Xueyi, Toenders, Yara J., Han, Laura K. M., Weihs, Antoine, Alexander, Nina, Andlauer, Till F. M., Brosch, Katharina, Forstner, Andreas J., Grotegerd, Dominik, Hahn, Tim, Hermesdorf, Marco, Hosten, Norbert, Jamalabadi, Hamidreza, Meinert, Susanne, Milaneschi, Yuri, Sämann, Philipp G., Stein, Frederike, Stolicyn, Aleks, Teutenberg, Lea, Thng, Gladi, Adams, Mark J., Thomas-Odenthal, Florian, Usemann, Paula, Völker, Uwe, Wittfeld, Katharina, Herrera-Rivero, Marisol, Jiang, Yunxuan, Tian, Chao, on behalf of the 23andMe Research Team ... de Zubicaray, Greig (2025). Association between polygenic risk for Major Depression and brain structure in a mega-analysis of 50,975 participants across 11 studies. Molecular Psychiatry, 31 (2), 611-621. doi: 10.1038/s41380-025-03136-4

Association between polygenic risk for Major Depression and brain structure in a mega-analysis of 50,975 participants across 11 studies

2026

Journal Article

Unravelling sex differences in the genetic architecture of anxiety

Hu, Jihua, Lupton, Michelle K., Byrne, Enda M., Martin, Nicholas G., Whiteman, David C., Olsen, Catherine M., Thomas, Jodi T., Medland, Sarah E., Grasby, Katrina L. and Mitchell, Brittany L. (2026). Unravelling sex differences in the genetic architecture of anxiety. Psychological Medicine, 56 e191, e191-56. doi: 10.1017/s0033291726104760

Unravelling sex differences in the genetic architecture of anxiety

2026

Journal Article

Genome-wide meta-analyses of non-response to antidepressants provide insights into underlying molecular genetics and suggest potential pharmacotherapies

Koch, Elise, Puusepp, Tuuli, Einarsson, Guðmundur, Mitchell, Brittany L., Harder, Arvid, Lin, Yuhao, García-Marín, Luis M., Krebs, Kristi, Shadrin, Alexey A., Xiong, Ying, Estonian Biobank Research Team, Metspalu, Andres, Esko, Tõnu, Mägi, Reedik, Nelis, Mari, Hudjashov, Georgi, Frei, Oleksandr, Lu, Yi, Hägg, Sara, Rentería, Miguel E., Medland, Sarah E., Wray, Naomi R., Martin, Nicholas G., Hübel, Christopher, Breen, Gerome, Thorgeirsson, Thorgeir, Stefánsson, Hreinn, Stefánsson, Kári, Lehto, Kelli ... O’Connell, Kevin S. (2026). Genome-wide meta-analyses of non-response to antidepressants provide insights into underlying molecular genetics and suggest potential pharmacotherapies. Molecular Psychiatry, 31 (4), 2005-2013. doi: 10.1038/s41380-025-03357-7

Genome-wide meta-analyses of non-response to antidepressants provide insights into underlying molecular genetics and suggest potential pharmacotherapies

2026

Journal Article

Genetic and environmental effects on weight gain from young adulthood to old age and its association with body mass index in early young adulthood: an individual-based pooled analysis of 16 twin cohorts

Obeso, Alvaro, Drouard, Gabin, Jelenkovic, Aline, Ordoñana, Juan R., Sánchez-Romera, Juan F., Colodro-Conde, Lucía, Ollikainen, Miina, Aaltonen, Sari, Corley, Robin P., Huibregtse, Brooke M., Medda, Emanuela, Fagnani, Corrado, Toccaceli, Virgilia, Gatz, Margaret, Butler, David A., Bartels, Meike, Ligthart, Lannie, de Geus, Eco JC, Christensen, Kaare, Skytthe, Axel, Kyvik, Kirsten O., Medland, Sarah E., Gordon, Scott D., Rasmussen, Finn E., Tynelius, Per, Franz, Carol E., Kremen, William S., Lyons, Michael J., Spector, Timothy ... Silventoinen, Karri (2026). Genetic and environmental effects on weight gain from young adulthood to old age and its association with body mass index in early young adulthood: an individual-based pooled analysis of 16 twin cohorts. International Journal of Obesity, 50 (4), 768-776. doi: 10.1038/s41366-025-01998-w

Genetic and environmental effects on weight gain from young adulthood to old age and its association with body mass index in early young adulthood: an individual-based pooled analysis of 16 twin cohorts

2026

Journal Article

Atypical depression is associated with a distinct clinical, neurobiological, treatment response, and polygenic risk profile

