The School of Behavioral Health and the Department of Psychology are excited to welcome Dr. Sharon Lee to the faculty. Dr. Lee completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Connecticut in 2021, then spent the following five years at Brown University as a postdoctoral fellow, research scientist, and faculty member—a trajectory that shaped her into a researcher equally comfortable in the lab and the clinic.
Her research asks a compelling question: how do trauma and stress raise cardiovascular disease risk, and what mind-body interventions can interrupt that pathway? This work has attracted funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and several professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association, underscoring both its scientific rigor and its real-world relevance to whole person care. At Brown, she led her own Biobehavioral Effects of Adversity, Trauma, and Stress (BEATS) Lab, training students to investigate these connections firsthand.
Alongside her research, Dr. Lee is a licensed clinical psychologist with hands-on experience across a broad range of settings—VA medical centers, psychiatric hospitals, and primary and specialty care clinics in behavioral medicine—giving her a grounded, practice-informed perspective she brings into her teaching and mentorship. We're thrilled to have her join the department. Please welcome Dr. Sharon Lee!