About

Emily DiBlasi, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. She obtained her MS in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior from the University at Buffalo and her PhD in Biology from the University of Utah. Dr. DiBlasi’s training background in statistical genetics, evolutionary theory, and empirical population genetics has led to a primary research interest in understanding the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to complex neuropsychiatric human traits. Her research focuses on the discovery of risk factors in suicide death.

Research topics

• Biology
• Psychology
• Medicine
• Genetics
• Psychiatry
• Clinical psychology
• Medical emergency
• Criminology

Selected publications

• Clinical and Genetic Evaluation of Suicide Death with and without Interpersonal Trauma Exposure

  medRxiv · 2026-04-16

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Importance Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States with risk strongly influenced by Interpersonal trauma, contributing to treatment resistance and clinical complexity. Objective To assess clinical and genetic factors in individuals who died from suicide, with and without interpersonal trauma exposure. Design Individuals who died from suicide with and without trauma were compared in a retrospective case-case design. Prevalence of 19 broad clinical categories was assessed between groups. Results directed selection of 42 clinical subcategories, and 40 polygenic scores (PGS) for further assessment. Multivariable logistic regression models, adjusted for critical covariates and multiple tests, were formulated. Models were also stratified by age group (<26yo and ≥26yo), sex, and age/sex. Setting A population-based evaluation of comorbidity and polygenic scoring in two suicide death subgroups. Participants A total of 8 738 Utah Suicide Mortality Research Study individuals (23.9% female, average age = 42.6 yo) who died from suicide were evaluated, divided into trauma ( N = 1 091) and non-trauma exposed ( N = 7 647) individuals. A subset of unrelated European genotyped individuals was also assessed in PGS analyses (Trauma N = 491; Non-trauma N = 3 233). Exposures “Trauma” is here defined as interpersonal trauma exposure, including abuse, assault, and neglect from International Classification of Disease coding. Main Outcomes and Measures Prevalence of comorbid clinical sub/categories and PGS enrichment in trauma versus non-trauma exposed suicide deaths. Results Overall, trauma-exposed individuals died from suicide earlier (mean age of 38.1 yo versus 43.3 yo; P <0.0001) and were disproportionately female (38% versus 21%, OR = 3.3, CI = 2.9-3.8). Prevalence of asphyxiation and overdose methods, prior suicidality, psychiatric diagnoses, and substance use (OR range = 1.3-3.7) were elevated in trauma exposed individuals who died from suicide. Genetic PGS were also elevated in trauma-exposed individuals who died from suicide for depression, bipolar disorder, cannabis use, PTSD, insomnia, and schizophrenia (OR range = 1.1-1.4) with ADHD and opioid use showing uniquely elevated PGS in trauma exposed males (OR range = 1.2-1.4). Conclusions and Relevance Results demonstrated multiple convergent lines of age- and sex-specific evidence differentiating trauma-exposed from non-trauma exposed suicide death. Such findings suggest unique biological backgrounds and may refine identification and treatment of this high-risk group.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Abstract 1245: Suicide Risk in Oncology: Sex and Cancer Type Differences in a Case-Control Study.

