Brian D'Onofrio

I have been collaborating extensively with researchers at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics for over 15 years. After a five year period (the longest possible tenure) as a guest professor in the department (2016-2022), I continue to maintain strong collaborations at Karolinska Institutet as an affiliated researcher.

2004-2005 Harvard Medical School / Children’s Hospital Boston – Boston, MA
APA-Accredited Predoctoral Clinical Internship
1999-2005 University of Virginia – Charlottesville, VA
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
1997-1999 Virginia Commonwealth University – Richmond, VA
Graduate Courses in Statistics and Behavior Genetics
1993-1997 University of Virginia (UVA) – Charlottesville, VA
Bachelor of Arts in Distinguished Majors Psychology Program, minor in Religious Studies -Graduated Summa Cum Laude

My research seeks to understand the etiology, treatment, and assessment of mental health and substance use problems. In particular, my research leverages translational epidemiologic methods to (a) better understand the processes that account for the associations between putative causal risk factors and health problems and (b) evaluate real-world interventions.
First, my research specifically explores the etiology and treatment of mental health and substance use problems with large-scale epidemiologic datasets (e.g., Swedish national registers and health insurance claims datasets in the United States) using advanced research designs and statistical analyses. I use family-based approaches (e.g., comparisons of differentially exposed siblings, twins, and offspring of twins) and advanced epidemiologic designs (e.g., quantitative genetic models, negative controls, active comparators, etc.) because the designs enable researchers to pull apart co-occurring processes and rigorously test competing hypotheses. I have written extensively about the advantages and disadvantages of the designs, and I have used these designs to test numerous risk factors, including pregnancy-related exposures (e.g., smoking, alcohol use, stress, and medication use during pregnancy). 
Second, I use longitudinal analyses of data in the large-scale registers to study risk factors across time and across the lifespan. For example, I have used within-individual comparisons and other advanced pharmacoepidedmiologic designs to study the risks and benefits of psychiatric (e.g., ADHD pharmacotherapy) and analgesic (e.g., opioids and gabapentinoids) medications, especially for rare-but-serious problems, such as drug overdoses, suicidal behavior, and traumatic brain injuries.

Academic Positions
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences/Indiana University - Bloomington, Indiana, USA
2014-Present: Full Professor and Director of Clinical Training (Clinical
Science Program)
2011-2014: Associate Professor
2005-2011: Assistant Professor

Key publications
Accounting for Confounding in Observational Studies
D'Onofrio BM, Sjölander A, Lahey BB, Lichtenstein P, Öberg AS
/Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2020 05;16():25-48/

Critical need for family-based, quasi-experimental designs in integrating
genetic and social science research
D'Onofrio BM, Lahey BB, Turkheimer E, Lichtenstein P
/Am J Public Health 2013 Oct;103 Suppl 1():S46-55/

Familial confounding of the association between maternal smoking during
pregnancy and offspring substance use and problems
D'Onofrio BM, Rickert ME, Langström N, Donahue KL, Coyne CA, Larsson H,
Ellingson JM, Van Hulle CA, Iliadou AN, Rathouz PJ, Lahey BB, Lichtenstein
P. /Arch Gen Psychiatry 2012 Nov;69(11):1140-50/

Preterm birth and mortality and morbidity: a population-based
quasi-experimental study
D'Onofrio BM, Class QA, Rickert ME, Larsson H, Långström N, Lichtenstein P
/JAMA Psychiatry 2013 Nov;70(11):1231-40/

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medication and Unintentional
Injuries in Children and Adolescents
Ghirardi L, Larsson H, Chang Z, Chen Q, Quinn PD, Hur K, Gibbons RD,
D'Onofrio BM
/J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020 08;59(8):944-951/

ADHD Medication and Substance-Related Problems
Quinn PD, Chang Z, Hur K, Gibbons RD, Lahey BB, Rickert ME, Sjölander A,
Lichtenstein P, Larsson H, D'Onofrio BM
/Am J Psychiatry 2017 09;174(9):877-885/

Incident and long-term opioid therapy among patients with psychiatric
conditions and medications: a national study of commercial health care
claims
Quinn PD, Hur K, Chang Z, Krebs EE, Bair MJ, Scott EL, Rickert ME, Gibbons
RD, Kroenke K, D'Onofrio BM
/Pain 2017 01;158(1):140-148/

Associations of opioid prescription dose and discontinuation with risk of
substance-related morbidity in long-term opioid therapy
Quinn PD, Chang Z, Bair MJ, Rickert ME, Gibbons RD, Kroenke K, D'Onofrio BM
/Pain 2022 Apr;163(4):e588-e595/

Associations of Maternal Antidepressant Use During the First Trimester of
Pregnancy With Preterm Birth, Small for Gestational Age, Autism Spectrum
Disorder, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Offspring
Sujan AC, Rickert ME, Öberg AS, Quinn PD, Hernández-Díaz S, Almqvist C,
Lichtenstein P, Larsson H, D'Onofrio BM
/JAMA 2017 04;317(15):1553-1562/