# Workshop on Statistical Genetic Methods for Human Complex Traits

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO · 2024 · $172,802

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This proposal requests a further five years of funding to support the organization and delivery of in-person and
virtual intensive training workshops focused on the development of skills in statistical, behavioral, and
quantitative genetics that will advance the mission of NIMH. Four workshops will be in-person over one week
and one will be virtual across two weeks. We also request funding to support the development of a website
devoted to self-education of this material and that will greatly increase the reach of the workshop. The
workshop and its associated website are targeted at post-doctoral trainees, graduate and medical students, and
early career faculty currently conducting or planning to initiate research on the genetics of mental health. To
balance the needs of investigators using a variety of methodologies, our in-person workshops will alternate
between a focus on structural equation modeling of twin, family, multivariate, and developmental data (the
“Latent Genetics Course”), and a workshop focusing on the analysis of measured genome variation including
sequence data (the “Molecular Genetics Course”). The virtual course will cover both content areas with a
slightly more introductory focus. The website will be a central hub for learning statistical genetics of all content
types. It will be made up of video lectures, practicals, code, and relevant readings along with a forum, all
organized by topic and cross-referenced.
Through both didactics and hands-on experience, research scientists participating in the workshops will refine
their research skills in genetic design and analysis. The workshop offers an innovative program designed to
provide education in state-of-the-art genetic methodology important to fulfill the objectives of the current
NIMH Strategic Plan. Although designed for training, the live (in-person and virtual) workshops share some
characteristics of a scientific meeting. Participants are encouraged to discuss their current research, to bring
copies of their data to work on directly while at the workshop, and to discuss and develop research plans. New
collaborations are established to facilitate high quality research on existing data sets, and new research
initiatives are strengthened by collaborations formed at the workshop. Its curriculum is continuously updated
by world leaders in statistical, behavioral, and quantitative genetics and their applications to mental health.
This workshop has historically been one of the most important gateways to behavioral, statistical, and
quantitative genetics. It has logged ~3,000 registrations since its inception in 1987. A large proportion of
authors of papers with keywords such as “GWAS” and “twin studies” have attended the workshop and many
leaders in the field got their start at it. The proposed workshop formats (in-person, virtual, and online)
represent a modernization of how content is delivered and have already born fruit in terms of increased reach
and diversi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10818551
- **Project number:** 5R25MH019918-32
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew Charles Keller
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $172,802
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1992-09-30 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10818551

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10818551, Workshop on Statistical Genetic Methods for Human Complex Traits (5R25MH019918-32). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10818551. Licensed CC0.

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