Research focus
Boomsma focuses her research on the causes of variation in human complex traits from child- to adulthood as a function of genotype and environment. To this end, she established the Netherlands Twin Register which over the past 35 years recruited over 200,000 twins and family members. With the participation of these families, more than 1400 papers were realized, that show the contribution of our genotype to nearly all human phenotypes across the lifespan.
She teaches quantitative genetics and is a member of the International Statistical Genetics workshop. Boomsma supervised over 60 PhD students and her work has led to national and international recognition, including the Spinoza Prize, which is the highest scientific award in the Netherlands. She initiated, and participates in multiple twin- and GWAS consortia and is a member of BBMRI-NL (Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure) and Odissei (Open Data Infrastructure for Social Science and Economic Innovations).
Honorary degree
In 2022 she was a awarded an honorary degree by the Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki University. She is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science and the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen.
World Congress
The congress is organized by the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics (ISPG). A worldwide collaboration of professionals with an interest in psychiatric genetics. This organization is committed to education and collaboration with high scientific and ethical standards.
Ming Tsuang
Ming Tsuang is a renowned researcher in the fields of human genetics and neuropsychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and PTSD and is interested in the identification of clinically useful biomarkers for these disorders. He has developed large-scale international collaborative studies that span the spectrum of psychiatric genetic research. After identifying panels of diagnostic biomarkers for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, he has more recently been pursuing biomarkers that predict individual susceptibility to the later emergence of mental illnesses such as autism spectrum disorder and PTSD. In addition, he has been pursuing biomarkers of treatment response to both pharmacologic and behavioral interventions for psychiatric disorders so that more personalized treatments may be offered in the future.
Dorret Boomsma receives Ming Tsuang Lifetime Achievement Award
20 September 2022
Professor Dorret Boomsma received the Ming Tsuang Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics (15-17 September) in Florence, Italy. The award is given to a distinguished senior scientist who has made significant and sustained contributions to the advancement of the field of psychiatric genetics.