Wolfson RF Leads Workshop on Using Genetics to Understand Alcohol’s Health Effects

Dr Pek Kei Im recently led a workshop, Beyond Observation: Using Genetics to Help Understand Alcohol’s Health Impact, at the 51st Annual Symposium of the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research. The conference also provided an opportunity to strengthen international collaboration and led to an invitation for Dr Im to speak at the 2026 Asia Pacific Society for Alcohol and Addiction Research Congress (APSAAR) next month.

Together with her colleague Dr Yani Huang, Dr Im introduced participants to Mendelian randomisation (MR), a genetic research method used to investigate alcohol’s effects on health.

‘It was a real pleasure to introduce MR to colleagues from such varied research and professional backgrounds.’ said Dr Im. ‘I hope the workshop helped build understanding of how genetic evidence can be used alongside other forms of evidence in alcohol-related research and practice.’

In Oxford Dr Im leads a Wellcome Career Development Award investigating alcohol’s causal impact on health in diverse populations, using MR alongside broader multidisciplinary approaches.

Dr Im’s research is supported by the Wolfson Academic Fund.