
Jennifer Johnson
· Assistant ProfessorVerifiedUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Education Policy, Organization & Leadership
Active 1976–2026
Research topics
- Genetics
- Biology
- Physics
- Oceanography
- Neuroscience
- Environmental science
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Geology
- Engineering
- Mechanical engineering
- Medicine
- Computational biology
- Thermodynamics
- Astrophysics
- Clinical psychology
- Astronomy
Selected publications
European Eating Disorders Review · 2026-04-26
articleOpen accessOBJECTIVE: Although obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) commonly co-occurs with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, less is known about its relationship with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) dimensions. Whether associations between ARFID dimensions and OCD differ by sex is also unclear. We examined associations between ARFID dimensions and OCD symptoms by sex, accounting for depression and anxiety. METHODS: Data from 3120 participants ages 15+ in the ARFID Genes and Environment (ARFID-GEN) study were analyzed. ARFID dimensions (i.e., sensory sensitivity; low appetite/lack of interest in food; and fear of aversive consequences), OCD symptoms, anxiety, and depression were assessed using validated self-report measures. We evaluated associations between ARFID dimensions and OCD symptoms using general linear models, adjusting for depression and anxiety. RESULTS: ARFID dimensions were significantly associated with OCD symptoms. After adjusting for depression and anxiety, these associations were attenuated but remained significant for all ARFID dimensions. Associations between ARFID dimensions and OCD symptoms varied by sex. CONCLUSION: The relation between ARFID symptomatology and OCD warrants further exploration across the developmental spectrum in which ARFID appears. Clinically, bidirectional screening may improve diagnostic clarity and be informative to tailor interventions appropriately. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ARFID-GEN is registered in clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05605067).
T25. THE GENETIC ARCHITECTURE OF AVOIDANT-RESTRICTIVE FOOD INTAKE DISORDER (ARFID)
European Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025-10-01
article1st authorCorrespondingThe Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative 2 (EDGI2): study protocol
BMC Psychiatry · 2025-05-26 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessBACKGROUND: The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative 2 (EDGI2) is designed to explore the role of genes and environment in anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) with a focus on broad population representation and severe and/or longstanding illness. METHODS: A total of 20,000 new participants (18,700 cases and 1,300 controls) will be ascertained from the United States (US), Mexico (MX), Australia (AU), Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ), Sweden (SE), and Denmark (DK). Comprehensive phenotyping and genotyping will be performed for participants in US, MX, AU, NZ, and SE using the EDGI2 questionnaire battery and participant saliva samples. In DK, case identification and genotyping will be through the National Patient Register and bloodspots archived near birth. Case-control and case-case genome-wide association studies will be conducted within EDGI2 and enhanced via meta-analysis with external data from the Eating Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC-ED). Additional analyses will explore genetic correlations between eating disorders (EDs) and other psychiatric and metabolic traits, calculate polygenic risk scores (PRS), and leverage functional biology to evaluate clinical outcomes. Moreover, analyzing PRS for patient stratification and linking identified risk loci to clinically relevant phenotypes highlight the potential of EDGI2 for clinical translation. DISCUSSION: EDGI2 is a global expansion of the EDGI study to increase sample size, increase participant representation across multiple ancestral backgrounds, and to include ARFID. ED genetics research has historically lagged behind other psychiatric disorders, and EDGI2 is designed to rapidly advance the study of the genetics of the major EDs. Exploring EDs at both the diagnostic level and the symptom level will provide an unprecedented look at the genetic architecture underlying EDs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EDGI2 is a registered clinical trial: clinicaltrials.gov NCT06594913. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06594913 (posted September 19, 2024).
International Journal of Eating Disorders · 2025-12-04
articleOpen accessOBJECTIVE: According to DSM-5-TR, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) cannot be diagnosed alongside anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or any other body image disturbance. This does not accurately reflect real-world symptomatology and recent research, indicating the potential need to revise DSM-5-TR Criteria. We investigated the co-occurrence of weight- and/or shape-motivated restriction (WSR) in adults who screened positive for ARFID, providing evidence to inform such changes. METHOD: The sample comprised 5747 adults who consented to participate in the ARFID-Genes and Environment (ARFID-GEN) research study, screened positive for ARFID on the NIAS and PARDI-AR-Q, and completed the EDE-Q. We placed our participants into four groups: groups one and two screened positive for AN (ARFID-AN; n = 147) or BN (ARFID-BN; n = 193), group three endorsed WSR without meeting AN or BN criteria (ARFID-WSR; n = 2159), and group four endorsed ARFID symptoms only (ARFID-nWSR; n = 3248). We used generalized linear models to test group differences on the NIAS, PARDI-AR-Q, and EDE-Q. RESULTS: Where significant differences were present, ARFID-nWSR demonstrated lower scores than all other groups across ARFID dimensions on the NIAS and PARDI-AR-Q, and lower odds of meeting DSM-5-TR Criteria A1 to A3 (i.e., weight loss; nutritional deficiencies; dependence on nutritional supplements). DISCUSSION: These findings indicate a mixed phenotype with features of both ARFID and WSR associated with more severe ARFID symptomatology. The DSM-5-TR Criteria may not capture complex real-world symptomatology in adults with probable ARFID, potentially precluding those with the most severe symptoms from receiving accurate diagnoses and appropriate care.
