Jonathan Haines, PhD

Chair
Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
School of Medicine
Mary W. Sheldon MD Professor of Genomic Sciences
Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
School of Medicine
Professor
Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences
School of Medicine
Professor
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
School of Medicine
Founder and Director
Cleveland Institute for Computational Biology
School of Medicine

Jonathan Haines, PhD, is an internationally recognized researcher and educator with extensive experience in all aspects of genetic epidemiology, with a particular focus on illuminating the genetic architecture of complex diseases. He has applied his expertise to numerous brain and eye disorders and is credited with locating more than 20 causal and 300 associated genetic loci. He has led or collaborated on dozens of national and international genetic studies, lending his expertise to understanding the impact of genetic variation on common diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and Alzheimer’s disease.   

The international consortia that he leads collaborate in the aggregation, integration, and analysis of vast biological datasets, specifically concerned with including diverse populations historically not included in large genetic or genomic studies. Dr. Haines is an advocate for diversity in genetic studies and a comprehensive view of data analytics, recognizing that environmental and social impacts can inform genetic expression and biomedical outcomes. By applying sophisticated, computational methods to diverse, large data sets, he seeks to uncover contributing factors to disease and chronic conditions to inform how patients are cared for clinically and how communities shape healthy environments that support personal choices.   

This work can involve the integration of electronic health records with biospecimen data for a comprehensive view of disease mechanism, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. He and his team have built secure hardware and software systems that facilitate this data aggregation and analysis across multiple health systems while protecting patient confidentiality and health plans’ concerns about proprietary data. 

Dr. Haines is the Mary W. Shel­don M.D. Pro­fes­sor of Genomic Sci­ences and Chair of the Depart­ment of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences (PQHS) at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (CWRU SOM). CWRU’s School of Medicine is also the administrative home of the Cleveland Insti­tute for Com­pu­ta­tional Biol­ogy, which Dr. Haines founded and directs. The Institute is a collaboration between Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. The Institute collaborates with UH and area health systems to lead data analytics based on electronic health records to inform population health efforts and best practices in clinical care.

Over his six-year tenure with CWRU, Dr. Haines has secured more than $45 million in grant funding from NIH and other sources, leading the PQHS department as one of the most successful at the CWRU School of Medicine in terms of NIH funding. Across his career, spanning more than 30 years, he has secured more than $115 million in funding from NIH and other sources.

Among his major research projects is a $14 million NIH-granted initiative – the Collaborative for Alzheimer’s Disease Research (CADRE). This is an intensive genetics and other “omics” research effort using sequenced samples from more than 60,000 individuals. CADRE puts an emphasis on populations that historically have not been represented in large-scale genetic research, recognizing that Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias present and progress differently across various demographics. The ultimate goal of CADRE is to identify potential targets for existing or novel therapeutics that may be tailored by genetic profile.    

 

Research Information

Research Interests

  • Defining the genetic architecture of common diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and Alzheimer disease
  • Biological data aggregation, integration, and analysis, with a focus on international collaborations related to genomic data across diverse populations
  • Electronic health records linked to biospecimens
  • Genetics of rare genetic disorders 

Awards and Honors

Faculty Distinguished Research Award
2019
Case Western Reserve University
Mary W. Sheldon, M.D. Professor of Genomic Sciences
2013
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Louise B. McGavock Professor of Human Genetics
2011
Vanderbilt School Of Medicine
Fellow
2009
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Professional Memberships

American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Society of Human Genetics
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
International Genetic Epidemiology Society
International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment

External Appointments

Advisory Council
NIH National Human Genome Research Institute
Scientific Advisory Panel
NIH NHGRI Sequencing Program
Executive Committee
NIA Alzheimer Disease Sequencing Project
Executive Committee
International Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease Project
Senior Executive Committee
International AMD Genomics Consortium
Chair, Publications Committee
Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium
Founding Member and Steering Committee
NIH/NHGRI PhenX Project
Advisory Board
National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center
Institutional Advisory Board
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Publications

Find Dr. Haines' publications through PubMed

 

Publishing Impact

Metrics from Web of Science/publons 

  • H-index:  117
  • Total publications:  714 considered in ranking by publons
  • Total citations:  79,913
  • Publications in top-tier journals:  69%
  • Collaborative publishing national/international:  60%/40%
Editorial Roles
  • Human Molecular Genetics, editorial board
  • Nature Genomic Medicine, editorial board
  • Neurogenetics, editorial board
  • Current Protocols in Human Genetics, senior editor

 

Education

BA
Biology
Colby College
1979
PhD
Genetics & Cell Biology
University of Minnesota
1984