Peter Jongho Na, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of PsychiatryCards
Appointments
Contact Info
About
Titles
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Biography
Dr. Na's research spans the intersection of genetics and psychosocial factors related to substance use disorders and suicide. He focuses on the environmental and psychosocial influences that contribute to addiction and suicidal behavior, as well as the treatment of individuals with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders.
A passionate advocate for mental health, Dr. Na has worked diligently to reduce the stigma surrounding mental disorders and mental health services in Korea, which has had the highest suicide rate among OECD countries for the past two decades. He has appeared in numerous media outlets, including interviews with The Guardian, TIME and BBC, where he has called for a concerted national effort to tackle this pressing issue. Dr. Na is also the author of two best-selling books in Korea.
Appointments
Psychiatry
Assistant ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
- Yale University (2021)
- Psychiatry Residency
- New York University (2020)
- MPH
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2016)
- MD
- Seoul National University (2014)
- BA
- Seoul National University, Psychology (2009)
Research
Overview
Medical Research Interests
ORCID
0000-0003-3895-7417
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Robert Pietrzak, PhD, MPH
John Krystal, MD
Jack Tsai
Joel Gelernter, MD
Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, PhD, ABPP
Oluwole Jegede, MD, MPH
Publications
2025
Social Determinants of Health and Suicide-Related Outcomes: A Review of Meta-Analyses.
Na PJ, Shin J, Kwak HR, Lee J, Jester DJ, Bandara P, Kim JY, Moutier CY, Pietrzak RH, Oquendo MA, Jeste DV. Social Determinants of Health and Suicide-Related Outcomes: A Review of Meta-Analyses. JAMA Psychiatry 2025 PMID: 39745761, DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.4241.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2024
Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study
Kang H, Fischer I, Na P, Pietrzak R. Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study. PLOS ONE 2024, 19: e0313609. PMID: 39661580, PMCID: PMC11633995, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313609.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsUS military veteransMilitary veteransNational Health and ResilienceWhole Health approachEmotional stabilityMean happiness scoreWell-beingPerception of well-beingSeverity of depressive symptomsNationally representative sampleCorrelates of happinessMeasures of optimismVeterans' perceptionsPsychosocial characteristicsVeterans StudySubjective well-beingDepressive symptomsHealth approachRepresentative sampleHigher optimismVeteransHappiness scoresGreater happinessAnalyzed dataUS DepartmentPosttraumatic Stress Disorder, Obesity, and Accelerated Epigenetic Aging Among US Military Veterans
Fischer I, Na P, Nagamatsu S, Jeste D, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Montalvo-Ortiz J, Krystal J, Polimanti R, Gelernter J, Pietrzak R. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Obesity, and Accelerated Epigenetic Aging Among US Military Veterans. JAMA Psychiatry 2024, 81: 1276-1277. PMID: 39476130, PMCID: PMC11581715, DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.3403.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPrevalence, Correlates, and Burden of Subthreshold PTSD in US Veterans.
Fischer I, Na P, Harpaz-Rotem I, Marx B, Pietrzak R. Prevalence, Correlates, and Burden of Subthreshold PTSD in US Veterans. The Journal Of Clinical Psychiatry 2024, 85 PMID: 39480145, DOI: 10.4088/jcp.24m15465.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsSubthreshold posttraumatic stress disorderPosttraumatic stress disorderPosttraumatic stress disorder symptom clustersLifetime psychiatric disordersUS veteransUS military veteransSymptom-related distressStress disorderPsychiatric disordersSymptom clustersTreating veteransCriterion AMilitary veteransTraumatic eventsCognitive functionWorking case definitionMental healthCriterion FFunctional impairmentVeteransNationally representative sampleFunctional correlatesDisordersElevated oddsGreater oddsGenes in context: path to more precise risk prediction in psychiatry?
