Associate Professor
Joanne Voisey
Faculty of Health,
School of Biomedical Sciences
Joanne grew up on the land of the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
Biography
Joanne Voisey is an Associate Professor within the School of Biomedical Sciences and the Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health at QUT and Course Coordinator of the Master of Diagnostic Genomics. Her teaching background includes designing and delivering lectures at QUT, Bond University and UQ in the areas of medical biotechnology and genetics. She also has many years of experience supervising HDR students and is currently supervising 4 PhD students. She has made significant contributions in the field of human genetics and co-authored over 70 peer reviewed research papers. For the last 15 years she has been investigating risk factors and treatment response of mental illness. In recent years she has used epigenetics to gain a richer understanding of complex human disorders and the role of environmental risk factors such as stress and trauma. Of particular significance is her research with Vietnam veterans, uncovering epigenetic markers that are associated with PTSD, resilience and physical activity following combat exposure. She has addressed challenging problems in schizophrenia research and her group were the first to identify epigenetic risk markers across the entire genome in brain samples. Working in the Cooperative Research Centre for DNA Diagnostics for 5 years, she gained valuable commercial experience, and was involved in three patent applications with one commercialised to Qiagen. She is also an active volunteer in the professionals in schools’ program with QUT and CSIRO which encourages the participation and engagement of children and teachers in science. Joanne is a member of the Indigenous Health committee and has recently developed a project evaluating a culturally safe mental health therapy program for Indigenous peoples.Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor
Faculty of Health,
School of Biomedical Sciences
Keywords
PTSD, mental health, epigenetics, DNA methylation, schizoprehnia, veterans, persoanlised medicine, psychiatric genetics, trauma, Indigenous well-being
Research field
Genetics, Other Biological Sciences
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- Ph.d (Queensland University of Technology)
- B.Sc (Hons) (University of Queensland)
Professional memberships and associations
Member of the Human Genetic Society of Australasia (HGSA)
Teaching
Course coordinator Master of Diagnostic Genomics; Unit coordinator of Disease Pathogenesis LQN101 Unit coordinator of Ethics, Legal and Social Issues in Genetics and Genomics LQN203
Experience
CSIRO Professionals in Schools
Publications
Research outputs by year
- Mehta, D., Bruenig, D., Lawford, B., Harvey, W., Carrillo-Roa, T., Morris, P., Jovanovic, T., Young, R., Binder, E. & Voisey, J. (2018). Accelerated DNA methylation aging and increased resilience in veterans: The biological cost for soldiering on. Neurobiology of Stress, 8, 112–119. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223701
- Voisey, J., Mehta, D., McLeay, R., Morris, P., Wockner, L., Noble, E., Lawford, B. & Young, R. (2017). Clinically proven drug targets differentially expressed in the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenia patients. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 61, 259–265. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/120965
- Lawford, B., Morris, P., Wockner, L., Noble, E., Young, R., Mehta, D. & Voisey, J. (2017). Epigenetic analysis confirms no accelerated brain aging in schizophrenia. npj Schizophrenia, 3, 1–3. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/118380
- Mehta, D., Bruenig, D., Carrillo-Roa, T., Lawford, B., Harvey, W., Morris, P., Smith, A., Binder, E., Young, R. & Voisey, J. (2017). Genomewide DNA methylation analysis in combat veterans reveals a novel locus for PTSD. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 136(5), 493–505. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/110445
- Cheah, S., Lawford, B., Young, R., Morris, P. & Voisey, J. (2015). Association of NOS1AP variants and depression phenotypes in schizophrenia. Journal of Affective Disorders, 188, 263–269. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/90400
- Wockner, L., Morris, P., Noble, E., Lawford, B., Whitehall, V., Young, R. & Voisey, J. (2015). Brain-specific epigenetic markers of schizophrenia. Translational Psychiatry, 5, 1–6. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/90593
- Wockner, L., Noble, E., Lawford, B., Young, R., Morris, P., Whitehall, V. & Voisey, J. (2014). Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of human brain tissue from schizophrenia patients. Translational Psychiatry, 4, 1–8. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/67352
- Voisey, J., Young, R., Lawford, B. & Morris, P. (2014). Progress towards understanding the genetics of posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28(8), 873–883. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/78051
- Lawford, B., Morris, P., Swagell, C., Hughes, I., Young, R. & Voisey, J. (2013). NOS1AP is associated with increased severity of PTSD and depression in untreated combat veterans. Journal of Affective Disorders, 147(1-3), 87–93. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/218767
- Voisey, J., Swagell, C., Hughes, I., Morris, P., van Daal, A., Noble, P., Kann, B., Heslop, K., Young, R. & Lawford, B. (2009). The DRD2 Gene 957C>T polymorphism is associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in war veterans. Depression and Anxiety, 26(1), 28–33. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/14823
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Joanne, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Supervision
Looking for a postgraduate research supervisor?
I am currently accepting research students for Honours, Masters and PhD study.
You can browse existing student topics offered by QUT or propose your own topic.
Current supervisions
- Biomarkers in treatment-resistant depression and the role of nutraceuticals
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Annalese Semmler - Pharmacogenomics and its Transition into Australia's Current Health Care Setting
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Annalese Semmler, Adjunct Associate Professor Esther Lau, Dr Yasmin Antwertinger - Associations between genes, ocular biometry, and accommodation in myopia
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Katrina Schmid, Professor David Atchison
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Dynamics of Regulatory T Cells in Lung Transplant Patients (2022)
- Saliva Biomarkers for Physical Healing and Psychological Wellbeing in Paediatric Small Area Thermal Burns (2022)
- Symptoms, Molecular Markers and Mechanisms in the Development of Coronary Artery Disease in Individuals with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (2021)
- Genetic, Biomarker and Psychological Factors for Risk and Resilience of PTSD (2017)
- The Sleep and Wake Drives: Exploring the Genetic and Psychophysiological Aspects of Sleepiness, Motivation, and Performance (2016)
- Understanding the Risk and Functional Importance of Schizophrenia Genetic Factors (2016)
- Membrane Associated Transporter Protein Gene (SLC45A2) and the Genetic Basis of Normal Human Pigmentation Variation (2008)