Overview
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
Works
Search Professor Sarah Medland’s works on UQ eSpace
2025
Journal Article
Markers of positive affect and brain state synchrony discriminate melancholic from non-melancholic depression using naturalistic stimuli
Mosley, Philip E., van der Meer, Johan N., Hamilton, Lachlan H. W., Fripp, Jurgen, Parker, Stephen, Jeganathan, Jayson, Breakspear, Michael, Parker, Richard, Holland, Rebecca, Mitchell, Brittany L., Byrne, Enda, Hickie, Ian B., Medland, Sarah E., Martin, Nicholas G. and Cocchi, Luca (2025). Markers of positive affect and brain state synchrony discriminate melancholic from non-melancholic depression using naturalistic stimuli. Molecular Psychiatry, 30 (3) 11605, 848-860. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02699-y
2025
Journal Article
Mental health and sleep correlates of self-reported outdoor daylight exposure in over 13,000 adults with depression
Crouse, Jacob J., Park, Shin Ho, Mitchell, Brittany L., Byrne, Enda M., Medland, Sarah E., Lin, Tian, Scott, Jan, de Haan, Zsofi, Tonini, Emiliana, Iorfino, Frank, Wray, Naomi R., Martin, Nicholas G. and Hickie, Ian B. (2025). Mental health and sleep correlates of self-reported outdoor daylight exposure in over 13,000 adults with depression. European Psychiatry, 68 (1) e41, 1-9. doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.20
2025
Journal Article
Identifying genetic differences between bipolar disorder and major depression through multiple genome-wide association analyses
Panagiotaropoulou, Georgia, Hellberg, Kajsa-Lotta Georgii, Coleman, Jonathan R. I., Seok, Darsol, Kalman, Janos, Mitchell, Philip B., Schofield, Peter R., Forstner, Andreas J., Bauer, Michael, Scott, Laura J., Pato, Carlos N., Pato, Michele T., Li, Qingqin S., Kirov, George, Landén, Mikael, Jonsson, Lina, Müller-Myhsok, Bertram, Smoller, Jordan W., Binder, Elisabeth B., Brückl, Tanja M., Czamara, Darina, Van Der Auwera, Sandra, Grabe, Hans J., Homuth, Georg, Schmidt, Carsten O., Potash, James B., Depaulo, J. Raymond, Goes, Fernando S., Mackinnon, Dean F. ... Olde Loohuis, Loes (2025). Identifying genetic differences between bipolar disorder and major depression through multiple genome-wide association analyses. British Journal of Psychiatry, 226 (2), 1-12. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2024.125
2025
Journal Article
Genomics yields biological and phenotypic insights into bipolar disorder
O’Connell, Kevin S., Koromina, Maria, van der Veen, Tracey, Boltz, Toni, David, Friederike S., Yang, Jessica Mei Kay, Lin, Keng-Han, Wang, Xin, Coleman, Jonathan R. I., Mitchell, Brittany L., McGrouther, Caroline C., Rangan, Aaditya V., Lind, Penelope A., Koch, Elise, Harder, Arvid, Parker, Nadine, Bendl, Jaroslav, Adorjan, Kristina, Agerbo, Esben, Albani, Diego, Alemany, Silvia, Alliey-Rodriguez, Ney, Als, Thomas D., Andlauer, Till F. M., Antoniou, Anastasia, Ask, Helga, Bass, Nicholas, Bauer, Michael, Beins, Eva C. ... Andreassen, Ole A. (2025). Genomics yields biological and phenotypic insights into bipolar disorder. Nature, 639 (8056), 968-975. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08468-9
2025
Journal Article
Investigating the Relationship Between Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Offspring Handedness: Extending the Proxy Gene-by-Environment Mendelian Randomization Study Design to Include Polygenic Risk Scores
Crick, Daisy C. P., Medland, Sarah E., Smith, George Davey and Evans, David M. (2025). Investigating the Relationship Between Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Offspring Handedness: Extending the Proxy Gene-by-Environment Mendelian Randomization Study Design to Include Polygenic Risk Scores. Behavior Genetics, 55 (4), 1-13. doi: 10.1007/s10519-025-10226-0
2024
Conference Publication
Harnessing RNA-Sequencing in rare disease diagnostics: Insights from a multi-regional pilot project
Oquendo, Carolina Jaramillo, Lyon, Matthew, Bunyan, Dave, Abbott, Jacob, Woodley, Jessica, Court, Samantha, Bell, Jennie, Douglas, Andrew, Willis, Sarah, Thomas, N. Simon, Williams, Anthony, Ennis, Sarah and Baralle, Diana (2024). Harnessing RNA-Sequencing in rare disease diagnostics: Insights from a multi-regional pilot project. LONDON: SPRINGERNATURE.
