Karestan Koenen

Biography

Karestan C. Koenen, PhD aims to reduce the population burden of mental disorders through research, training, and advocacy. She is passionate about using science to overcome violence and trauma, which are major preventable causes of health problems globally.

Research

Dr. Koenen directs the Broad Trauma Initiative at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard where she is an Institute Member. Her research focus is three-fold. First, she studies why some people develop PTSD and related mental and physical health problems and why some people are resilient when exposed to similar traumatic events. Second, she investigates how violence, trauma, and PTSD alter long-term physical health and accelerate aging. Third, she aims to expand access to evidence-based mental health treatment for survivors of violence and trauma. To this end, she co-wrote the book, Treating Survivors of Childhood Abuse and Interpersonal Trauma: STAIR Narrative Therapy with Drs. Marylene Cloitre, Lisa Cohen. Kile M Ortigo, and Christie Jackson.

Relevant links

https://www.broadinstitute.org/biology-trauma-initiative-broad-institute
Book can be found here

Training

Dr. Koenen leads the NIMH-funded Training Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics (T32) and the Interdisciplinary Concentration in Population Mental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She also advises masters and doctoral degree students in the Departments of Epidemiology and Social Behavioral Sciences. In addition, Dr. Koenen leads the Trauma Epidemiology and Population Mental Health Research Group for her students and post-doctoral fellows. The group is primarily a forum for trainees and junior investigators to present and receive feedback on work-in-progress but it also includes presentations on advanced research methodology and career development.

Advocacy

Dr. Koenen advocates for survivors of violence and trauma. In May 2011, Dr. Koenen testified before the House Foreign Affairs Full Committee about the epidemic of sexual violence and victim blaming culture of the Peace Corps. She has written for the Boston Globe, Psychology Today, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, and the Women's Media Center's Women Under Siege Project, which investigates how rape and other forms of sexualized violence are used as tools in conflict. Dr. Koenen also consulted on the documentary, It Happened Here, which examined the epidemic of sexual assault on university campuses. In addition, Dr. Koenen speaks to lay audiences about the latest scientific findings around violence and trauma.

Education and Training

• BA, Economics
  Wellesley College
• MA, Developmental Psychology
  Columbia University
• PhD, Clinical Psychology
  Boston University
• Post-doctoral Fellowship, Psychiatric Epidemiology
  Columbia University

Awards and Honors

• Junior Faculty Mentoring Award, 2025
  Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Marianne Wessling Resnick Memorial Mentoring Award, 2021
  Committee on the Advancement of Women Faculty, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Pamela Sklar Innovation Award, 2021
  International Society of Psychiatric Genetics
• Distinguished Alumnae Award, 2017
  Montclair Kimberley Academy
• Outstanding Postdoctoral Research Mentoring Award, 2015
  Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Robert S. Laufer, PhD, Memorial Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement, 2015
  International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies
• Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Science of Trauma Psychology, 2015
  American Psychological Association, Division 56

Publications

• Prior Sexual Violence, PTSD Symptoms, and Recovery Trajectories After New Trauma.

  Mellen EJ, Poplin T, Jovanovic T, Rowland GE, House SL, Beaudoin FL, An X, Stevens JS, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Swor RA, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Pearson C, Peak DA, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O'Neil BJ, Sanchez LD, Bruce SE, Harte SE, Kessler RC, Koenen KC, McLean SA, Harnett NG, Ressler KJ. JAMA Psychiatry 2026 Jul 29

  PMID: 42525395

• Ancestry-Calibrated Polygenic Risk Scores Predict PTSD Trajectories in Recent Trauma Survivors and Interact with Neighborhood Resources.

  Webb EK, Jajoo A, Balakundi V, Sendi MSE, Koenen KC, Linnstaedt SD, House SL, An X, Stevens JS, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Jovanovic T, Germine LT, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Datner EM, Pearson C, Merchant RC, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O'Neil BJ, Sergot P, Sanchez LD, Bruce SE, Harte SE, Kessler RC, McLean SA, Ressler KJ, Daskalakis NP, Harnett NG. medRxiv 2026 Jul 20

  PMID: 42538928

• Depression risk among college student witnesses to on-campus potentially traumatic events: the roles of bystanding, upstanding, and prosocial campus climate.

  Woolverton GA, Rastogi R, Zhao C, Yip T, Koenen KC, Liu CH. J Behav Med 2026 Jul 08

  PMID: 42417951

• A blended genome and exome sequencing method captures genetic variation in an unbiased and cost-effective manner.

  Boltz TA, Chu BB, DeFelice M, Liao C, Sealock JM, Ye R, Goldstein JI, Majara L, Fu JM, Service SK, Zhan L, Medland SE, Chapman SB, Rubinacci S, Grimsby JL, Abebe T, Alemayehu M, Ashaba FK, Atkinson EG, Bigdeli TB, Bradway AB, Brand H, Chibnik LB, DeLuca S, Diaz-Zuluaga AM, Fekadu A, Gatzen M, Gelaye B, Gichuru S, Gildea ML, Hill TC, Huang H, Hubbard KM, Injera WE, James R, Joloba M, Kachulis C, Kalmbach PR, Kamulegeya R, Kigen G, Kim S, Koen N, Kwobah EK, Kyebuzibwa J, Lee S, Lennon NJ, Lind PA, Lopera-Maya EA, Makale J, Mangul S, McMahon J, Mowlem P, Musinguzi H, Mwema RM, Nakasujja N, Newman CP, Nkambule LL, O'Neil CR, Olivares AM, Olsen CM, Ongeri L, Parsa SJ, Pretorius A, Qin S, Ramesar R, Reagan FL, Sabatti C, Schneider JA, Shiferaw W, Stevens C, Stevenson A, Stricker E, Stroud RE, Tang J, Townsend M, Whiteman D, Yohannes MT, Yu M, Yuan K, Akena D, Atwoli L, Kariuki SM, Koenen KC, Newton CRJC, Stein DJ, Teferra S, Zingela Z, Pato CN, Pato MT, Lopez-Jaramillo C, Freimer NB, Ophoff RA, Olde Loohuis LM, Talkowski ME, Neale BM, Howrigan DP, Martin AR. Nat Genet 2026

  PMID: 42420521

• Fine mapping of PTSD GWAS reveals a role for amygdala Foxp2 in regulation of fear and threat responses.

  Ponomareva O, Seabrook LT, Maya-Martinez M, Klengel C, Balakundi V, Kini S, Catt E, Zion J, Shah R, Martinez P, Hernandez E, Beatty Z, Millet MS, Flanagan-Burt Q, Lussier AA, Nievergelt CM, Maihofer AX, Koenen K, Kleinman JE, Suh J, Carlezon WA, Daskalakis NP, Ressler KJ. bioRxiv 2026 Jun 26

  PMID: 42395560