UNC Libraries · 2025-04-18
articleOpen accessInternational Journal of Eating Disorders · 2025-02-07 · 11 citations
articleOBJECTIVE: Although several assessments have been developed to diagnose or measure avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) symptoms, few studies have validated these tools in nonclinical and adult samples. This study explored the validity of two self- and parent/guardian-report ARFID screening measures in identifying adults and children who may have ARFID within a large community sample. METHOD: Fifty participants (divided into two groups: 25 adults and 25 parents/guardians of children) were selected from the ARFID Genes and Environment study, which enrolled over 3000 adults and parents/guardians of children who screened positive for ARFID on either the Pica, ARFID, and Rumination Disorder Interview-ARFID Questionnaire (PARDI-AR-Q) or the Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS) self- and parent/guardian-report measures. Participants then completed the ARFID portion of the Pica, ARFID, and Rumination Disorder Interview (PARDI) to determine ARFID diagnosis. RESULTS: Correlations between the PARDI-AR-Q and PARDI (r = 0.31-0.67) were weaker than the correlations between the NIAS and PARDI (r = 0.53-0.64) in both groups. The diagnostic positive predictive value for the PARDI-AR-Q was numerically higher (adults = 55.0%; parents/guardians = 76.0%) than the NIAS (adults = 45.8%; parents/guardians = 64.0%). Most PARDI-AR-Q dimensions and all NIAS dimensions were significant predictors of their corresponding PARDI dimensions in both groups. DISCUSSION: The PARDI-AR-Q more accurately identified adults and children with ARFID, whereas the NIAS was a better estimator of ARFID symptoms. These findings provide partial support for using these self- and parent/guardian-report screeners. Results highlight the need to better understand diagnostic presentations of ARFID within community samples, particularly in adults, and to refine these tools within those populations.
UNC Libraries · 2025-12-11
articleOpen accessOBJECTIVE: According to DSM-5-TR, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) cannot be diagnosed alongside anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or any other body image disturbance. This does not accurately reflect real-world symptomatology and recent research, indicating the potential need to revise DSM-5-TR Criteria. We investigated the co-occurrence of weight- and/or shape-motivated restriction (WSR) in adults who screened positive for ARFID, providing evidence to inform such changes. METHOD: The sample comprised 5747 adults who consented to participate in the ARFID-Genes and Environment (ARFID-GEN) research study, screened positive for ARFID on the NIAS and PARDI-AR-Q, and completed the EDE-Q. We placed our participants into four groups: groups one and two screened positive for AN (ARFID-AN; n = 147) or BN (ARFID-BN; n = 193), group three endorsed WSR without meeting AN or BN criteria (ARFID-WSR; n = 2159), and group four endorsed ARFID symptoms only (ARFID-nWSR; n = 3248). We used generalized linear models to test group differences on the NIAS, PARDI-AR-Q, and EDE-Q. RESULTS: Where significant differences were present, ARFID-nWSR demonstrated lower scores than all other groups across ARFID dimensions on the NIAS and PARDI-AR-Q, and lower odds of meeting DSM-5-TR Criteria A1 to A3 (i.e., weight loss; nutritional deficiencies; dependence on nutritional supplements). DISCUSSION: These findings indicate a mixed phenotype with features of both ARFID and WSR associated with more severe ARFID symptomatology. The DSM-5-TR Criteria may not capture complex real-world symptomatology in adults with probable ARFID, potentially precluding those with the most severe symptoms from receiving accurate diagnoses and appropriate care.
Dermatologic Surgery · 2025-03-26
articleTranslational genomics of osteoarthritis in 1,962,069 individuals
Nature · 2025-04-09 · 53 citations
reviewOpen access. As no disease-modifying treatments exist for osteoarthritis, a better understanding of disease aetiopathology is urgently needed. Here we perform a genome-wide association study meta-analyses across up to 489,975 cases and 1,472,094 controls, establishing 962 independent associations, 513 of which have not been previously reported. Using single-cell multiomics data, we identify signal enrichment in embryonic skeletal development pathways. We integrate orthogonal lines of evidence, including transcriptome, proteome and epigenome profiles of primary joint tissues, and implicate 700 effector genes. Within these, we find rare coding-variant burden associations with effect sizes that are consistently higher than common frequency variant associations. We highlight eight biological processes in which we find convergent involvement of multiple effector genes, including the circadian clock, glial-cell-related processes and pathways with an established role in osteoarthritis (TGFβ, FGF, WNT, BMP and retinoic acid signalling, and extracellular matrix organization). We find that 10% of the effector genes express a protein that is the target of approved drugs, offering repurposing opportunities, which can accelerate translation.
97 Later Lines of Chemotherapy in Lung Cancer: Single-Centre Real World Outcomes
Lung Cancer · 2025-02-01
articleOpen accessSenior author
Frequent coauthors
- 124 shared
Jon P. Furuno
University of Pittsburgh
- 105 shared
David P. Calfee
Communities In Schools of Orange County
- 104 shared
Trevor Van Schooneveld
Nebraska Medical Center
- 102 shared
Anthony D. Harris
Westmead Institute for Medical Research
- 101 shared
Joshua K. Schaffzin
Lindsay Unified School District
- 100 shared
Tara N. Palmore
New York Proton Center
- 92 shared
Eli N. Perencevich
- 89 shared
Sarah J. Lewis
University of Bristol
Education
Master of Public Health, Epidemiology
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- 2011
Master of Fine Arts, Fine Arts
Pratt Institute
- 2006
Bachelor of Science, Biology
Duke University
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