This Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) will prepare the candidate to become an interdisciplinary ELSI researcher conducting high-impact, independently funded research exploring the impact of genetic and other biological explanations for addictions and other psychiatric disorders on attitudes and beliefs about health and identity. The research will examine how genetic attributions for addiction relate to beliefs about individual agency and treatment effectiveness among people with addictive disorders and clinicians who treat them.

Project Narrative. Advances in psychiatric, neurologic and behavioral (PNB) genetics have brought the prospect of predictive and diagnostic genomic testing for many PNB conditions closer to clinical application. The potential for such findings to profoundly affect core elements of personhood?including identity, perceived responsibilities, and life trajectories?makes it essential to understand the impact of such information on individuals and families.