Sarah Lowe, PhD
Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences), Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Clinical Professor of NursingCards
Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
Appointments
Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
Appointments
Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
About
Titles
Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences), Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Clinical Professor of Nursing
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Biography
Sarah Lowe, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale School of Public Health, with secondary appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Nursing. Her research focuses on the long-term mental health consequences of a range of potentially traumatic events, as well as the impact of such events on other domains of functioning, such as physical health, social relationships, and economic wellbeing. Her work explores the mechanisms leading from trauma exposure to symptoms, and the role of factors at various ecological levels – from genetics to neighborhoods – in shaping risk and resilience. She uses a range of methodologies to achieve her research aims, including structural equation modeling, latent growth curve analysis, geospatial modeling, and qualitative analysis, among others. Dr. Lowe received her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Boston and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Psychiatric Epidemiology Training program at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
Appointments
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Associate Professor on TermPrimaryPsychiatry
Associate Professor on TermSecondarySchool of Nursing
Associate Professor on TermSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral fellow
- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (2014)
- Predoctoral fellow
- New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College (2012)
- PhD
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Clinical Psychology (2012)
- MA
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Clinical Psychology (2008)
- AB
- Harvard University, Psychology (2003)
Research
Overview
Medical Research Interests
Public Health Interests
ORCID
0000-0001-9544-4234
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Emma Mew
Rachel Hennein, MD, PhD
Nicola Hawley, PhD
Katie Wang, PhD
Martin Slade, MPH, PhD
Michelle L. Bell, PhD
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Disasters
Resilience, Psychological
Anxiety Disorders
Mental Disorders
Mental Health Services
Publications
2025
Floods and cause-specific mortality in the United States applying a triply robust approach
Chu L, Warren J, Spatz E, Lowe S, Lu Y, Ma X, Ross J, Krumholz H, Chen K. Floods and cause-specific mortality in the United States applying a triply robust approach. Nature Communications 2025, 16: 2853. PMID: 40122917, PMCID: PMC11930965, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58236-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCDC's National Center for Health StatisticsNational Center for Health StatisticsCause-specific mortality ratesCenter for Health StatisticsCause-specific mortalityHealth impacts of floodingExcess all-cause deathsLong-term health risksFlood daysLong-term associationDeath recordsHealth StatisticsConfounder adjustmentExternal causesStorm Events DatabaseAll-cause deathHealth impactsImpact of floodsPropensity scorePost‐flood yearMortality rateMyocardial infarctionPost-floodContiguous U.S.Respiratory diseaseLong-Term Courses of Posttraumatic Growth in Survivors of Hurricane Katrina
Preston J, Lowe S, Rhodes J. Long-Term Courses of Posttraumatic Growth in Survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Traumatology An International Journal 2025, 31: 116-126. DOI: 10.1037/trm0000497.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPosttraumatic growthAssociated with membershipIncreased PTGDecreasing PTGPosttraumatic growth trajectoriesPerceived social supportIncreased odds of membershipOdds of membershipStressor scoresPositive religious copingPsychosocial resourcesSocial supportSense of purposeSmall body of literaturePredisaster dataLow-incomeIncreased oddsFactors associated with stabilityBlack mothersReligious copingClinical interventionsTrauma eventsNeighborhood satisfactionSurvivorsTrauma survivorsCumulative disaster exposure and hypertension among mothers who survived Hurricane Katrina
Meadows M, Desai M, Zacher M, Lowe S. Cumulative disaster exposure and hypertension among mothers who survived Hurricane Katrina. Environmental Research Health 2025, 3: 025005. PMID: 39968533, PMCID: PMC11831098, DOI: 10.1088/2752-5309/adb32c.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPsychological distressHurricane exposureAdverse physical health outcomesDisaster exposurePhysical health outcomesLow-income mothersImpact mental healthShort-term health impactsHurricane KatrinaExposure to hypertensionHealth outcomesChronic conditionsPhysical healthMental healthHypertension oddsHypertension riskIncreased oddsVulnerable populationsSurvey wavesLogistic regressionCumulative exposureHealth impactsPotential mediatorsExposure to hurricanesPost-KatrinaCross-cultural adaptation of mental health screening instruments for Samoan adolescents
Mew E, Lowe S, Galea’i A, Iopu F, Anderson J, Naseri J, Hunt L, Mulitalo-Cheung T, Fauolo-Manila O, Soliai-Lemusu S, Hawley N, McCutchan-Tofaeono J. Cross-cultural adaptation of mental health screening instruments for Samoan adolescents. PLOS Mental Health 2025, 2: e0000106. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000106.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMental health screening instrumentCPSS-5Screening instrumentPTSD Symptom Scale-Self-ReportDeliberate Self-Harm QuestionnaireGeneralized Anxiety Disorder 7Measure symptoms of depressionSelf-injurious thoughtsSymptoms of depressionSamoan adolescentsPost-traumatic stressSelf-Harm QuestionnaireAvon Longitudinal Study of ParentsCross-cultural validityLongitudinal Study of ParentsMental health problemsAvon Longitudinal StudyStudy of ParentsGAD-7English language wordsAdolescent focus groupsMeasure symptomsMeasurement equivalenceSelf-reportFocus groupsMental Health After Mass Shootings: Research Findings and Clinical Considerations