2024
Journal Article
Accelerating heritability, genetic correlation, and genome‐wide association imaging genetic analyses in complex pedigrees
Donohue, Brian, Gao, Si, Nichols, Thomas E., Adhikari, Bhim M., Ma, Yizhou, Jahanshad, Neda, Thompson, Paul M., McMahon, Francis J., Humphries, Elizabeth M., Burroughs, William, Ament, Seth A., Mitchell, Braxton D., Ma, Tianzhou, Chen, Shuo, Medland, Sarah E., Blangero, John, Hong, L. Elliot and Kochunov, Peter (2024). Accelerating heritability, genetic correlation, and genome‐wide association imaging genetic analyses in complex pedigrees. Human Brain Mapping, 45 (17) e70044, 1-15. doi: 10.1002/hbm.70044
2024
Conference Publication
A blended genome and exome sequencing method captures genetic variation in an unbiased, high-quality, and cost-effective manner
Boltz, Toni, Chu, Benjamin, Sealock, Julia, Liao, Calwing, Zhan, Lingyu, Fu, Jack, Ye, Robert, Majara, Lerato, Chapman, Sinead, DeFelice, Matthew, Grimsby, Jonna, Rubinacci, Simone, Akena, Dickens, Atkinson, Elizabeth, Atwoli, Lukoye, Bigdeli, Tim, Freimer, Nelson, Gatzen, Michael, Huang, Hailiang, Kachulis, Christopher, Kariuki, Symon, Kim, Soyeon, Koenen, Karestan, Jaramillo, Carlos Lopez, McMahon, Justin, Medland, Sarah, Newton, Charles, Veira, Ana Maria Olivares, Pato, Carlos ... Martin, Alicia (2024). A blended genome and exome sequencing method captures genetic variation in an unbiased, high-quality, and cost-effective manner. 57th Conference of the European-Society-of-Human-Genetics (ESHG), Berlin Germany, Jun 01-04, 2024. LONDON: SPRINGERNATURE.
2024
Journal Article
The effect of polygenic liability to mental disorders on COVID-19 outcomes in people with depression: the mediating role of anxiety
Monistrol-Mula, Anna, Felez-Nobrega, Mireia, Byrne, Enda M., Lind, Penelope A., Hickie, Ian B., Martin, Nicholas G., Medland, Sarah E., Colodro-Conde, Lucía and Mitchell, Brittany L. (2024). The effect of polygenic liability to mental disorders on COVID-19 outcomes in people with depression: the mediating role of anxiety. Psychological Medicine, 54 (15), 4140-4149. doi: 10.1017/s0033291724001983
2024
Conference Publication
International Statistical Genetics Workshop Online Content and Resources
Lessem, Jeffrey M., Medland, Sarah E., Abdellaoui, Abdel, Maes, Hermine H. and Keller, Matthew C. (2024). International Statistical Genetics Workshop Online Content and Resources. 54th Annual Meeting of the Behavior-Genetics-Association (BGA), London England, Jun 26-29, 2024. NEW YORK: SPRINGER.
