James B. Potash

James B. Potash is an American psychiatrist, researcher, and academic leader. He is currently the Henry Phipps Professor and Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.[1]

Early Life and Education

Potash graduated from Yale College in 1984, where he majored in English. Following graduation, he served in the Peace Corps in Senegal.[1][2] This experience inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. He completed a master's degree in public health at Johns Hopkins University, focusing on epidemiology and international health.[1] He then earned his M.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1993.[1][3]

Potash completed an internship in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in 1994 before becoming a resident and chief resident in psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital.[3] He joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins in 1998.[3]

Research

Potash's research has focused on investigating the genetic and epigenetic basis of mood disorders, particularly depression and bipolar disorder.[1][2][4] He has authored over 215 publications[2] and his work has been consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health for 20 years.[1] Specific research interests include:

- The genetic basis of psychotic forms of bipolar disorder[1]

- Epigenetic mechanisms through which stress plays a role in depression[1][4]

- Using machine learning to predict autism risk genes[5]

Potash co-directs a project analyzing DNA sequences to identify genetic variations associated with bipolar disorder.[4] He serves on the steering committee of the Bipolar Sequencing Consortium, which aggregates similar data from multiple studies.[4]

Career

Prior to his current role, Potash was Chair and Department Executive Officer of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine from 2011-2017.[1][3] There, he worked to strengthen research focused on psychiatric illness mechanisms and encouraged collaborations between investigators, clinicians and educators.[1]

At Johns Hopkins, Potash has aimed to advance the Psychiatry department's tradition of excellence in community psychiatric services, research, and training programs.[3] He has sought to foster a path from genetic discoveries to novel treatments and improved patient care, such as by developing a clinical trials group and a brain imaging center focused on mood disorders.[4]

In addition to his research, Potash is an active clinician treating patients with depression and bipolar disorder.[1][2] He has served in leadership roles with the International Society for Psychiatric Genetics, the American Psychopathological Association, and the National Network of Depression Centers.[2][4]

References

1. "James B. Potash". Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved May 26, 2023.

2. "James B. Potash, MD, MPH". Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Retrieved May 26, 2023.

3. "James Potash Named Henry Phipps Professor and Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences". Inside Hopkins Medicine. June 1, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2023.

4. Taubes, Gary. "James Potash on the Path from Gene to Patient Care in Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins". ScienceWatch. February 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2023.

5. Lin, Ying; Rajadhyaksha, Anjali M.; Potash, James; Han, Shizhong (May 3, 2018). "A machine learning approach to predicting autism risk genes: Validation of known genes and discovery of new candidates". bioRxiv. doi:10.1101/315192.

References