Shin, Mirim, Crouse, Jacob J., Lin, Tian, Byrne, Enda M., Mitchell, Brittany L., Lind, Penelope A., Parker, Richard, Mckenna, Sarah, Tonini, Emiliana, Carpenter, Joanne S., Merikangas, Kathleen R., Wray, Naomi R., Medland, Sarah E., Martin, Nicholas G. and Hickie, Ian B. (2026). Atypical depression is associated with a distinct clinical, neurobiological, treatment response, and polygenic risk profile. Biological Psychiatry. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2026.01.003

Atypical depression is associated with a distinct clinical, neurobiological, treatment response, and polygenic risk profile

2025

Journal Article

Predicting adolescent disordered eating and behaviours: exploring environmental moderators of polygenic risk

Curtis, Madeleine, Colodro‐Conde, Lucia, Medland, Sarah E., Gordon, Scott, Martin, Nicholas G., Wade, Tracey D. and Cohen‐Woods, Sarah (2025). Predicting adolescent disordered eating and behaviours: exploring environmental moderators of polygenic risk. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 66 (12), 1795-1806. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.70012

Predicting adolescent disordered eating and behaviours: exploring environmental moderators of polygenic risk

2025

Journal Article

An exploration of the genetic architecture of pregnancy-related linea nigra and its relationship with pigmentation phenotypes

Bivol, Svetlana, Seviiri, Mathias, Colodro-Conde, Lucia, Mitchell, Brittany L., Olsen, Catherine M., Whiteman, David C., Law, Matthew H., Lind, Penelope A., Painter, Jodie N. and Medland, Sarah E. (2025). An exploration of the genetic architecture of pregnancy-related linea nigra and its relationship with pigmentation phenotypes. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 28 (5), 409-415. doi: 10.1017/thg.2025.10026

An exploration of the genetic architecture of pregnancy-related linea nigra and its relationship with pigmentation phenotypes

2025

Journal Article

The genetic architecture of the human corpus callosum and its subregions

Bhatt, Ravi R., Gadewar, Shruti P., Shetty, Ankush, Ba Gari, Iyad, Haddad, Elizabeth, Javid, Shayan, Ramesh, Abhinaav, Nourollahimoghadam, Elnaz, Zhu, Alyssa H., de Leeuw, Christiaan, Thompson, Paul M., Medland, Sarah E. and Jahanshad, Neda (2025). The genetic architecture of the human corpus callosum and its subregions. Nature Communications, 16 (1) 9708, 1-20. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-64791-3

The genetic architecture of the human corpus callosum and its subregions

2025

Conference Publication

Quantifying the impact of genetic variation on healthcare cost across 1.4 million individuals from 11 studies and 7 countries: the GenCost consortium (Award Candidate)

May-Wilson, Sebastian Marcus, Nakanishi, Tomoko, Lee, Jiwoo, Dixon, Padraig, Davies, Neil, Ganna, Andrea, Vork, Andres, Milani, Lili, Abner, Erik, van Heel, David, Kanoni, Stavroula, van der Laan, Camiel M., Boomsma, Dorret, Brunak, Soren, Banasik, Karina, Louloudis, Ioannis, McCartney, Daniel, Marioni, Riccardo, Richmond, Anne, Yang, Zhiyu, Fahr, Patrick, Lind, Penelope, Medland, Sarah, Zguro, Kristina, Mbarek, Hamdi, Saad, Chadi, Torkki, Paulus M., Speed, Doug and German, Jakob (2025). Quantifying the impact of genetic variation on healthcare cost across 1.4 million individuals from 11 studies and 7 countries: the GenCost consortium (Award Candidate). 58th Conference of the European-Society-of-Human-Genetics (ESHG), Milan Italy, May 24-27, 2025. LONDON: SPRINGERNATURE.

Quantifying the impact of genetic variation on healthcare cost across 1.4 million individuals from 11 studies and 7 countries: the GenCost consortium (Award Candidate)

Availability

Honorary Professor Sarah Medland is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Genetic and environmental risk factors influencing mood disorders

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Support, Stigma, and Attitudes towards Autism andADHD in Adults and Parents from the Australian ASD and ADHD Study

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Genetic determinants of treatment outcomes in mental health: harnessing the shared genetic etiology of mental disorders for precision psychiatry.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Dan Siskind

  • Master Philosophy

    Novel efficient statistical methods for biobank-scale prediction from brain imaging

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Genetic architecture of differences in symptomatology and treatment response in major depressive disorder

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Honorary Professor Nick Martin

Completed supervision

Enquiries

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