Dr. Karestan Chase Koenen is a professor of psychiatric epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and leads the Global Neuropsychiatric Genomics Initiative of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute. Her research focuses on resilience and PTSD; the influence of trauma and PTSD on weight gain and long-term physical health; and the global burden of trauma and PTSD. Her work uses research findings to advocate for evidence-based prevention of PTSD and response to trauma survivors, particularly victims of sexual violence.
Dr. Koenen was previously President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. She earned her PhD Clinical Psychology from Boston University and her MA in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University.