Biosketch Information
Email: wijsman@u.washington.edu

Dr. Wijsman’s research involves genomic data at various levels of resolution to track inherited variability in pedigrees, largely with the goal of identifying genes of medical importance in humans. Her group defines efficient study designs and develops efficient algorithms to carry out statistical analyses. The group develops and applies quantitative methods, including gene mapping, modeling modes of inheritance, and identifying regions of identity-by-descent through linkage disequilibrium analysis. She was also a key investigator in the identification of the Werner’s syndrome gene.

Disorders under investigation currently include Alzheimer’s disease, the ALS/Parkinson syndrome of Guam, cardiovascular disease, dyslexia, autism, and schizophrenia. Late onset diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease, and phenotypes associated with aging typically are described as complex traits. The Wijsman group is also working on the development and evaluation of Monte Carlo Markov chain methods of analysis in situations where current methods are computationally impractical, such as the search for the basis of complex traits.

Dr. Wijsman is Research Professor, Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, and Department of Biostatistics; and Adjunct Research Professor, Department of Genome Sciences. Since 1999 she has served on the CIDR access review panel.

Selected Relevant Publications
Poorkaj P, Bird TD, Wijsman EM, Nemens E, Garruto RM, Anderson L, Andreadis A, Wiederholt WC, Raskind M, Schellenberg GD. Tau is a candidate gene for chromosome 17 frontotemporal dementia. Ann Neurol 43:815-825, 1998.

Chapman NH, Wijsman EM. Genome screens using linkage disequilibrium tests: optimal marker characteristics and feasibility. Am J Hum Genet 63:1872-1885, 1998.

Daw EW, Kumm J, Snow GL, Thompson EA, Wijsman EM. MCMC methods for genome screening. Genet Epidemiol 17:S133-S138, 1999.

Daw EW, Heath SC, Wijsman EM. Multipoint oligogenic analysis of age-of-onset data with applications to Alzheimer disease pedigrees. Am J Hum Genet 64: 839-851, 1999.

Daw EW, Payami H, Nemens EJ, Nochlin D, Bird TD, Schellenberg GD, Wijsman EM. The number of trait loci in late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Am J Hum Genet 66:196-204, 2000.

Daw EW, Thompson EA, Wijsman EM. Bias in multipoint linkage analysis arising from map misspecification. Genet Epidemiol 19:366-380, 2000.

Wijsman, EM, Peterson D, Leutenegger A-L, Thomson JB, Goddard KAB, Hsu L, Berninger VB, Raskind WH. Segregation analysis of phenotypic components of learning disabilities. I. Nonword memory and digit span. Am J Hum Genet 67:631-646, 2000.

Chapman NC, Leutenegger A-L, Badzioch MD, Bogdan M, Conlon EM, Daw EW, Gagnon F, Li N, Maia JM, Wijsman EM, Thompson EA. The importance of connections: joining components of the Hutterite pedigree. Genetic Epidemiol 21:s230-S235, 2001.

Sieberts SK, Wijsman EM, Thompson EA. Relationship inference from trios of individuals in the presence of typing error. Am J Hum Genet 70:170-180, 2002.