Interview With Francis McMahon, M. D.

by Sydney Luke-Hamasaki NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) November 6, 2013

Introduction: Dr. McMahon, majored in biology at the University of Pennsylvania in 1982. He joined the John Hopkins University School of Medicine shortly after. There he completed a medical internship, a residency in adult psychiatry and a postdoctoral fellowship. This was in psychiatric genetics. He joined the faculty there in 1993 and in 1998, became the Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago. He joined the NIMH in 2002 with hopes of establishing a new genetics unit in the Intramural Research Program. S: Your name, position, organization/laboratory/hospital. F: Francis McMahon, M. D. Works in the genetics unit of the Intramural Research Program (Position listed is Chief, Unit on Genetics of Mood & Anxiety Disorders) NIMH (National Institute for Mental Health), Works in the genetics unit of the Intramural Research Program

S: How did you come to research Genes in mood disorders? F:Does genetic similarities research, the similarities in the genes for the different mood and anxiety disorders. His teacher at one point, Victor McKusick, made him want to study human disease, in addition to wanting to help people who suffer with different diseases.

S: Can you tell me a little about your current work and its implications? F: There are many different approaches to the work. Some part include discovering genes involved, genome line association, a study that spans at the chromosomes, looking for the frequency differences in genetic markers (Schizophrenia has around 50 markers while depression has only 1 or 2 markers. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have some of the same markers and share some risk factors. Although none are strong, around 5-10% chance of getting a disease.) Genetic sequencing (sequencing dna for markers) is used along with the study of large families with bipolar disorder or a related disease/disorder and the study of how genes act biologically in the brains nerve cells.

S: We are interested in what your life is like as a researcher/clinician on a day to day basis. Is there something that you would like to share with the general public or community that cares about prevention, therapies and cures for the disease? F: There is no treatment that is prevention, down the road maybe there will be though. The treatment that there currently is, is used to suppress symptoms and to help the people with the disease or disorder to recover from episodes. They want to identify important genes for networks to be studied,

S: As part of the 11th grade project, we are creating an art piece in studio art that I hope can serve to represent a piece of your work. Is there an image or idea that represents what you do that I can work towards to represent the important things that you do? F: The best representation could consist of a lot of things. A graphical result display, using gene networks to tie in biology, putting together different images, like a family tree, DNA molecule, gene network (collection of shapes connected by lines), a Manhattan plot or cells. The scientific community could use more artists that capture scientific concepts.