
Overview
Background
John McGrath AM, MBBS, MD, PhD, FRANZCP, FAHMS
John McGrath is a psychiatrist interested in discovering the causes of serious mental disorders. He is the Director of the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research and conjoint Professor at the Queensland Brain Institute His research aims to generate and evaluate nongenetic risk factors for schizophrenia. He has forged productive cross-disciplinary collaborations linking risk factor epidemiology with developmental neurobiology. For example, John and his colleagues have made discoveries linking prenatal vitamin D and later risk of mental illness in the offspring. In addition, John has supervised major systematic reviews of the epidemiology of schizophrenia. He was awarded a John Cade Fellowship by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. In 2016 he was also awarded a Neils Bohr Professorship by the Danish National Research Foundation.
Availability
- Professor John McGrath is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and Medical Science, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
Research interests
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The association between vitamin D status and brain outcomes
In collaboration with Darryl Eyles, we are measuring early life vitamin D status and exploring if this changes the risk of later developing serious mental illness. These studies are in collaboration with colleagues in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands.
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The demographic and clinical correlates of psychotic-like experiences
Using two large surveys conducted in Australia in 1997 and 2007, our group have undertaken a suite of studies designed to understand the clinical relevance of isolated psychotic-like experiences. Over recent years we have published many papers on this topic, and have made important contributions with respect to how psychotic-like experiences are associated with (a) an increased risk of later psychotic disorders (based on the MUSP study), (b) depression, anxiety and substance use disorders, (c) a family history of mental illness, (d) exposure to trauma, (e) an increased risk of suicidal ideation and behaviour, (f) general physical health, and (g) help-seeking.
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The Survey of High Impact Psychosis (SHIP)
Our group was one of seven sites involved in the design and administration of the second Australian Survey of psychotic disorders. In collaboration with a large national team, we continue to explore key issues related to the needs of people with psychosis in Australia.
Research impacts
The Epidemiology team are interested in the frequency measures related to serious mental disorders (e.g. incidence, prevalence, mortality, recovery/remission). We are also interested in the clinical and demographic correlates of adverse mental health outcomes – some of these may be modifiable risk factors and thus important from a public health perspective. We use large, community-based surveys, and birth cohorts. Our focus has been on psychotic disorders and psychotic-like experiences in the general population. In addition, we are examining the links between early life vitamin D status and risk of later mental illness, by directly measuring vitamin D (in collaboration with Darryl Eyles and many international collaborators).
Works
Search Professor John McGrath’s works on UQ eSpace
2019
Journal Article
Erratum: Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (The Lancet (2018) 392(10159) (1923–1994), (S0140673618322256), (10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32225-6))
Stanaway, Jeffrey D., Afshin, Ashkan, Gakidou, Emmanuela, Lim, Stephen S., Abate, Degu, Abate, Kalkidan Hassen, Abbafati, Cristiana, Abbasi, Nooshin, Abbastabar, Hedayat, Abd-Allah, Foad, Abdela, Jemal, Abdelalim, Ahmed, Abdollahpour, Ibrahim, Abdulkader, Rizwan Suliankatchi, Abebe, Molla, Abebe, Zegeye, Abera, Semaw F., Abil, Olifan Zewdie, Abraha, Haftom Niguse, Abrham, Aklilu Roba, Abu-Raddad, Laith Jamal, Abu-Rmeileh, Niveen M.E., Accrombessi, Manfred Mario Kokou, Acharya, Dilaram, Acharya, Pawan, Adamu, Abdu A., Adane, Akilew Awoke, Adebayo, Oladimeji M., Adedoyin, Rufus Adesoji ... Murray, Christopher J.L. (2019). Erratum: Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (The Lancet (2018) 392(10159) (1923–1994), (S0140673618322256), (10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32225-6)). The Lancet, 393 (10190). doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31429-1
2019
Journal Article
Genome-wide association study in two populations to determine genetic variants associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection and relationship to schizophrenia risk
Wang, Alex W., Avramopoulos, Dimitrios, Lori, Adriana, Mulle, Jennifer, Conneely, Karen, Powers, Abigail, Duncan, Erica, Almli, Lynn, Massa, Nicholas, McGrath, John, Schwartz, Ann C., Goes, Fernando S., Weng, Lei, Wang, Ruihua, Yolken, Robert, Ruczinski, Ingo, Gillespie, Charles F., Jovanovic, Tanja, Ressler, Kerry, Pulver, Ann E. and Pearce, Brad D. (2019). Genome-wide association study in two populations to determine genetic variants associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection and relationship to schizophrenia risk. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 92, 133-147. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.12.019
2019
Journal Article
Developmental vitamin D deficiency produces behavioral phenotypes of relevance to Autism in an animal model
Ali, Asad, Vasileva, Svetlina, Langguth, Mia, Alexander, Suzanne, Cui, Xiaoying, Whitehouse, Andrew, McGrath, John J. and Eyles, Darryl (2019). Developmental vitamin D deficiency produces behavioral phenotypes of relevance to Autism in an animal model. Nutrients, 11 (5) 1187, 1187. doi: 10.3390/nu11051187
2019
Journal Article
Childhood generalized specific phobia as an early marker of internalizing psychopathology across the lifespan: results from the World Mental Health Surveys
De Vries, Ymkje Anna, Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Alonso, Jordi, Borges, Guilherme, Bruffaerts, Ronny, Bunting, Brendan, Caldas-De-Almeida, José Miguel, Cia, Alfredo H., De Girolamo, Giovanni, Dinolova, Rumyana V., Esan, Oluyomi, Florescu, Silvia, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep Maria, Hu, Chiyi, Karam, Elie G., Karam, Aimee, Kawakami, Norito, Kiejna, Andrzej, Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Lee, Sing, Mneimneh, Zeina, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Piazza, Marina, Scott, Kate, Ten Have, Margreet, Torres, Yolanda, Viana, Maria Carmen, Kessler, Ronald C. ... Wojtyniak, Bogdan (2019). Childhood generalized specific phobia as an early marker of internalizing psychopathology across the lifespan: results from the World Mental Health Surveys. BMC Medicine, 17 (1) 101, 101. doi: 10.1186/s12916-019-1328-3
2019
Other Outputs
The Australian Genetics of Depression Study: Study Description and Sample Characteristics
Byrne, Enda M, Kirk, Katherine M, Medland, Sarah E, McGrath, John J, Parker, Richard, Cross, Simone, Sullivan, Lenore, Statham, Dixie J, Levinson, Douglas F, Licinio, Julio, Wray, Naomi R, Hickie, Ian B and Martin, Nicholas G (2019). The Australian Genetics of Depression Study: Study Description and Sample Characteristics. doi: 10.1101/626762
2019
Journal Article
Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
Feigin, Valery L., Nichols, Emma, Alam, Tahiya, Bannick, Marlena S., Beghi, Ettore, Blake, Natacha, Culpepper, William J., Dorsey, E. Ray, Elbaz, Alexis, Ellenbogen, Richard G., Fisher, James L., Fitzmaurice, Christina, Giussani, Giorgia, Glennie, Linda, James, Spencer L., Johnson, Catherine Owens, Kassebaum, Nicholas J., Logroscino, Giancarlo, Marin, Benoit, Mountjoy-Venning, W. Cliff, Minh Nguyen,, Ofori-Asenso, Richard, Patel, Anoop P., Piccininni, Marco, Roth, Gregory A., Steiner, Timothy J., Stovner, Lars Jacob, Szoeke, Cassandra E. I., Theadom, Alice ... GBD 2016 Neurology Collaborators (2019). Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet Neurology, 18 (5), 459-480. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30499-X
2019
Conference Publication
Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Engineered to Express Collagen VII Can Restore Anchoring Fibrils in Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Skin Graft Chimeras
Petrova, Anastasia, Georgiadis, Christos, Naso, Gaetano, Fleck, Roland, Allison, Leanne, McGrath, John, Dazzi, Francesco, Di, Wei-Li and Qasim, Waseem (2019). Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Engineered to Express Collagen VII Can Restore Anchoring Fibrils in Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Skin Graft Chimeras. 22nd Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Gene-and-Cell-Therapy (ASGCT), Washington Dc, Apr 29-May 02, 2019. CAMBRIDGE: CELL PRESS.
2019
Journal Article
Protocol update and statistical analysis plan for CADENCE-BZ: a randomized clinical trial to assess the efficacy of sodium benzoate as an adjunctive treatment in early psychosis
Lim, Carmen, Baker, Andrea, Saha, Sukanta, Foley, Sharon, Gordon, Anne, Ward, David, Dark, Frances, Burgher, Bjorn, Beckmann, Martin, Stathis, Stephen, Ryan, Alex, Bruxner, George, Richardson, Drew, Hatherill, Sean, Berk, Michael, Dean, Olivia, McGrath, John, Cadence Working Group, Scott, James and Suetani, Shuichi (2019). Protocol update and statistical analysis plan for CADENCE-BZ: a randomized clinical trial to assess the efficacy of sodium benzoate as an adjunctive treatment in early psychosis. Trials, 20 (1) 203. doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3232-8
2019
Journal Article
Cause-specific life years lost among persons diagnosed with schizophrenia: is it getting better or worse?
Laursen, Thomas Munk, Plana-Ripoll, Oleguer, Andersen, Per Kragh, McGrath, John J., Toender, Anita, Nordentoft, Merete, Canudas-Romo, Vladimir and Erlangsen, Annette (2019). Cause-specific life years lost among persons diagnosed with schizophrenia: is it getting better or worse?. Schizophrenia Research, 206, 284-290. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.11.003
2019
Conference Publication
MENDELIAN RANDOMIZATION IN PSYCHIATRY: A GUIDE FOR CLINICIANS IN UNDERSTANDING THE LATEST IN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL GENETIC RESEARCH
Frater, J. and McGrath, J. (2019). MENDELIAN RANDOMIZATION IN PSYCHIATRY: A GUIDE FOR CLINICIANS IN UNDERSTANDING THE LATEST IN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL GENETIC RESEARCH. LONDON: SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD.
2019
Journal Article
A comparison of hallucinatory experiences and their appraisals in those with and without mental illness
Connell, Melissa, Scott, James G., McGrath, John J., Waters, Flavie, Larøi, Frank, Alati, Rosa, Najman, Jake and Betts, Kim (2019). A comparison of hallucinatory experiences and their appraisals in those with and without mental illness. Psychiatry Research, 274, 294-300. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.01.079
2019
Journal Article
Cumulative Disaster Exposure and Mental and Physical Health Symptoms Among a Large Sample of Gulf Coast Residents
Lowe, Sarah R., McGrath, John A., Young, Megan N., Kwok, Richard K., Engel, Lawrence S., Galea, Sandro and Sandler, Dale P. (2019). Cumulative Disaster Exposure and Mental and Physical Health Symptoms Among a Large Sample of Gulf Coast Residents. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 32 (2), 196-205. doi: 10.1002/jts.22392
2019
Conference Publication
Physical activity of people with mental disorders compared to the general population: a systematic review of longitudinal cohort studies
Suetani, S., Stubbs, B., McGrath, J. and Scott, J. (2019). Physical activity of people with mental disorders compared to the general population: a systematic review of longitudinal cohort studies. RANZCP 2019 Congress, Cairns, QLD Australia, 12–16 May 2019. London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications.
2019
Conference Publication
Physical activity of people with mental disorders compared to the general population: a systematic review of longitudinal cohort studies
Suetani, S., Stubbs, B., McGrath, J. and Scott, J. (2019). Physical activity of people with mental disorders compared to the general population: a systematic review of longitudinal cohort studies. 27th European Congress of Psychiatry, Warsaw Poland, Apr 06-09, 2019. CAMBRIDGE: CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS.
2019
Journal Article
Environmental and individual predictors of 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in Denmark measured from neonatal dried blood spots: the D-tect study
Keller, Amélie, Frederiksen, Peder, Händel, Mina N., Jacobsen, Ramune, McGrath, John J., Cohen, Arieh S. and Heitmann, Berit L. (2019). Environmental and individual predictors of 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in Denmark measured from neonatal dried blood spots: the D-tect study. British Journal of Nutrition, 121 (5), 567-575. doi: 10.1017/S0007114518003604
2019
Journal Article
The therapeutic potential of mangosteen pericarp as an adjunctive therapy for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
Ashton, Melanie M., Dean, Olivia M., Walker, Adam J., Bortolasci, Chiara C., Ng, Chee H., Hopwood, Malcolm, Harvey, Brian H., Moller, Marisa, McGrath, John J., Marx, Wolfgang, Turner, Alyna, Dodd, Seetal, Scott, James G., Khoo, Jon-Paul, Walder, Ken, Sarris, Jerome and Berk, Michael (2019). The therapeutic potential of mangosteen pericarp as an adjunctive therapy for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10 (MAR) 115, 115. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00115
2019
Journal Article
Association of cohort and individual substance use with risk of transitioning to drug use, drug use disorder, and remission from disorder: Findings from the World Mental Health Surveys
Degenhardt, Louisa, Bharat, Chrianna, Glantz, Meyer D., Sampson, Nancy A., Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Alonso, Jordi, Andrade, Laura H., Bunting, Brendan, Cia, Alfredo, De Girolamo, Giovanni, De Jonge, Peter, Demyttenaere, Koen, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep Maria, Harris, Meredith G., He, Yanling, Hinkov, Hristo, Karam, Aimee Nasser, Karam, Elie G., Kiejna, Andrzej, Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Lasebikan, Victor, Lee, Sing, Levinson, Daphna, Medina-Mora, Maria Elena, Mneimneh, Zeina, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Piazza, Marina, Posada-Villa, José ... Whiteford,Harvey (2019). Association of cohort and individual substance use with risk of transitioning to drug use, drug use disorder, and remission from disorder: Findings from the World Mental Health Surveys. JAMA Psychiatry, 76 (7), 708-720. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0163
2019
Journal Article
Concordance between the diagnostic guidelines for alcohol and cannabis use disorders in the draft ICD-11 and other classification systems: analysis of data from the WHO's World Mental Health Surveys
