Since 2016, Dr. Docherty has directed a computational laboratory to examine the genetics of suicide, treatment-resistant depression, and psychosis. The research team leverages large genetic datasets to study psychiatric populations, suicide deaths, and healthy emerging adults. We have secured funding from the NIMH, the Simons Foundation, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation to test models of genetic risk for major mental health conditions. We use a computational pipeline for genome-wide risk scoring of hundreds of mental and physical health outcomes (the “phenome”) to study the inter-relationships of psychiatric and medical conditions across critical stages of human development.

Currently, Dr. Docherty’s focus is on enhancing prevention of severe psychopathology and suicide risk during emerging adulthood and in high-risk populations. Dr. Docherty is also an active member of the Genetic Testing and Ethics committees of the International Society for Psychiatric Genetics and several Psychiatric Genomics Consortium efforts to map the genetics of psychiatric disorders. With Robert Welsh, PhD, Docherty co-directs the department’s NINDS R25 workshop, Advanced Statistical Training for Imaging and Genetics. She is also a provider and community educator, directing an outpatient clinic at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute focused on evidence-based group and individual psychotherapies for management of depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and psychosis. Dr. Docherty is a member of the Utah LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapists Guild and the Trans Health Program at the University of Utah.