Title: Mapping the Genetic Architecture of Human Traits at Scale and Across Populations: Leveraging EHRs for Phenome-Wide Genetic Insight 

Abstract: Electronic health record (EHR)-based biobanks enable large-scale, population-level studies of the genetic architecture of human traits. Using genome-wide association analyses across more than 2,000 traits and over 1.6 million individuals, recent efforts have produced detailed maps of variant-trait associations, improved fine-mapping resolution, and demonstrated the added discovery power of multi-population analysis. These findings reveal broadly shared genetic architectures across populations, identify novel trait-associated loci detectable only through multi-population approaches, and refine candidate causal variants. The integration of genomic and EHR data at scale enables systematic discovery across the phenome and informs downstream applications in risk prediction, target identification, and trait clustering. 

Biography: Dr. Scott Damrauer is surgeon-scientist dedicated to advancing the understanding of the biological pathways and mechanisms most relevant in the etiology, progression, and treatment of heart and vascular disease. He is the Vice Chair for Clinical Research for the Department of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, the William Maul Measey Associate Professor of Surgery and an Associate Professor of Genetics. His research leverages his clinical vascular surgery experience to inform population scale genomic research focusing on peripheral artery disease (PAD), abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and thoracic aortic disease (TAD) that he uses to test the causal relationship of risk factors across traits, identify novel therapeutic targets, and develop new ways to use genetics to identify individuals at risk of adverse outcomes.