Degenhardt, Louisa, Bharat, Chrianna, Bruno, Raimondo, Glantz, Meyer D., Sampson, Nancy A., Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, Alonso, Jordi, Andrade, Laura Helena, Bunting, Brendan, Caldas-de-Almeida, Jose Miguel, Cia, Alfredo H., Gureje, Oye, Karam, Elie G., Khalaf, Mohammad, McGrath, John, Moskalewicz, Jacek, Lee, Sing, Mneimneh, Zeina, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Sasu, Carmen C., Scott, Kate, Torres, Yolanda, Poznyak, Vladimir, Chatterji, Somnath and Kessler, Ronald C. (2019). Concordance between the diagnostic guidelines for alcohol and cannabis use disorders in the draft ICD-11 and other classification systems: analysis of data from the WHO's World Mental Health Surveys. Addiction, 114 (3) add.14482, 534-552. doi: 10.1111/add.14482
2019
Journal Article
Global, regional, and national burden of suicide mortality 1990 to 2016: systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
Orpana, Heather M., Marczak, Laurie B., Arora, Megha, Abbasi, Nooshin, Abdulkader, Rizwan Suliankatchi, Abebe, Zegeye, Abraha, Haftom Niguse, Afarideh, Mohsen, Afshari, Mahdi, Ahmadi, Alireza, Aichour, Amani Nidhal, Aichour, Ibtihel, Aichour, Miloud Taki Eddine, Akseer, Nadia, Al‐raddadi, Rajaa M., Alahdab, Fares, Alkerwi, Ala'a, Allebeck, Peter, Alvis‐guzman, Nelson, Anber, Nahla Hamed, Anjomshoa, Mina, Antonio, Carl Abelardo T., Arora, Amit, Aryal, Krishna K., Asgedom, Solomon Weldegebreal, Awasthi, Ashish, Quintanilla, Beatriz Paulina Ayala, Badali, Hamid, Barker‐collo, Suzanne Lyn ... Naghavi, Mohsen (2019). Global, regional, and national burden of suicide mortality 1990 to 2016: systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. BMJ (Online), 364 94, l94. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l94
2019
Journal Article
The association between the longitudinal course of common mental disorders and subsequent physical activity status in young adults: a 30-year birth cohort study
Suetani, Shuichi, Mamun, Abdullah, Williams, Gail M., Najman, Jake M., McGrath, John J. and Scott, James G. (2019). The association between the longitudinal course of common mental disorders and subsequent physical activity status in young adults: a 30-year birth cohort study. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 109, 173-177. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.12.003
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor John McGrath is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Completed supervision
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Mental Disorders and Physical Activity: Epidemiological Analyses using Australian Datasets
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor James Scott
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
The mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Harvey Whiteford
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
The antecedents of schizophrenia, a birth cohort study
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Gail Williams
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2007
Doctor Philosophy
AWARENESS OF MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS OF INSIGHT INTO SCHIZOPHRENIA: A COMPARISON OF PATIENTS WITH THEIR RELATIVES AND CLINICIANS
Principal Advisor
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Contrasting the Expression of Psychotic Disorders in Ethnically Different Populations
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bryan Mowry
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
The role of adult vitamin D deficiency in cognition and brain function in mice
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Thomas Burne
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Neurochemical and neurophysiological bases of executive control
Associate Advisor
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
The effect of developmental vitamin D3 deficiency on brain development, immune function and behaviour in the adult rat
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Thomas Burne, Professor Darryl Eyles
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
The prevalence and correlates of psychotic-like experiences in the Australian community
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Graham Martin
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2005
Doctor Philosophy
Startle eyeblink modification: Associations with haloperidol, caffeine and nicotine in schizophrenia-spectrum and health individuals
Associate Advisor
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2003
Doctor Philosophy
INFORMATION PROCESSING AND PSYCHOSIS
Associate Advisor
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2003
Doctor Philosophy
THE ASSESSMENT OF THE DYSEXECUTIVE SYNDROME IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PSYCHOSIS
Associate Advisor
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2002
Doctor Philosophy
THE ELECTRO-PHYSIOLOGY OF WORKING MEMORY IN SCHIZOPHRENIA
Associate Advisor
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2002
Doctor Philosophy
MOLECULAR CANDIDATES FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bryan Mowry
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor John McGrath directly for media enquiries about:
- Brain development
- Neuroscience
- Schizophrenia
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