Olivia J. Veatch, M.S., Ph.D.

Olivia Veatch
  • Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, KUMC

Contact Info

Personal Links

Biography —

Olivia J. Veatch, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical Center. A researcher with a focus on uniting computational genetics, bioinformatics and in vitro studies to help translate human genetics data into clinically useful knowledge, her vision is to build platforms that help expand the use of genetics in precision medicine. Dr. Veatch, who joined the KU Medical Center faculty in 2020 after serving as a research associate in medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, is primarily focused on using genetics to inform the treatment of disorders of the brain.



Dr. Veatch has a bachelor's degree in genetics from the University of Kansas, a master's degree in molecular biosciences and bioengineering from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, and a Ph.D. in human genetics from Vanderbilt University. After earning her doctorate, she completed postdoctoral fellowships in neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and in medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, where she also earned certification in biomedical informatics.



In addition to serving as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on multiple grant projects, Dr. Veatch is credited with nearly 20 published original research articles and nearly 10 reviews, protocols and book chapters. She is a nationally and internationally invited lecturer and presenter. Her professional affiliations include, but are not limited to, the American Society of Human Genetics, International Society for Autism Research, World Sleep Society and the Sleep Research Society.

Professional Affiliations
  • Diversity Committee, Psychiatry Diversity Committee, Member, 2021 - Present
  • Intellectual Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Using EHR data to identify individuals with genetic variants, Co-Chair, 2021 - Present
  • World Sleep Society , Member, 2019 - Present
  • Sleep Apnea Genetics Study Consortium , Member, 2015 - Present
  • Sleep Apnea Global Interdisciplinary Consortium , Chair, 2015 - Present
  • Sleep Research Society , Member, 2015 - Present
  • International Society for Autism Research , Member, 2011 - Present

Education —

Other, Biomedical Informatics, University of Pennsylvania - Perelman School of Medicine
Post Doctoral Fellowship, Medicine, University of Pennsylvania - Perelman School of Medicine
Post Doctoral Fellowship, Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
PhD, Human Genetics, Vanderbilt University
M.S. in Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, University of Hawai'i - Manoa
B.S. in Biological Sciences - Emphasis Genetics, The University of Kansas

Research —

Overview

My research focuses on uniting molecular/computational genetics and informatics to inform translational medicine for disorders of the brain. I have experience leading research projects working with numerous public databases and electronic health record (EHR)-based systems, including using resources available via the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network. I am currently completing a K01 Career Development Award via the National Library of Medicine focused on the development of an automated bioinformatics method for prioritizing clinically actionable results from genetic studies of complex neurodevelopmental disorders. I am proficient in database development, designing algorithms to define phenotypes in health records, and phenome-wide/genome-wide analyses using EHRs linked to biorepositories. I aim to help bridge the gap between basic science research endeavors and the clinical environment by finding efficient ways to translate biomedical data into clinically useful information. My ultimate goal is to build platforms to support the expansion of the utility of genetics in precision medicine to encompass treatment for neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions.

Current Research and Grants
  • Efficient Translation of Genetics Research for Clinical Decision Support, National Institutes of Health-National Library of Medicine

Selected Publications —

  • Veatch, Olivia., J, Butler, Merlin., G, Elsea, Sarah., H, Malow, Beth., A, Sutcliffe, James., S, Moore, Jason., H. 2020. An Automated Functional Annotation Pipeline That Rapidly Prioritizes Clinically Relevant Genes for Autism Spectrum Disorder. International Journal of Molecular Sciences
  • Veatch, O., J, Bauer, C., R, Keenan, B., T, Josyula, N., S, Mazzotti, D., R, Bagai, K, Malow, B., A, Robishaw, J., D, Pack, A., I, Pendergrass, S., A. 2020. Characterization of genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of obstructive sleep apnea using electronic health records.. BMC medical genomics, 13 (1), 105
  • Keenan, B., T, Kirchner, H., L, Veatch, O., J, Borthwick, K., M, Davenport, V., A, Feemster, J., C, Gendy, M, Gossard, T., R, Pack, F., M, Sirikulvadhana, L, Teigen, L., N, Timm, P., C, Malow, B., A, Morgenthaler, T., I, Zee, P., C, Pack, A., I, Robishaw, J., D, Derose, S., F. 2020. Multisite validation of a simple electronic health record algorithm for identifying diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea.. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 16 (2), 175-183
  • Wells, Q., S, Veatch, O., J, Fessel, J., P, Joon, A., Y, Levinson, R., T, Mosley, J., D, Held, E., P, Lindsay, C., S, Shaffer, C., M, Weeke, P., E, Glazer, A., M, Bersell, K., R, Van Driest, S., L, Karnes, J., H, Blair, M., A, Lagrone, L., W, Su, Y., R, Bowton, E., A, Feng, Z, Ky, B, Lenihan, D., J, Fisch, M., J, Denny, J., C, Roden, D., M. 2017. Genome-wide association and pathway analysis of left ventricular function after anthracycline exposure in adults.. Pharmacogenetics and genomics, 27 (7), 247-254
  • Veatch, O., J, Keenan, B., T, Gehrman, P., R, Malow, B., A, Pack, A., I. 2017. Pleiotropic genetic effects influencing sleep and neurological disorders.. The Lancet. Neurology, 16 (2), 158-170
  • Veatch, O., J, Sutcliffe, J., S, Warren, Z., E, Keenan, B., T, Potter, M., H, Malow, B., A. 2017. Shorter sleep duration is associated with social impairment and comorbidities in ASD.. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 10 (7), 1221-1238
  • Veatch, O., J, Reynolds, A, Katz, T, Weiss, S., K, Loh, A, Wang, L, Malow, B., A. 2016. Sleep in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: How Are Measures of Parent Report and Actigraphy Related and Affected by Sleep Education?. Behavioral sleep medicine, 14 (6), 665-76
  • Veatch, O., J, Pendergast, J., S, Allen, M., J, Leu, R., M, Johnson, C., H, Elsea, S., H, Malow, B., A. 2015. Genetic variation in melatonin pathway enzymes in children with autism spectrum disorder and comorbid sleep onset delay.. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 45 (1), 100-10
  • White, M., J, Yaspan, B., L, Veatch, O., J, Goddard, P, Risse-Adams, O., S, Contreras, M., G. 2019. Strategies for Pathway Analysis Using GWAS and WGS Data.. Current protocols in human genetics, 100 (1), e79
  • Veatch, O., J, Veenstra-Vanderweele, J, Potter, M, Pericak-Vance, M., A, Haines, J., L. 2014. Genetically meaningful phenotypic subgroups in autism spectrum disorders.. Genes, brain, and behavior, 13 (3), 276-85