Richard M. Sherva, PhD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

My primary interest is in exploring the genetic epidemiology of complex disease using linkage and association methods. I’ve worked on cardiovascular phenotypes including hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and stroke, as well as psychiatric diseases including addiction and ADHD, with a focus on gene x (gene, environment, drug treatment) interactions. My future work will likely involve pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine, with specific focus on Alzheimer’s disease.

Publications

  • Published 5/7/2026

    Sherva R, Bayly H, Zhang R, Harrington K, Mez J, Miller MW, Tsuang D, Wolf E, Zeng Q, Le Guen Y, Tejeda M, Gaziano JM, Panizzon MS, Hauger RL, Merritt VC, Farrer LA, Logue MW. A Genome-wide Association Study of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia in a Large Multi-ancestry Military Cohort Identifies Many New Dementia-Associated Loci. medRxiv. 2026 May 07. PMID: 42145619.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/13/2025

    Uffelmann E, Wightman DP, Bahrami S, Shadrin AA, Fominykh V, Ojima T, Jiang C, Benner C, Moreno E, Campos AI, Thomassen JQ, Minois-Genin E, Wu HM, Walters GB, Sherva R, Lin T, Bryois J, Krebs K, Schipper M, Narita A, Serretti A, Simonsen AH, van Seumeren AL, Corbett A, Knapskog AB, Hartmann AM, den Braber A, van Harten AC, Harder A, Rongve A, Madsen BO, Tijms BM, Aagaard B, Lichtwarck B, Kirsebom BE, Creese B, Reynolds CA, Hägg S, Karlsson I, Erikstrup C, Mikkelsen C, Ballard C, Aarsland D, Shigemizu D, Rujescu D, Gudbjartsson D, Aakhus E, Sørensen E, Stordal E, Duits FH, Wolters FJ, Blanc F, Biessels GJ, Selbæk G, Bråthen G, Tamiya G, Waldemar G, Seelaar H, Eyjolfsdottir H, Holstege H, Bundgaard H, Zetterberg H, Ullum H, Skoog I, Medbøen IT, Saltvedt I, Feiring IH, Rektorova I, Gaziano JM, Haavik J, Hjerling-Leffler J, Luo J, Snaedal J, Vijverberg EGB, Sealock JM, Blennow K, Nordengen K, Persson K, Scheffler K, Matsuda K, Ozaki K, Pihlstrøm L, Athanasiu L, Pålhaugen L, Hulsman M, Waern M, Averina M, Wettergreen M, Moksnes MR, Huisman M, Yamamoto M, Toft M, Panizzon MS, Bruun MT, Ghanbari M, Franc M, Pedersen NL, Bell NY, Tesi N, Pedersen OB, Frei O, Bousiges O, Svenningsson P, Visser PJ, Li QS, Hauger R, Zhang R, Namba S, Sando SB, Kern S, Djurovic S, Thordardottir S, Phung TN, Truelsen T, Werge T, Hansen TF, Kyosaka T, Engstad T, Fladby T, Merritt V, Bergh S, van der Flier WM, Wang R, Stahl EA, Hooli B, Davis LK, Logue MW, Lehto K, Zettergren A, Brumpton BM, Zeng J, Visscher PM, O'Reilly PF, Mahajan A, Ferreira M, Okada Y, van der Lee SJ, Ostrowski SR, Frikke-Schmidt R, Stefansson H, Heilbron K, Andreassen OA, Posthuma D. Genomic analyses reveal new insights into Alzheimer's disease. medRxiv. 2025 Oct 13. PMID: 41282776.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/27/2025

    Kurniansyah N, Tasaki S, Rehman H, Zhu C, Farrell J, Sherva R, Hauger R, Merritt VC, Panizzon M, Zhang R, Gaziano JM, Gim J, Lee K, Lee DY, Nho K, Vialle RA, Mukherjee S, Trittschuh EH, Lee AJ, Brickman AM, Cruchaga C, Risacher S, Greve DN, Crane P, Martin E, Bush W, Mayeux R, Haines JL, Pericak-Vance MA, Logue M, Bennett DA, Barnes LL, Saykin A, Hohman T, Wang LS, Schellenberg GC, Ang TFA, Au R, Mez J, Lunetta KL, Zhang X, Farrer LA. A multi-ancestry polygenic risk score for Alzheimer disease is associated with cognitive decline, hippocampal atrophy and neuropathological hallmarks in diverse populations. medRxiv. 2025 Sep 27. PMID: 41040715.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/1/2025

    Kang M, Ang TFA, Devine SA, Sherva R, Mukherjee S, Trittschuh EH, Scollard P, Lee M, Choi SE, Klinedinst B, Nakano C, Dumitrescu LC, Hohman TJ, Cuccaro ML, Saykin AJ, Kukull WA, Bennett DA, Wang LS, Mayeux RP, Haines JL, Pericak-Vance MA, Schellenberg GD, Crane PK, Au R, Lunetta KL, Mez J, Farrer LA. Genome-wide pleiotropy analysis of longitudinal blood pressure and harmonized cognitive performance measures. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Sep; 21(9):e70681. PMID: 40951946.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/24/2025

    Sherva R, Zhu C, Zhang R, Mez J, Hauger R, Merritt VC, Panizzon M, Gaziano JM, Catanzaro V, Schellenberg GD, Pericak-Vance M, Haines JL, Wang LS, Mayeux R, Farrer LA, Logue MW. Genome-wide association studies of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders stratified by sex, onset age, and Apolipoprotein E genotype reveal novel risk loci in African Americans. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2025 Jul 24; 17(1):171. PMID: 40708016.

    Read at: PubMed

Other Positions

  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Education

  • University of Minnesota, PhD
  • University of Minnesota, MPH
  • Gustavus Adolphus College, BA