  Cancer Research · 2026-04-03

  article

  Abstract Background: Suicide risk among people with cancer may vary by sex and cancer site, reflecting different biological, psychosocial, and care-system pathways. We used statewide linked mortality and clinical data to examine whether cancer history and sex-specific cancer types differentially relate to pre-death suicidality and suicide mortality. Methods: We conducted a two-step study using population-level data from Utah linking suicide mortality, cancer, and electronic health records. First, we compared suicide decedents with versus without a prior cancer diagnosis (n=14,644) on suicidal ideation (SI), self-injurious behavior (SI), prior suicide attempts (SA), psychiatric and medical comorbidities. Second, we performed an age-and sex-matched case-control analysis of suicide decedents (cases; n=1,015) and living controls (n=9,173) to estimate adjusted odds of suicide death associated with any cancer history and specific cancer types, stratified by sex. Logistic regression models adjusted for prior suicidality, diagnosed mental and substance use disorders (SUD), and chronic medical morbidity. We also characterized the temporal sequencing of first-recorded encounter types (mental health, SUD, chronic medical, or cancer-related). Results: Among suicide decedents, those with any history of a cancer diagnosis had higher odds of pre-death SA (OR=1.27, 95% CI 1.09-1.49), SII (OR=1.34, 1.12-1.60), and SI (OR=1.29, 1.07-1.56) than decedents without cancer. Mental-health burden was substantially greater among female than male decedents (OR=7.90 vs 2.07). In case-control analyses, a history of any cancer was associated with lower overall odds of suicide death, but this aggregate effect masked heterogeneity by sex and cancer type. Among women, cervical cancer/dysplasia was over-represented in cases compared to controls (OR=1.53, 1.13-2.06), suggesting elevated risk in sex-specific, identity-salient cancers. Among men, prostate cancer was inversely associated with suicide death (OR=0.73, 0.59-0.91). First encounters for mental health and substance use were over-represented among cases of both sexes, while chronic-condition encounters suggest additional risk in men. Conclusions: In this study, any history of a cancer diagnosis was linked to greater pre-death suicidality but lower overall odds of suicide death, with important sex-and cancer-type specific differences. Patterns may support a dual-pathway model in which psychosocial/identity-related mechanisms may predominate among women with sex-specific cancers, whereas functional or disease-burden pathways may predominate among men with high-burden cancers. Tailored, sex-and cancer-type-specific suicide risk screening that leverages mental health and substance use encounter history may improve prevention in oncology settings. Citation Format: Brandy M. Byrwa-Hill, Eric T. Monson, Emily DiBlasi, Hilary Coon, Danli Chen, Michael J. Staley, Amanda V. Bakian. Suicide Risk in Oncology: Sex and Cancer Type Differences in a Case-Control Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 1245.

  PublisherDOI

• Genetic risk of chronic pain conditions associated with risk of suicide death through an integrative analysis of EHR and genomics data

  Translational Psychiatry · 2026-02-16

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Chronic pain represents heritable conditions linked to suicide death. It has been suggested that a shared genetic predisposition may contribute to this relationship, but there has not yet been a comprehensive assessment of genetic and clinical overlaps of different types of chronic pain with suicide death. Here, we integrated whole-genome sequencing and electronic health records from 986 unrelated individuals of European ancestry who died by suicide in the Utah Suicide Mortality Research Study and 415 ancestrally-matched population controls selected for absence of disease. Polygenic scores (PGSs) for seven distinct types of chronic pain were calculated and tested in the suicide cohort. We observed significant positive associations of PGSs for multisite chronic pain (PGS MCP ) and chronic widespread pain (PGS CWP ) with suicide mortality. Sex-stratified analyses showed elevations in both males and females. Pain diagnosis-stratified analyses revealed associations with suicide death regardless of chronic pain diagnoses. Follow-up tests of PGSs for more specific pain conditions showed additional associations with suicide death for: 1) monoarticular arthritis, 2) back pain, and 3) chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy across all suicide death individuals, and 4) irritable bowel syndrome within males only. In a multiple logistic regression test of all chronic pain PGSs associating suicide death status, four types of pain remained uniquely associated with suicide death, highlighting distinct subgroups within suicide death: some attributed to MCP and CWP, and others associated with monoarticular arthritis or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. This cohort study reports associations between suicide death and PGSs from various pain conditions, regardless of sex or chronic pain diagnosis, suggesting that combining genetic and clinical risk factors may better identify genetic overlap, causal directions, and/or specific gene pathways.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Defining suicidality phenotypes for genetic studies: perspectives of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Suicide Working Group

  Molecular Psychiatry · 2025-09-25 · 5 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Suicidality phenotypes, consisting of suicidal ideation (SI), suicide attempt (SA), and suicide death (SD), are all heritable but present unique challenges in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) due to their individual complexity, overlap with each other and with related self-harm phenotypes, and varying associations with psychiatric disorders. GWAS have uncovered several loci associated with suicidality phenotypes by meta-analyzing data from multiple cohorts. However, combining datasets from many research groups, where each group may use different study designs, phenotyping instruments, and definitions of suicidality phenotypes, presents challenges. Heterogeneity resulting from these differences can limit genetic discovery; harmonizing phenotype definitions to ensure consistency will greatly improve results. Here, we describe a standardized phenotyping protocol that draws on the expertise of a subgroup of clinicians, researchers, and experts from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Suicide Working Group to propose consensus definitions for SI, SA, and SD for genetic studies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Absence of nonfatal suicidal behavior preceding suicide death reveals differences in clinical risks

