The Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics (abbreviated VIPBG) is a
human genetics research center, located at
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), that aims to study the role played by genetic factors in the etiology of
psychiatric conditions and
substance abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...
. It was co-founded in 1996 by VCU psychiatry professors
Kenneth Kendler and
Lindon Eaves
Lindon J. Eaves (1944–2022) was a Behavioural genetics, behavior geneticist and priest who has published on topics as diverse as the heritability of religion and psychopathology. His research encompasses the development of mathematical models r ...
. Kendler serves as the Institute's director and the director of its Psychiatric Genetics Research Program (abbreviated PGRP), while Eaves is the director of the Institute's Genetic Epidemiology Research Group (abbreviated GERG). The PGRP and GERG are subsidiaries of the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, respectively, at the
VCU School of Medicine. The Institute's associate director is
Michael Neale
Michael C. Neale (born 10 March 1958) is a British behavior geneticist and professor at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is known for his research in the field of psychiatric ...
. In 2017, the
Virginia General Assembly passed a bill commending Kendler and the VIPBG, describing the latter as "...an exciting, highly collaborative research environment with a strong record of funding, research, and training, including more than 140 predoctoral and postdoctoral students over the past decade".
References
External links
Official WebsiteLaw Of Attraction
Research institutes in Virginia
1996 establishments in Virginia
Genetics or genomics research institutions
Virginia Commonwealth University
Behavioural genetics
Medical research institutes in the United States
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