Alex P. Miller, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
- Address
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GH 4800
PSYC
IN
Indianapolis, IN - PubMed:
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Bio
Dr. Alex Miller is an Assistant Professor and clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at IU School of Medicine and a faculty member of the Adolescent Behavioral Health Research Program (BHP). He received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Missouri in 2022 and completed his internship at the Medical University of South Carolina, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship specializing in psychiatric genetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His research focuses on improving our understanding of substance use disorders, particularly the genetic and neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying the escalation of substance use from adolescence into young adulthood. In his clinical work, Dr. Miller provides evidence-based psychotherapy for adults with substance use disorders and maintains a strong interest in translating emerging insights from genetics and neuroimaging research into improved prevention and treatment approaches.
Key Publications
Kinstler, E., Gorelik, A.J., Paul, S.E., Aggarwal, A., Johnson, E.C., Cyders, M.A., Agrawal, A., Bogdan, R., & Miller, A.P. (2025). Genetic influences for distinct impulsivity domains are differentially associated with early substance use initiation: Results from the ABCD Study. Psychological Medicine, 55, e313.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291725101931
Miller, A.P., Spychala, K.M., Fromme, K., Slutske, W.S., & Gizer, I.R. (2025). Binge drinking trajectories across adolescence and early adulthood: Associations with genetic influences for dual-systems impulsive personality traits, alcohol consumption, and alcohol use disorder. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, 134(7), 775-789. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0001049
Sarles, Y.M., Lane, S.P., Miller, A.P., Wilhelmsen, K.C., & Gizer, I.R. (2025). Genetic risk for alcohol use disorder in relation to individual symptom criteria: Do polygenic indices provide unique information for understanding severity and heterogeneity? Addiction, 120(12), 2413-2422. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70157
Miller, A.P., Baranger, D.A.A., Paul, S.E., Garavan, H., Mackey, S., Tapert, S.F., LeBlanc, K.H., Agrawal, A., & Bogdan, R. (2024). Neuroanatomical variability and substance use initiation in late childhood and early adolescence. JAMA Network Open, 7(12), e2452027. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.52027
Miller, A.P., Bogdan, R., Agrawal, A., & Hatoum, A.S. (2024). Generalized genetic liability to substance use disorders. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 134(11), e172881. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI172881
Miller, A.P., & Gizer, I.R. (2024). Neurogenetic and multi-omic sources of overlap between sensation seeking, alcohol consumption, and alcohol use disorder. Addiction Biology, 29(2), e13365. https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.13365
Miller, A.P., & Gizer, I.R. (2023). Dual-systems models of the genetic architecture of impulsive personality traits: Neurogenetic evidence of distinct but related factors. Psychological Medicine, 54(8), 1533–1543. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291723003367
Miller, A.P., Kuo, S.I., Johnson, E.C., Tillman, R., Brislin, S.J., Dick, D.M., Kamarajan, C., Kinreich, S., Kramer, J., McCutcheon, V.V., Plawecki, M.H., Porjesz, B., Schuckit, M.A., Salvatore, J.E., Edenberg, H.J., Bucholz, K.K., Meyers, J.L., & Agrawal, A. (2023). Diagnostic criteria for identifying individuals at high risk of progression from mild or moderate to severe alcohol use disorder. JAMA Network Open, 6(10), e2337192. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.37192
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Postdoctoral Training | Washington University |
| 2022 | PhD | University of Missouri |
| 2018 | MA | University of Missouri |
| 2013 | BS | Indiana University |
My research focuses on genetic influences and neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying the escalation of substance use and the emergence of substance use disorders and co-occurring psychopathology during adolescence and young adulthood. I am currently supported by a K01 career development award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to examine the interplay between impulsive personality traits, genetic vulnerability, and longitudinal alcohol use outcomes, with an emphasis on ancestrally inclusive and integrative longitudinal modeling of large-scale developmental genetic and neuroimaging data. Findings from psychiatric genetics studies are entering an early but rapidly evolving phase of translation into clinical care. I collaborate in several multi-site consortia advancing genetic discovery efforts, including the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Substance Use Disorders and Cross-Disorder Working Groups, and am deeply committed to ensuring that the clinical integration of genomic insights is guided by rigorous, equitable, and effective science.
I provide evidence-based clinical care for adults with substance use disorders at the Integrated Dual Diagnosis Clinic at the IU Neuroscience Center at Goodman Hall. My clinical practice emphasizes integrated approaches (e.g., MET/CBT) for co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders, helping patients achieve recovery and functional improvement. This work also informs my long-term interests, with an eye toward translating scientific insights into future prevention and intervention strategies.