  Psychiatry Research · 2025-02-24 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access

  • Nonfatal suicidal behavior is the most robust predictor of suicide death; however, only ∼10 % of those who survive an attempt go on to die by suicide. • ∼50 % of suicide deaths occur in the absence of prior known attempts, suggesting risks other than nonfatal suicide attempt need to be identified to help prevent suicide mortality. • We studied data from 4000 population-ascertained suicide deaths and 26,191 population controls to improve understanding of suicide deaths without prior nonfatal attempts. • Results indicate highly significant clinical differences among suicide deaths with versus without prior nonfatal SI/SB, and suggest that, for a substantial number of individuals at risk for suicide mortality, history of SI/SB does not serve as an effective clinical marker of risk. Nonfatal suicidal behavior is the most robust predictor of suicide death. However, only ∼10 % of those who survive an attempt go on to die by suicide. Moreover, ∼50 % of suicide deaths occur in the absence of prior known attempts, suggesting risks other than nonfatal suicide attempt need to be identified to help prevent suicide mortality. We studied data from 4,000 population-ascertained suicide deaths and 26,191 population controls to improve understanding of suicide deaths without prior nonfatal attempts. This study included 2,253 suicide deaths and 3,375 controls with evidence of nonfatal suicidal ideation or behaviors (SUI_SI/SB and CTL_SI/SB) from diagnostic codes and natural language processing of electronic health records notes. Characteristics of these groups were compared to 1,669 suicides with no prior nonfatal SI/SB (SUI_None) and 22,816 controls with no lifetime suicidality (CTL_None). The SUI_None and CTL_None groups had fewer overall diagnoses and were older than SUI_SI/SB and CTL_SI/SB. Mental health diagnoses were far less common in both the SUI_None and CTL_None groups; mental health problems were far less associated with suicide death than with presence of SI/SB. Physical health diagnoses were conversely more often associated with risk of suicide death than with presence of SI/SB. Pending replication, results indicate highly significant clinical differences among suicide deaths with versus without prior nonfatal SI/SB, and suggest that, for a substantial number of individuals at risk for suicide mortality, history of SI/SB does not serve as an effective clinical marker of risk.

  PublisherDOI

• Defining suicidality phenotypes for genetic studies: perspectives of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Suicide Working Group

  2025-04-17

  preprintOpen access

  Suicidality phenotypes, consisting of suicidal ideation (SI), suicide attempt (SA), and suicide death (SD), are all heritable but present unique challenges in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) due to their individual complexity, overlap with each other and with related self-harm phenotypes, and varying associations with psychiatric disorders. GWAS have uncovered several loci associated with suicidality phenotypes by meta-analyzing data from multiple cohorts. However, combining datasets from many research groups, where each group may use different study designs, phenotyping instruments, and definitions of suicidality phenotypes, presents challenges. Heterogeneity resulting from these differences can limit genetic discovery; harmonizing phenotype definitions to ensure consistency will greatly improve results. Here, we describe a standardized phenotyping protocol that draws on the expertise of a subgroup of clinicians, researchers, and experts from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Suicide Working Group to propose consensus definitions for SI, SA, and SD for genetic studies.

  PublisherDOI

• 50.1 Differential Characteristics of Suicide Death in Youth and Young Adults Exposed to Psychological Trauma

  Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · 2025-10-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Intragenic deletions from whole genome sequencing of 1054 suicide deaths

  medRxiv · 2025-03-06 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access1st author

