Danielle Dick Email & Phone Number

I am the inaugural Director of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center, the largest addiction research center in the world, with over 150 scientists spanning neuroscience to recovery, who are working to revolutionize the way we prevent and treat addictive disorders. I am the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Thrive Genetics, with the mission of bringing scientific advances to the public. My research focuses on how genetic and environmental influences come together to impact behavioral health. Much of my work involves studying the development of patterns of substance use and related mental health outcomes, such as childhood conduct problems, depression, and anxiety, and how we can use that information to inform prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery.  My program of research integrates developmental and clinical psychology, behavioral genetics/twin studies, and statistical genetics/gene identification. There are many active grants and projects in the group that aim to identify genes involved in why some individuals are more at risk than others, to understand how these genes affect behavior across development, and learn about the ways our genetic predispositions interact with the environment. My book, The Child Code (TheChildCode.com, published September 2021 by Penguin Random House), seeks to provide a science-based approach to parenting centered on a child’s unique genetic code. Drawing from my research in developmental behavior genetics, the book helps parents understand the profound role their child's genes plays in their development and behavior. With surveys and quizzes, parents learn about their child's unique genetic disposition, and how to tailor their parenting to techniques that will work best for their unique bundle of genes!

Listed skills include Research, Psychology, Science, Public Speaking, and 6 others.