Jehannine Austin

Professor

Research Interests

genetic counseling
genetics services
mental health

Relevant Thesis-Based Degree Programs

Affiliations to Research Centres, Institutes & Clusters

Research Options

I am available and interested in collaborations (e.g. clusters, grants).
I am interested in and conduct interdisciplinary research.
I am interested in working with undergraduate students on research projects.
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Biography

Psychiatric disorders are complex conditions that – in broad terms – arise as a result of genetic and environmental vulnerability factors acting together. Progress is now being made towards understanding the causes of these conditions more specifically, and there is an urgent need to translate this into benefit for individuals with psychiatric disorders and their families.

The overall objective of my program of research is to use a clinical genetics perspective to inform the development of novel biological and non-biological interventions to improve outcomes for individuals with psychiatric disorders and to support their families.

Research Methodology

Qualitative Research
quantitative research

Recruitment

Doctoral students
2025

I am only interested in contact from people who have already completed training as genetic counselors for additional research based training.

I support public scholarship, e.g. through the Public Scholars Initiative, and am available to supervise students and Postdocs interested in collaborating with external partners as part of their research.
I support experiential learning experiences, such as internships and work placements, for my graduate students and Postdocs.
I am interested in supervising students to conduct interdisciplinary research.

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ADVICE AND INSIGHTS FROM ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà FACULTY ON REACHING OUT TO SUPERVISORS

These videos contain some general advice from faculty across ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà on finding and reaching out to a potential thesis supervisor.

Great Supervisor Week Mentions

Each year graduate students are encouraged to give kudos to their supervisors through social media and our website as part of #GreatSupervisorWeek. Below are students who mentioned this supervisor since the initiative was started in 2017.

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In honour of #GreatSupervisor week at #ÑÇÖÞÌìÌÃ, a huge thank you to @J9_Austin for challenging, supporting and inspiring me every day. You are an incredible mentor, not only in science and genetic counselling, but also career, life and everything in between! #GCchat

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Qualities of excellent researchers, mentors, and leaders -- @JenniferLoveÑÇÖÞÌìÌà #WHRISym18 @J9_Austin #greatsupervisor

 

Do I have a #GreatSupervisor at #ubc? Hell ya! @J9_Austin is not only a superstar researcher and leader, she’s a superstar supervisor! So glad I could help celebrate her with the Killam teaching prize this year! @ubcprez @ÑÇÖÞÌìÌÃmedicine

 

Graduate Student Supervision

Doctoral Student Supervision

Dissertations completed in 2010 or later are listed below. Please note that there is a 6-12 month delay to add the latest dissertations.

Promoting perinatal mental health: personalizing treatment decision making strategies through decision-making support and pharmacogenetics (2020)

Problem: Depression during pregnancy affects 10-15% of women. Practice guidelines recommend that clinicians support women to make treatment decisions that are informed by the risks of both untreated depression and antidepressant use during pregnancy. However, there is minimal evidence regarding how women make these decisions or how clinicians can best support them. Purpose: To advance knowledge and understanding regarding women’s decision making about perinatal depression treatment through qualitative (QUAL) and quantitative (QUANT) studies. The QUAL purpose was to develop a constructivist grounded theory, within a feminist theoretical framework, of women’s perinatal depression treatment decision making. The QUANT purpose was to test the hypothesis that women with deleterious variants in the pharmacogenes CYP2D6 or CYP2C19, taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) prenatally, would have more depression symptoms than women whose pharmacogenetic variants have been associated with normal SSRI metabolism. Methods (QUAL): Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively-sampled, pregnant/preconception women who had experienced depression. Iterative data collection and analysis, along with theoretical sampling, in the context of reflexive journaling, peer debriefing, and expert audit, culminated in a cohesive theoretical model. Methods (QUANT): Testing of CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 were performed as secondary analyses on two longitudinal cohorts of pregnant women taking SSRIs. The Kruskal-Wallis Test compared mean depression scores across four predicted metabolizer groups: 1) poor, 2) intermediate, 3) extensive, and 4) ultra-rapid. Results (QUAL): Participants’ (N=31) decision-making processes were complex and dynamic, and highly influenced by contextual factors - particularly stigma, patriarchy, privilege, and their emotional/cognitive environments. Participants navigated towards a decision, in a non-linear manner, between three clusters of decision-making activities: 1) seeking information, 2) making sense of information, and 3) self-soothing.Results (QUANT): There were no significant differences between mean depression scores across the four metabolizer groups (N=83; H(3)=.73, p=.87).Conclusions: The grounded theory provides insight into how women have made this decision, which can be useful both practically and emotionally. Evidence from the pharmacogenetic study clarifies the limitations of this field, which is especially vital in this era of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Together, they can support patient-oriented decision making regarding perinatal maternal mental health.