Lowe S, Márquez-Greene N, Ranney M. Mental Health After Mass Shootings: Research Findings and Clinical Considerations. Journal Of Health Service Psychology 2025, 51: 5-13. DOI: 10.1007/s42843-025-00125-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMental healthAdverse mental health outcomesMental health outcomesPsychological first aidMental health consequencesEvidence-based assessmentClinical case studyPoor mental healthLow symptomsMass shootingsHealth outcomesKey themesFirst aidClinical considerationsEmpirical literatureRisk factorsEthical challengesResearch findingsPTSDHealthPsychologyTherapistsMentalUnited StatesOutcomes
2024
Secondary Posttraumatic Growth in Children of Survivors of the 1994 Genocide: The Role of Childhood Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress, and Meaning-Making
Kshtriya S, Bonumwezi J, Habintwali D, Lowe S. Secondary Posttraumatic Growth in Children of Survivors of the 1994 Genocide: The Role of Childhood Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress, and Meaning-Making. Traumatology An International Journal 2024, 30: 637-646. DOI: 10.1037/trm0000487.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSecondary posttraumatic growthPosttraumatic growthPTS symptomsChildhood traumatic experiencesChildren of survivorsTraumatic experiencesParental posttraumatic stress symptomsPosttraumatic stress symptomsMeaning-making interventionsSignificant indirect pathwayPosttraumatic stressStress symptomsChild psychopathologyChildhood traumaLongitudinal researchPath analysisAdequate fitCurrent studyOnline surveyIndirect pathwaysChildrenStrong linkRwandan childrenSurvivor organizationsAbleism in mental healthcare settings: A qualitative study among U.S. adults with disabilities
Wang K, Ostrove J, Manning R, Fodero S, Ash S, Whang J, Bogart K, Cipollina R, Nario-Redmond M, Adler J, Lowe S. Ableism in mental healthcare settings: A qualitative study among U.S. adults with disabilities. SSM - Qualitative Research In Health 2024, 6: 100498. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100498.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMental health servicesMental healthcare settingsHealth servicesHealthcare settingsU.S. adultsUnmet mental health serviceMental health researchMental health concernsReflexive thematic analysisImpact of disabilityExperiences of PWDSemi-structured interviewsAccessing careHealth researchEnvironmental barriersMental healthInterpersonal processesMedical traumaThematic analysisQualitative studyDisability knowledgeNondisabled counterpartsPWDHealth concernDisabilityBeyond the storms: Exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico
Meadows M, Serino N, Camacho-Monclova D, Joshipura K, Lowe S. Beyond the storms: Exploring predictors of posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth among survivors of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. The Journal Of Climate Change And Health 2024, 21: 100365. PMID: 40026672, PMCID: PMC11870674, DOI: 10.1016/j.joclim.2024.100365.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsDisaster-related exposurePosttraumatic growth subscalesPosttraumatic growthAssociated with higher levelsPosttraumatic stressPosttraumatic growth domainsHealth impactsMental health outcomesAppreciation of lifeMental health ailmentsPredictors of posttraumatic stressHealth outcomesAssociated with greater identificationPuerto RicansDisaster exposureStructured interviewsPuerto Rican contextHome damageHigher levelsPuerto RicoMultivariate modelSpiritual growthDisaster-affected communitiesSocial factorsHealth ailmentsChildhood Trauma as a Mediator of Intergenerational PTSD Symptom Transmission in Rwanda: A Cross-Sectional Study
Huang A, Bonumwezi J, Wang K, Mew E, Habintwali D, Lowe S. Childhood Trauma as a Mediator of Intergenerational PTSD Symptom Transmission in Rwanda: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal Of Loss And Trauma 2024, ahead-of-print: 1-24. DOI: 10.1080/15325024.2024.2422610.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPTSD symptomsChildhood traumaParental sexSexual abuseChildhood trauma subtypesMaternal PTSD symptomsCumulative childhood traumaHarsh parenting practicesIntergenerational traumaTrauma subtypesChildhood maltreatmentPhysical neglectParenting practicesPhysical abuseIntergenerational transmissionPTSDAbuseIndirect effectsAdult childrenSymptomsGenocide survivorsChildhoodCross-sectional studyOnline surveyParentsCommunity perspectives on adolescent mental health stigma in American Samoa
Blas V, Mew E, Winschel J, Hunt L, Soliai Lemusu S, Lowe S, Naseri J, Toelupe R, Hawley N, McCutchan-Tofaeono J. Community perspectives on adolescent mental health stigma in American Samoa. PLOS Mental Health 2024, 1: e0000080. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000080.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMental health stigmaHealth stigmaSelf-stigma of mental illnessLevels of mental health stigmaMental illness-related stigmaMental health care accessIllness-related stigmaHealth care accessMental health burdenMental health servicesStigmatization of mental healthMental health needsSocio-ecological modelMental health challengesMental health concernsMental health stigmatizationOnline focus groupsAmerican SamoaCare accessSelf-stigmaPerceived stigmatizationHealth needsHealth servicesMental illnessMental health
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
activity Connecticut Governor's Council on Climate Change (GC3)
Peer Review Groups and Grant Study SectionsMemberDetails06/01/2020 - Presentactivity Scientific Oversight Committee, Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study
Peer Review Groups and Grant Study SectionsMemberDetails2020 - Presenthonor Award for Outstanding Contribution to Trauma Psychology by an Early Career Psychologist
National AwardAmerican Psychological Association Division 56 (Trauma Psychology)Details08/30/2022United Stateshonor Robins/Guze Early Career Award
National AwardAmerican Psychopathological AssociationDetails04/01/2021United Stateshonor Wendy U. and Thomas C. Naratil Pioneer Award
Yale School of Medicine AwardYale Women’s Health Research ProgramDetails10/01/2020United States
News
News
- January 13, 2025
Yale faculty present findings from research funded by Hecht Awards
- January 10, 2025Source: ABC News
California wildfires can take mental health toll on residents, firefighters
- December 27, 2024Source: Star News
Climate anxiety is a growing concern in New Hanover County
- December 03, 2024
Ableism cited as major barrier to mental health care for people with disabilities