Na P, Pietrzak R, Gelernter J. Genes in context: path to more precise risk prediction in psychiatry? The British Journal Of Psychiatry 2024, 1-2. PMID: 39422146, DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2024.151.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchLoneliness Trajectories in U.S. Military Veterans: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study of Risk and Protective Factors
Ong A, Cintron D, Rottenberg J, Panaite V, Fischer I, Na P, Jeste D, Pietrzak R. Loneliness Trajectories in U.S. Military Veterans: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study of Risk and Protective Factors. The Journals Of Gerontology Series B 2024, 79: gbae171. PMID: 39390809, DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbae171.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGrowth mixture modelingU.S. military veteransLoneliness trajectoriesMilitary veteransLongitudinal Study of RiskNational Health and ResilienceEarly life adversitySelf-report ratingsProtective factorsWorse cognitive functionMental health concernsPhysical health outcomesHealth concernAdverse childhood experiencesRisk factorsLongitudinal cohort studyStudy of riskNationally representative samplePotential psychosocial riskPromote social connectednessSignificant public health concernVeterans StudyLife adversityThree-step regression analysisCognitive functionT4. RELATIONSHIP OF GENETICALLY-INDEXED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WITH MENTAL DISORDERS
Galimberti M, Gupta P, Deak J, Dao C, Nitin R, Zhou H, Harrington K, Na P, Topiwala A, Davis L, Gaziano M, Levey D, Stein M, Gelernter J. T4. RELATIONSHIP OF GENETICALLY-INDEXED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WITH MENTAL DISORDERS. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2024, 87: 157-158. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2024.08.314.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsProtective effect of PAMental health traitsMillion Veteran ProgramEffects of PAGenome-wide association studiesPhysical activityLocal genetic correlationAlcohol consumptionPosttraumatic stress disorderSmoking initiationLeisure time PARelationship of PAUse disorderMental health outcomesPsychiatric disordersSelf-reported informationSubstance useAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderGenetic correlation analysisLocal genetic correlation analysisTime PAGenome-wide association study statisticsHealth traitsMR analysisResults PAPersistent distress related to systemic racism among black veterans in the United States
Whealin J, Jegede O, Na P, Haeny A, Pietrzak R. Persistent distress related to systemic racism among black veterans in the United States. Journal Of Affective Disorders 2024, 365: 375-378. PMID: 39147153, DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.052.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAdverse mental health sequelaeRisk of mental health problemsMilitary veteransIncreased risk of mental health problemsEthnic minority veteransSystemic racismMental health sequelaeMental health problemsUse of self-reportsEthnic minority populationsNationally representative sampleUS military veteransMultinomial logistic regression analysisSignificant emotional burdenStudy periodNon-veteransLogistic regression analysisEmotional burdenMinority veteransBlack veteransUS veteransHealth sequelaeBaseline assessmentHealthcare systemUS populationSuccessful Aging in US Veterans with Mental Disorders: Results From the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study
Shin J, Fischer I, Na P, Jeste D, Pietrzak R. Successful Aging in US Veterans with Mental Disorders: Results From the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. American Journal Of Geriatric Psychiatry 2024, 33: 85-91. PMID: 39214753, DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2024.07.018.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGeneralized anxiety disorderPosttraumatic stress disorderMental disordersSomatic symptomsNational Health and ResilienceUS military veteransSuccessful agingAnxiety disordersDepressive disorderUS veteransStress disorderPromote successful agingHigher gratitudeVeterans StudyMilitary veteransInterventions targeting psychosocial factorsOne-in-fiveVeteransMDDDisordersPsychosocial factorsGratitudeNegative associationSymptomsMultivariate logistic regressionPsychological Factors, Physical Conditions, and Functioning Among US Veterans
Fischer I, Na P, Feldman D, Krist A, Kudler H, Jeste D, Pietrzak R. Psychological Factors, Physical Conditions, and Functioning Among US Veterans. JAMA Network Open 2024, 7: e2427382. PMID: 39120905, PMCID: PMC11316230, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.27382.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
honor Career Development Award-2
National AwardUS Department of Veterans AffairsDetails07/01/2024honor Travel Award for Early Career Investigators
National AwardThe College on Problems of Drug DependenceDetails03/27/2024honor Research Colloquium for Junior Investigators
National AwardAmerican Psychiatric AssociationDetails05/21/2023United Stateshonor Early Career Investigator Travel Award
National AwardSociety of Biological PsychiatryDetails04/22/2023United Stateshonor Career Development Award -1
National AwardUS Department of Veterans AffairsDetails04/20/2022