Master's Student Supervision

Theses completed in 2010 or later are listed below. Please note that there is a 6-12 month delay to add the latest theses.

Investigating trends in out-of-pocket pay for out-of-province genetic testing in British Columbia (2022)

Introduction In British Columbia (BC), the institution responsible for funding out-of-province genetic testing (clinical genetic tests not provided by BC laboratories) changed as of June 1st 2018, from the Medical Services Plan (MSP) public health insurance to the BC Agency for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (BCAPLM). This study aimed to investigate the effect of this changeover, by examining the trends in out-of-province testing and uptake of patient out-of-pocket (OOP) pay, from January 1st 2015 to December 31st 2019. This study also aimed to explore relationships between patient OOP pay and variables such as clinical indication, postal code, and income.Methods De-identified patient data was received from the BC Provincial Medical Genetics Program (PMGP) and the BC Cancer Hereditary Cancer Program (HCP). To examine the effect of the change in funding authority on out-of-province testing, an interrupted time series analysis was performed using PMGP data. Regression analysis using HCP data was carried out to explore the relationships between OOP pay with patient and test characteristics.Results The number of out-of-province tests completed through the PMGP, and the number of tests completed through the HCP, rose year-on-year between 2015 and 2019, with increases of 260% and 320%, respectively. Under MSP, the total number of out-of-province tests did not exhibit a statistically significant change (mean difference per month, 0.33; 95% CI -0.37, 1.02). Under BCAPLM, the number of tests increased by 2.35 per-month (95% CI 1.03, 3.66). In particular, the volume of known mutation tests, panel tests, and exome singletons increased considerably following the changeover. The likelihood of a patient having an OOP payment decreased by 87% under BCAPLM (95% CI 0.06, 0.32). For each year studied, patients who paid OOP had average annual income at least $3500 higher those who received funding, indicating that patients with lower incomes were less likely to pay OOP.Conclusions While many factors contribute to the demand for and coverage of clinical genetic testing, for example emerging data about the utility of exome sequencing for singletons vs. trios, coverage of out-of-province genetic and genomic testing has improved in BC since the introduction of BCAPLM.