  Suicide is an urgent public health crisis that claimed over 48,000 lives in the US in 2022. The importance of genetics in suicide risk has been established by classical twin and family studies, and confirmed with recent large genome-wide association studies (GWAS). While the GWAS are beginning to reveal genetic risk due to common variants each with small effect on liability, these results explain only a fraction of the genetic risk. As with other complex health conditions, some of this unexplained risk is likely due to rarer variants with larger effect on liability. Using whole genome sequencing (WGS) data from 1,054 population-ascertained Utah suicide deaths, we investigated intragenic deletions as a class of genomic variation highly likely to disrupt gene function. To minimize the chance of false positive results, studied deletions were limited to those found in three large publicly-available control datasets (1000 Genomes, GnomAD, and Centers for Common Disease Genomics). Additional internal replication also required deletions to occur at least twice in WGS from an initial cohort of 670 suicide deaths then again in a second cohort of 384 suicide deaths. All results meeting these filters were manually validated. There were 11 validated deletions with at least 2-fold increase in frequency over occurrence in controls (range 2.28 to 4.46). These results implicated genes associated with risk of mental health conditions (MPST, IL4R, CDH13), epilepsy (CLCA4), intellectual disability (ZNF44), neuronal function (OSBPL2), metabolic function (FBOX36), lipid metabolism (TM9SF3), immune related functions (PIPOX, IL4R), and transcriptional repression (ZHX3). SNPs in genes implicated by the deletions have also been associated with mental health conditions, neuronal function, immune response, and other critical biological pathways including neuroinflammation and cellular response to stress. Demographic and clinical associations of suicide deaths with specific genetic deletions, highlight the prevalence of mood, anxiety and bipolar disorders and variations in age at suicide death among affected individuals. This work is the largest genome-wide analyses of WGS variation in suicide deaths to date. Pending replication, results will guide future functional studies with the eventual goals of increased understanding of mechanisms leading to risk.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Genetic Liabilities to Neuropsychiatric Conditions in Suicide Deaths With No Prior Suicidality

  JAMA Network Open · 2025-10-20 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Importance: Although suicide attempt is the most robust estimator of suicide death, few individuals who attempt it go on to die by suicide (<10%), and approximately 50% of suicide deaths occur in the absence of evidence of prior attempts. The risks are particularly poorly understood in this group. Objective: To study underlying polygenic liabilities among suicide deaths without evidence of prior nonfatal suicidality (SD-N) compared with suicide deaths with prior suicidality (SD-S), testing prior results showing significantly lower clinical risks of neuropsychiatric traits in SD-N vs SD-S. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cohort study, polygenic scores (PGS) were computed using summary statistics from 12 published source studies, then compared across SD-N and SD-S groups taken from the Utah Suicide Mortality Research Study (cases accrued between December 1998 and October 2022). PGS from the suicide death cohorts were also compared to unselected population controls. Evidence of prior suicidality was determined from diagnoses and clinical notes. Main Outcomes and Measures: Cohort differences in PGS reflecting neuropsychiatric conditions were tested using analysis of covariance, adjusting for sex, age, and genetic ancestry, followed by additional analyses within sex and within subgroups defined by age at death (50 years or younger vs older than 50 years). PGS spanned 12 neuropsychiatric conditions. Data were analyzed between July 2024 and July 2025. Results: The SD-N cohort (n = 1337) had significantly more male suicide deaths (1105 [82.65%] vs 974 [67.95%]), with an older mean (SD) age at death (47.5 [18.9] vs 41.4 [15.6] years) than the SD-S cohort (n = 1432). The control cohort (n = 19 499) had significantly fewer males (8597 [44.09%]) than both suicide death subsets. Genetic ancestry was similar across the SD-N and SD-S groups (96.77% and 96.81% European ancestry), and control (97.38% European ancestry) groups. Socioeconomic status was not significantly different across suicide cohorts adjusted for age and sex (occupation ranking SD-N mean [SD], 57.16 [24.54]; SD-S mean [SD], 54.72 [25.29]; t = 1.30; P = .70; maximum education SD-N mean [SD], 2.70 [1.12]; SD-S mean [SD], 2.67 [1.13]; Fisher exact test P = .38). Comparing SD-N to SD-S revealed significantly lower (false discovery rate P < .05) PGS in the SD-N group for major depressive disorder (adjusted mean difference, 0.085 [95% CI, 0.018-0.152]; P = .01), depressed affect (adjusted mean difference, 0.081 [95% CI, 0.012-0.149]; P = .02), anxiety (adjusted mean difference, 0.091 [95% CI, 0.021-0.161]; P = .01), neuroticism (adjusted mean difference, 0.102 [95% CI, 0.033-0.171]; P = .004), and Alzheimer disease (adjusted mean difference, 0.090 [95% CI, 0.021-0.1658]; P = .01), and lower (false discovery rate P < .10) PGS in SD-N for posttraumatic stress disorder (adjusted mean difference, 0.070 [95% CI, 0.001-0.139]; P = .04). Of note, SD-N PGS were not significantly different from controls for depressed affect (adjusted mean difference, 0.037 [95% CI, -0.019 to 0.093]), neuroticism (adjusted mean difference, -0.001 [95% CI, -0.057 to 0.055]), or Alzheimer disease (adjusted mean difference, -0.027 [95% CI, -0.083 to 0.029]). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, SD-N showed significantly different genetic liabilities to neuropsychiatric conditions from SD-S. Results have implications for future suicide research and prevention for persons at risk of mortality.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Abstract C091: Health disparities by sex and cancer type among suicide decedents

  Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention · 2025-09-18

  article

  Abstract Background: Suicide risk and health disparities intersect across both sex and cancer type through a combination of biological, psychosocial, and health-system factors. Sex-specific malignancies (e.g., breast and cervical, uterine cancer in women; prostate and testicular cancer in men) may compound psychosocial challenges, body-image disturbance, identity shifts, and social isolation, thereby deepening inequities in mental health outcomes. This study evaluates disparities in suicidal ideation (SI), self-harm (SH), and suicide attempts (SA) among decedents with and without prior cancer, disaggregating by sex and by cancer type to uncover differential vulnerability. Methods: State-level data on 14,644 suicide decedents, ascertained by the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner, were analyzed using contingency analyses and Fisher’s exact tests. Suicidality was operationalized across three domains: SI, SH, and SA. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to compare suicidality between decedents with and without cancer. Analyses were stratified by sex and by cancer type (sex-specific vs. non-sex-specific): sex-specific cancers included breast, cervical, and uterine cancers in women, and prostate and testicular cancers in men; non-sex-specific cancers comprised all other malignancies not involving reproductive organs. Results: Overall, cancer history was linked to markedly higher suicidality, disproportionately so in women (OR=7.90; 95% CI 4.90–12.73) versus men (OR=2.07; 95% CI 1.48–2.89). Among women with sex-specific cancers, 89% exhibited some form of suicidality. SI (OR=3.01; 95% CI 2.17–4.17), SA (OR=4.75; 95% CI 3.52–6.41), and SH (OR=6.05; 95% CI 4.49–8.15), compared to 51% of cancer-free decedents. In contrast, men with non-sex-specific cancers (notably lung and gastrointestinal) showed elevated SI (OR=1.50; 95% CI 1.19–1.88) and SA (OR=1.31; 95% CI 1.08–1.59), but no increase in SH. Men with prostate or testicular cancer did not differ from non-cancer decedents. Conclusions: These findings reveal pronounced sex and cancer-type specific disparities in suicidality among decedents with a prior cancer diagnosis. Women who experienced sex-specific cancers had a substantially higher mental health burden across all suicidality domains, underscoring an urgent need for targeted mental-health interventions in this group. In men, elevated risk was confined to non-sex-specific cancers such as colon and other cancers characterized by high symptom burden and poor prognosis, suggesting distinct functional and existential drivers. Addressing these disparities necessitates sex and cancer specific tailored mental health and suicide prevention strategies within oncology care pathways, to mitigate inequities as cancer survivorship continues to improve. Citation Format: Brandy M. Byrwa-Hill, Eric T. Monson, Emily DiBlasi, Hilary Coon, Danli Chen, Michael Staley, Amanda V. Bakian. Health disparities by sex and cancer type among suicide decedents [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr C091.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Anna R. Docherty

  102 shared

• Hilary Coon

  Huntsman Cancer Institute

  84 shared

• Andrey A. Shabalin

  77 shared

• Brooks Keeshin

  65 shared

• Eric T. Monson

  65 shared

• Amanda V. Bakian

  Huntsman Cancer Institute

  64 shared

• Qingqin S. Li

  Broad Institute

  54 shared

• Thomas G. Schulze

  National Institute of Mental Health

  42 shared

Labs

• Emily DiBlasi LabPI

Education

• Ph.D., Biology

  University of Utah

• M.S., Evolution, Ecology and Behavior

  University at Buffalo