2024
Conference Publication
Using Polygenic Risk Scores to Characterise Antidepressant Treatment Response in the Australian Genetics of Depression Study
Mitchell, Brittany L., Martin, Nicholas G., Medland, Sarah E. and Wray, Naomi R. (2024). Using Polygenic Risk Scores to Characterise Antidepressant Treatment Response in the Australian Genetics of Depression Study. 54th Annual Meeting of the Behavior-Genetics-Association (BGA), London England, Jun 26-29, 2024. NEW YORK: SPRINGER.
2024
Conference Publication
Preliminary Results from the ClozaGene Study Examining the Experiences of 1021 Australians Prescribed Clozapine
Lind, Penelope A., Parker, Richard K., Northwood, Korinne, Siskind, Dan J. and Medland, Sarah E. (2024). Preliminary Results from the ClozaGene Study Examining the Experiences of 1021 Australians Prescribed Clozapine. 54th Annual Meeting of the Behavior-Genetics-Association (BGA), London England, Jun 26-29, 2024. NEW YORK: SPRINGER.
2024
Conference Publication
The Number of Comorbidities in Depression Patients Correlates with Their MDD Polygenic Score
Lind, Penelope A., Hickie, Ian B., Martin, Nicholas G. and Medland, Sarah E. (2024). The Number of Comorbidities in Depression Patients Correlates with Their MDD Polygenic Score. 54th Annual Meeting of the Behavior-Genetics-Association (BGA), London England, Jun 26-29, 2024. NEW YORK: SPRINGER.
2024
Conference Publication
The International Statistical Genetics Workshop
Nivard, Michel G., Abdellaoui, Abdel, Evans, David M., Keller, Matthew C., Lessem, Jeff, Maes, Hermine H., Medland, Sarah E. and Neale, Benjamin M. (2024). The International Statistical Genetics Workshop. 54th Annual Meeting of the Behavior-Genetics-Association (BGA), London England, Jun 26-29, 2024. NEW YORK: SPRINGER.
2024
Conference Publication
Shared genetic liability between nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and mental health disorders
Painter, Jodie N., Grasby, Katrina G., Lind, Penelope A., Colodro-Conde, Lucia and Medland, Sarah E. (2024). Shared genetic liability between nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and mental health disorders. 54th Annual Meeting of the Behavior Genetics Association (BGA), London, United Kingdom, 26-29 June 2024. New York, United States: Springer. doi: 10.1007/s10519-024-10197-8
2024
Conference Publication
The Effect of Polygenic Liability for Psychiatric Disorders on COVID-19 Outcomes in People with Depression: The Mediating Role of Anxiety
Monistrol-Mula, Anna, Medland, Sarah E., Colodro-Conde, Lucia and Mitchell, Brittany L. (2024). The Effect of Polygenic Liability for Psychiatric Disorders on COVID-19 Outcomes in People with Depression: The Mediating Role of Anxiety. 54th Annual Meeting of the Behavior-Genetics-Association (BGA), London England, Jun 26-29, 2024. NEW YORK: SPRINGER.