Publications

  • (2025)
    Genetics in Medicine, 27 (3)
  • (2024)
    PharmacoEconomics - Open, 8 (3), 493-505
  • (2024)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling
  • (2024)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics
  • (2024)
    Clinical Genetics, 105 (6), 630-638
  • (2024)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 33 (3), 476-480
  • (2024)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 33 (4), 720-732
  • (2024)
    Women's Reproductive Health, 11 (2), 273-295
  • (2024)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling
  • (2024)
    Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey, 79 (11), 632-633
  • (2024)
    Nature Genetics, 56 (4), 555-556
  • (2024)
    Genetics in Medicine, 26 (5)
  • (2024)
    JAMA, 331 (15), 1276-1278
  • (2024)
    Human Genetics and Genomics Advances, 5 (2)
  • (2024)
    American Journal of Human Genetics, 111 (4), 621-623
  • (2024)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 33 (5), 1130-1131
  • (2024)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A, 194 (2), 288-300
  • (2024)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling
  • (2024)
    European Neuropsychopharmacology, 88, 51-52
  • (2024)
    BMJ Open, 14 (12)
  • (2024)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 195 (6)
  • (2024)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 33 (2), 258-261
  • (2024)
    Genetics in Medicine, 26 (9)
  • (2023)
    Public Health Genomics, 26 (1), 58-67
  • (2023)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 32 (6), 1280-1287
  • (2023)
    European Journal of Human Genetics, 31 (4), 424-429
  • (2023)
    American Journal of Medicine, 136 (12), 1136-1138
  • (2023)
    Public Health Genomics, 26 (1), 35-44
  • (2023)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 32 (3), 530-531
  • (2023)
    Psychiatry Research, 325
  • (2023)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 32 (3), 558-575
  • (2023)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 32 (2), 300-314
  • (2023)
    CMAJ. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 195 (44), E1499-E1508
  • (2023)
    BMC Health Services Research, 23 (1)
  • (2023)
    Psychiatry Research, 321
  • (2023)
    Clinical Genetics, 103 (4), 424-433
  • (2023)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 32 (1), 68-78
  • (2023)
    Genetics in Medicine, 25 (8)
  • (2023)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 32 (2), 514-525
  • (2023)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 192 (7-8), 161-170
  • (2023)
    Complex Psychiatry, 9 (1-4), 89-99
  • (2023)
    Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 68 (6), 436-452
  • (2023)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 32 (2), 495-502
  • (2023)
    Maternal and Child Health Journal, 27 (2), 297-306
  • (2023)
    European Journal of Human Genetics, 31 (3), 262-264
  • (2023)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 32 (1), 224-234
  • (2023)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 192 (5-6), 93-101
  • (2023)
    Psychiatry Research, 326
  • (2023)
    World Psychiatry, 22 (3), 433-448
  • (2023)
    Quality of Life Research, 32 (3), 895-904
  • (2022)
    Archives of Women's Mental Health, 25 (2), 355-365
  • (2022)
    European Journal of Human Genetics, 30 (3), 339-348
  • (2022)
    Human Genetics, 141 (5), 1069-1084
  • (2022)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 31 (5), 1071-1079
  • (2022)
    Translational Psychiatry, 12 (1)
  • (2022)
    The Lancet Psychiatry, 9 (10), 838-844
  • (2022)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 31 (1), 269-278
  • (2022)
    European Journal of Human Genetics, 30 (7), 865
  • (2022)
    Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13
  • (2022)
    JAMA Pediatrics, 176 (2), 185-195
  • (2022)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 31 (5), 1148-1154
  • (2022)
    Journal of Community Genetics, 13 (1), 91-101
  • (2022)
    Human Reproduction, 37 (7), 1375-1378
  • (2022)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 31 (6), 1238-1248
  • (2022)
    Clinical Genetics, 102 (5), 369-378
  • (2022)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 189 (7-8), 293-302
  • (2022)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 31 (1), 140-152
  • (2022)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 189 (3-4), 108-115
  • (2022)
    European Journal of Human Genetics, 30 (7), 772-781
  • (2022)
    European Journal of Human Genetics, 30 (1), 81-87
  • (2021)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling
  • (2021)
    Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 60 (6), 657-660
  • (2021)
    JAMA Psychiatry, 78 (2), 210-219
  • (2021)
    Molecular Genetics and Genomic Medicine, 9 (10)
  • (2021)
    JAMA Psychiatry, 78 (1), 101-109
  • (2021)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 30 (5), 1276-1284
  • (2021)
    Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 15 (5), 1306-1314
  • (2021)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling
  • (2021)
    Clinical Genetics, 100 (5), 504-521
  • (2021)
    Psychiatry Research, 296
  • (2021)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 30 (2), 616-629
  • (2021)
    Public Health Genomics, 24 (1-2), 14-25
  • (2020)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 29 (1), 97-104
  • (2020)
    PLoS ONE, 15 (12 December)
  • (2020)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 29 (6), 884-887
  • (2020)
    Genetics in Medicine, 22 (9), 1570
  • (2020)
    Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, 10 (6)
  • (2020)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 29 (1), 25-34
  • (2020)
    Frontiers in Genetics, 11
  • (2020)
    International Perspectives in Values-Based Mental Health Practice: Case Studies and Commentaries, 245-255
  • (2020)
    International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53 (9), 1496-1505
  • (2020)
    European Journal of Human Genetics, 28 (7), 907-914
  • (2020)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 29 (3), 423-434
  • (2019)
    Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 41 (9), 1330-1337
  • (2019)
    Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 80 (3)
  • (2019)
    Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 31 (10)
  • (2019)
    Journal of American College Health, 67 (4), 348-356
  • (2019)
    Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 42 (1), 59-73
  • (2019)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 28 (4), 760-766
  • (2019)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 180 (8), 543-554
