overview
Dr. Clark's research seeks to understand how biological and environmental factors shape substance use and addiction. Specifically, the lab focuses on the role of genetics and epigenetics in the etiology of substance use and addiction and identifying (epi)genetic biomarkers. This line of research will eventually lead to the improvement of diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of substance addiction and its related health effects. We approach these research questions using a translational framework that incorporates both human and animal studies, big data, and advanced statistical modeling techniques.
education and training
- B.A. in Statistics, University of California, Berkeley - (Berkeley, California, United States) 2003
- University of California Los Angeles - (Los Angeles, California, United States)
- M.A. in Advanced Quantitative Methods, University of California Los Angeles - (Los Angeles, California, United States) 2004
selected publications
Academic Articles70
- Clark, S. L., Hartwell, E. E., Choi, D., Krystal, J. H., Messing, R. O., & Ferguson, L. B. (2025). Next-generation biomarkers for alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment: Acritical review.. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 49(1), 5-24.
- Clark, S. L., Dodd, C. G., Mitchell, T. B., Ingram, S. J., Armstrong, G. M., Jha, M. K., ... Trivedi, M. H. (2024). Substance use patterns and mental health comorbidities in youth with a history of depression or suicidality: Findings from TX-YDSRN.. Journal of Affective Disorders. 366, 210-216.
- Clark, S. L., McGinnis, E. W., Zhao, M., Xie, L., Marks, G. T., Aberg, K. A., van den Oord, E., & Copeland, W. E. (2024). The Impact of Childhood Mental Health and Substance Use on Methylation Aging Into Adulthood.. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 63(8), 825-834.
- Leri, J., Cisler, J. M., Dodd, C. G., Clark, S. L., Taylor, L., Theodorou, A., ... Nemeroff, C. B. (2024). The role of recurrent trauma on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and substance use among trauma exposed youth.. Psychiatry Research. 338, 115980-115980.
- Goodman-Williams, R., Clark, S. L., Campbell, R., & Ullman, S. E. (2024). Longitudinal patterns of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among sexual assault survivors: A latent transition analysis.. Psychological Trauma. 16(4), 586-595.
Conference Papers3
- van den Oord, E., Xie, L. Y., Zhao, M., Aberg, K. A., & Clark, S. L. (2023). A single-nucleus transcriptomics study of alcohol use disorder in the nucleus accumbens.. Addiction Biology. 28(1), e13250-72A.
- Clark, S. L., Zhao, M., Xie, L. Y., Penninx, B., Copeland, W. E., Aberg, K. A., & van den Oord, E. (2023). DNA methylation biomarkers of alcohol use disorder. 47, 116-117.
- Clark, S. L., Chan, R. F., Zhao, M., Xie, L. Y., Penninx, B., Aberg, K. A., & van den Oord, E. (2021). DUAL METHYLATION AND HYDROXYMETHYLATION STUDY IN BLOOD AND BRAIN IDENTIFIES BAIAP2 AS A MEDIATOR OF GENE EXPRESSION ASSOCIATED WITH ALCOHOL USE DISORDER. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 45, 98A-98A.
Repository Documents / Preprints3
- Andrade-Brito, D. E., Nez-Ros, D. L., Martnez-Magaa, J. J., Nagamatsu, S. T., Rompala, G., Zillich, L., ... Montalvo-Ortiz, J. L. (2023). Neuronal-specific methylome and hydroxymethylome analysis reveal replicated and novel loci associated with alcohol use disorder..
- van den Oord, E., Xie, L. Y., Zhao, M., Aberg, K. A., & Clark, S. L. (2022). A single-nucleus transcriptomics study of alcohol use disorder in the nucleus accumbens.
- Clark, S. L., Chan, R. F., Zhao, M., Xie, L. Y., Copeland, W. E., Penninx, B., Aberg, K. A., & van den Oord, E. (2020). Dual methylation and hydroxymethylation study of alcohol use disorder.
researcher on
Principal Investigator1
Co-Principal Investigator1
- The methylomic consequences of neighborhood disadvantage for youth risk-taking behaviors. awarded by NICHD 2021 - 2026
recent teaching activities
- GENE691 Research Instructor
- MSCI691 Research Credit: Medical Sci Instructor
Email
First Name
Shaunna
Last Name
Clark
UN Sustainable Development Goals:
UN Sustainable Development Goals: