How #MeToo has both helped and hurt survivors
While the #MeToo movement has empowered many people to share long-concealed stories of sexual harassment or assault and prompted a national conversation about these topics, the movement has also generated a backlash that shames and sometimes threatens victims,…
Women far outnumber men with PTSD
Although post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often thought of as combat-related, there are actually far more women than men who suffer from the disorder, which can lead to flashbacks, anxiety, obsessive thoughts, and emotional numbing, as well as…
Sexual assault, harassment linked with long-term health problems in women
Women in mid-life who are survivors of sexual assault and harassment can experience long-term physical and mental health problems including high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and insomnia, according to a new study. Co-authored by Karestan Koenen, professor of…
For sexual assault survivors, Senate hearing stirs up painful emotions
October 4, 2018 – Watching Christine Blasey Ford give emotional testimony before a Senate panel about an alleged sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh unleashed painful memories for many assault survivors. Harvard Chan School’s Karestan Koenen,…
Sexual assault victims experience trauma from Senate hearing
Wrenching testimony from Christine Blasey Ford alleging that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school triggered painful emotions in others who have lived through such assaults, according to numerous reports in social and traditional…
Yerby Fellows share research at annual symposium
March 2, 2018 – Exposure to diesel exhaust on the job appears to raise the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease, according to Aisha Dickerson, a Yerby Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School…
Study finds first molecular genetic evidence of PTSD heritability
For immediate release: Tuesday, April 25, 2017 Boston, MA – A large new study from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium provides the first molecular genetic evidence that genetic influences play a role in the risk of getting Posttraumatic Stress Disorder…
New program aims to build genetics research capacity in Africa
February 24, 2017—A new collaboration between researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and six African universities and institutes aims to boost genetics…
Sexual assault survivors urged to combat election stress by getting involved
Women in the U.S.—particularly those who have been sexually assaulted—may feel anxious about what life will be like after President-elect Trump takes office. Karestan Koenen, professor of psychiatric epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and…
Do GMOs harm our health?
In this week’s podcast: A new report examines whether GMOs are harmful to our health, plus the physical toll of PTSD, and the healthy lifestyle that could prevent half of all cancer deaths in the U.S.