  • (2019)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 28 (1), 155-163
  • (2019)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 28 (4), 856-868
  • (2019)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 180 (8), 523-532
  • (2019)
    Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 80 (1)
  • (2018)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics, 178 (1), 98-107
  • Genetics in the clinical setting: The role of psychiatric genetic counseling (2018)
    Psychiatric Times, 35 (3), 25-27
  • (2018)
    Clinical Genetics, 93 (4), 830-836
  • (2018)
    Clinical Genetics, 94 (2), 239-245
  • (2018)
    British Journal of Psychiatry, 212 (3), 169-174
  • (2017)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 26 (5), 963-970
  • (2017)
    Prenatal Diagnosis, 37 (1), 6-13
  • (2017)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 26 (2), 334-336
  • (2017)
    Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, 42 (10), 1092-1096
  • (2017)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 26 (6), 1341-1347
  • (2017)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 26 (2), 322-330
  • (2017)
    Archives of Women's Mental Health, 20 (4), 547-559
  • (2016)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 25 (5), 868-879
  • (2016)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 25 (1), 1-5
  • (2016)
    Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 77 (2), e190-e198
  • (2016)
    Journal of Affective Disorders, 206, 77-86
  • (2016)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 25 (6), 1235-1242
  • (2016)
    Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 95 (10), 1120-1128
  • (2016)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 25 (5), 912-922
  • (2016)
    Archives of Women's Mental Health, 19 (2), 253-258
  • (2015)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A, 167 (10), 2350-2356
  • (2015)
    Applied and Translational Genomics, 5, 23-29
  • (2015)
    Clinical Genetics, 87 (3), 218-224
  • (2015)
    Community Mental Health Journal, 51 (3), 329-337
  • (2015)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A, 167 (12), 2913-2915
  • (2014)
    Clinical Genetics, 86 (4), 310-317
  • (2014)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 23 (6), 903-909
  • (2014)
    American Journal of Psychiatry, 171 (5), 584-585
  • (2014)
    Archives of Women's Mental Health, 17 (2), 137-143
  • (2014)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A, 164 (6), 1496-1502
  • (2013)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 22 (6), 762-770
  • (2013)
    Genetics in Medicine, 15 (9), 713-720
  • Genetic testing for psychiatric disorders: Its current role in clinical psychiatric practice (2013)
    Psychiatric Times, 30 (6)
  • (2013)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 22 (5), 625-632
  • (2013)
    Birth Defects Research Part A - Clinical and Molecular Teratology, 97 (6), 416-420
  • (2012)
    Psychiatry Research, 196 (1), 52-56
  • (2012)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 21 (4), 573-581
  • (2012)
    Psychiatric Annals, 42 (5), 173-178
  • (2012)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 21 (4), 564-572
  • (2012)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A, 158 A (4), 743-750
  • (2012)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 21 (1), 35-44
  • (2011)
    Patient Education and Counseling, 82 (1), 69-73
  • (2011)
    Science Translational Medicine, 3 (74)
  • (2011)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 20 (1), 113-114
  • (2011)
    Schizophrenia Research, 131 (1-3), 31-34
  • (2010)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A, 152 (1), 147-152
  • (2010)
    Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey, 65 (4), 223-224
  • (2010)
    PLoS ONE, 5 (8)
  • (2010)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 19 (3), 228-234
  • (2009)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A, 149 (4), 713-721
  • (2009)
    Clinical Genetics, 75 (1), 30-36
  • (2009)
    Public Health Genomics, 13 (1), 21-26
  • (2009)
    Schizophrenia Research, 108 (1-3), 258-264
  • (2008)
    Brain Imaging and Behavior, 2 (2), 117-122
  • (2008)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 17 (1), 6-17
  • (2008)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 17 (1), 18-29
  • (2008)
    Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 2 (2), 80-89
  • (2007)
    Psychiatric Services, 58 (2), 254-261
  • (2006)
    Clinical Genetics, 70 (3), 177-187
  • (2006)
    Clinical Genetics, 69 (1), 94-95
  • (2006)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 141 (4), 428
  • (2006)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 141 (8), 926-928
  • (2005)
    Journal of Genetic Counseling, 14 (5), 329-340
  • (2005)
    Clinical Genetics, 67 (2), 134-142
  • (2004)
    Schizophrenia Research, 66 (2-3), 193-195
  • A functional and positional candidate gene for schizophrenia (2000)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics - Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 96 (4), 461-462
  • Allele frequency estimation in DNA pools of single nuleotide polymorphisms by primer extension and DHPLC (2000)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics - Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 96 (4), 482
  • (2000)
    Psychiatric Genetics, 10 (1), 51-54
  • Association studies of two neurotensin receptor gene polymorphisms with schizophrenia and clozapine response (2000)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics - Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 96 (4), 539
  • (2000)
    Human Genetics, 107 (5), 488-493
  • (2000)
    Molecular Psychiatry, 5 (3), 327-331
  • (2000)
    Molecular Psychiatry, 5 (2), 208-212
  • Identification and characterisation of SNPs in candidate genes for schizophrenia (2000)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics - Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 96 (4), 462
  • (2000)
    Molecular Psychiatry, 5 (5), 552-557
  • (1999)
    Human Genetics, 104 (1), 89-93
  • (1999)
    Clinical Chemistry, 45 (8 I), 1133-1140
  • (1998)
    Genomics, 52 (1), 44-49
  • Comparative sequencing and association studies of proneurotensin in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (1998)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics - Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 81 (6), 525
  • Genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms by primer extension and high performance liquid chromatography (1998)
    American Journal of Medical Genetics - Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 81 (6), 469-470

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