2024
Journal Article
Cardiomyopathies in 100,000 genomes project: interval evaluation improves diagnostic yield and informs strategies for ongoing gene discovery
Josephs, Katherine S., Seaby, Eleanor G., May, Philippa, Theotokis, Pantazis, Yu, Jing, Andreou, Avgi, Sinclair, Hannah, Morris-Rosendahl, Deborah, Thomas, Ellen R. A., Ennis, Sarah, Roberts, Angharad M. and Ware, James S. (2024). Cardiomyopathies in 100,000 genomes project: interval evaluation improves diagnostic yield and informs strategies for ongoing gene discovery. Genome Medicine, 16 (1) 125. doi: 10.1186/s13073-024-01390-9
2024
Journal Article
The Circulating Methylome in Childhood-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Noble, Alexandra, Adams, Alex, Nowak, Jan, Cheng, Guo, Nayak, Komal, Quinn, Aisling, Kristiansen, Mark, Kalla, Rahul, Ventham, Nicholas T., Giachero, Federica, Jayamanne, Chamara, Hansen, Richard, Hold, Georgina L., El-Omar, Emad, Croft, Nicholas M., Wilson, David, Beattie, R. Mark, Ashton, James J., Zilbauer, Matthias, Ennis, Sarah, Uhlig, Holm H. and Satsangi, Jack (2024). The Circulating Methylome in Childhood-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Journal of Crohns & Colitis jjae157. doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjae157
2024
Journal Article
Genomic structural equation modeling reveals latent phenotypes in the human cortex with distinct genetic architecture
Morey, Rajendra A., Zheng, Yuanchao, Bayly, Henry, Sun, Delin, Garrett, Melanie E., Gasperi, Marianna, Maihofer, Adam X., Baird, C. Lexi, Grasby, Katrina L., Huggins, Ashley A., Haswell, Courtney C., Thompson, Paul M., Medland, Sarah, Gustavson, Daniel E., Panizzon, Matthew S., Kremen, William S., Nievergelt, Caroline M., Ashley-Koch, Allison E. and Logue, Mark W. (2024). Genomic structural equation modeling reveals latent phenotypes in the human cortex with distinct genetic architecture. Translational Psychiatry, 14 (1) 451, 1-11. doi: 10.1038/s41398-024-03152-y
2024
Journal Article
Anorexia nervosa polygenic risk, beyond diagnoses: relationship with adolescent disordered eating and behaviors in an Australian female twin population
Curtis, Madeleine, Colodro-Conde, Lucia, Medland, Sarah E., Gordon, Scott, Martin, Nicholas G., Wade, Tracey D. and Cohen-Woods, Sarah (2024). Anorexia nervosa polygenic risk, beyond diagnoses: relationship with adolescent disordered eating and behaviors in an Australian female twin population. Psychological Medicine, 54 (13), 3646-3654. doi: 10.1017/s0033291724001727
Supervision
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
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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
-
Doctor Philosophy
Genetic and environmental risk factors influencing mood disorders
Principal Advisor
-
Master Philosophy
Novel efficient statistical methods for biobank-scale prediction from brain imaging
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Unveiling the Complexities of Psychotic Disorders: Enhancing Treatment Safety and Understanding Heterogeneity Through Biomarkers, Genetic Analysis, and Multimodal Data Integration
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Dan Siskind
-
Doctor Philosophy
Genetic architecture of differences in symptomatology and treatment response in major depressive disorder
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Nick Martin, Associate Professor Miguel Rentería
Completed supervision
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring the influence of genetics and heritability on the heterogeneity of ADHD presentations
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Naomi Wray
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Motivated cognition and genetics: A psychological perspective on public understanding of behaviour genetics
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Fiona Barlow, Dr Lucia Colodro-Conde
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluation of the obesity paradox in diabetes: a longitudinal case control study
Principal Advisor
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Forensically Relevant Applications of Genome-Wide Association Studies
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Nick Martin
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Embracing Complexity in Psychiatric Genetics: Investigating Heterogeneity and Pleiotropy in Depression and Major Psychiatric Disorders
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Enda Byrne
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Genetic influences on substance use behaviour, substance use disorders and psychiatric disorders
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Naomi Wray, Honorary Professor Nick Martin, Dr Lucia Colodro-Conde
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Mapping the Genetic Architecture of Subcortical Brain Anatomy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Nick Martin
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
The genetics of complex human behaviour: Cannabis use, personality, sexuality and mating
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Nick Martin
-
2011
Doctor Philosophy
Genetic influences on quality of life throughout the life span: Genetic and environmental influences on the variation in and covariation among traits related to quality of life throughout life time and in the aged.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Nick Martin
Media
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