Sarah Ketchen Lipson, PhD, EdM
Associate Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
Health Law, Policy & Management

PhD, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
EdM, Harvard Graduate School of Education
BA, Tufts University



Sarah Ketchen Lipson (she/her), PhD, EdM is an associate professor in the Department of Health Law Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is Principal Investigator of the Healthy Minds Network, which includes the Healthy Minds Study, the largest, most comprehensive study of mental health in higher education.

Dr. Lipson's research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and William T. Grant Foundation, among others. Her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, New York Times, Huffington Post, on NPR, and in numerous other national and international media outlets.

Dr. Lipson completed a dual PhD at University of Michigan in Health Services Organization and Policy at the School of Public Health and Higher Education at the School of Education, where she was awarded best dissertation of the year. She holds a master’s from Harvard University and was a Fulbright scholar. She received her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University where she graduated with honors.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

Dr. Lipson's research focuses on understanding and addressing mental health inequalities. Her research affords opportunities to collaborate with mental health advocacy organizations, including initiatives focused on protecting and supporting students of color, students with disabilities, transgender and nonbinary students, and first-generation, low-income students. Dr. Lipson's funded research--including her K01 from NIMH and the William T Grant Scholars Program--focuses on understanding and addressing mental health inequalities and system level drivers of these inequalities, including discriminatory campus policies. Dr. Lipson is part of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Health Equity Research Collaborative. Since its founding in 2021, Dr. Lipson has served on the HLPM DEIJ committee. As of 2022, she is the HLPM representative on the BUSPH school-wide DEIJ committee. She is also vice-chair of the university-wide Community Safety Advisory Group, focused on improving safety and policing practices at Boston University. In teaching and advising, Dr. Lipson aims to prioritize DEIJ, including recognizing the realities of past trauma and inequality on student wellbeing and learning outcomes. She is committed to increasing accessibility in the classroom and ensuring that students feel valued as their whole selves. Dr. Lipson is proactive in taking trainings and keeping up with the latest research, technology, and best practices to provide inclusive learning environments where all students can thrive. In summary, Dr. Lipson stands firmly committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice as core values of her professional and personal life.


Structural Stigma and Suicide Risk in Gender & Racial Minority Students: A Novel Study to Understand & Reduce Inequality
07/01/2020 - 06/30/2026 (PI)
The William T. Grant Foundation


Supportive and restrictive factors and mental health in LGBT adolescent and young adult populations
08/26/2024 - 07/31/2025 (Subcontract PI)
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Inc NIH NICHD
1R61HD117134-01

The mental health of crisis migrant families: A longitudinal, mixed-methods study of Puerto Rican child-parent migrants in the post-Hurricane María years
08/01/2024 - 07/31/2025 (Key Person / Mentor)
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
1R36MH138039-01

A Structural Approach to Understanding and Addressing Suicidality among Transgender and Gender Nonconforming College Students
08/20/2020 - 07/31/2025 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
5K01MH121515-04

Assessing Digital Mental Health Programs at Colleges and Universities
04/27/2023 - 02/01/2024 (PI)
Ruderman Family Foundation


Harnessing Mobile Technology to Reduce Mental Health Disorders in College Populations
08/23/2018 - 05/31/2023 (Subcontract PI)
Regents of the University of Michigan NIH NIMH
5R01MH115128-02

Expanding and making more accessible the prevention and social safety-net policies tracked in the COVID-19 US State Policy Database
08/15/2020 - 10/31/2022 (Multi-PI)
PI: Sarah Ketchen Lipson, PhD, EdM
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation


Faculty Response to College Student Behavioral Health Survey Study
05/01/2020 - 06/30/2021 (PI)
Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation


The Healthy Minds Study
09/01/2020 - 02/28/2021 (PI)
Regents of the University of Michigan


Evaluation of the Ohio Healthy Campus Initiative
08/01/2018 - 07/31/2019 (PI)
Pegs Foundation




Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

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  1. Murchison GR, Seager van Dyk I, Wolfe HL, Lipson SK. Transgender/nonbinary college and university students' perceptions and use of mental health services: Comparisons to peers in a large U.S. sample. J Am Coll Health. 2025 Dec 18; 1-12. PMID: 41412974; DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2025.2472202;
     
  2. Flesaker M, Schneider B, Patterson A, Rosellini AJ, Lipson SK, Gradus JL. Co-occurrence of racism-based trauma symptoms and depressive symptoms among college students of color. Psychol Trauma. 2025 Sep 29.View Related Profiles. PMID: 41021495; PMCID: PMC12483183; DOI: 10.1037/tra0002042;
     
  3. Godoy-Henderson C, Denner SS, Flesaker M, Weinberg J, Dalhoe M, Lipson SK. Mental Health Help-Seeking by US College Students with a Diagnosis of Psychosis. Res Sq. 2025 Sep 05.View Related Profiles. PMID: 40951268; PMCID: PMC12425076; DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7435461/v1;
     
  4. Flesaker M, Paglisotti E, Freibott CE, Gradus JL, Lipson SK. State policies and suicidal behavior among sexual and gender minority college students. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2025 Aug; 60(8):1861-1870.View Related Profiles. PMID: 40259035
     
  5. Salvia MG, Onteeru M, Lipson SK, Quatromoni PA. Adopting vegetarian and vegan eating patterns: Associations with disordered eating behaviors among young adult college students. Eat Behav. 2025 Apr; 57:101967.View Related Profiles. PMID: 40157298; PMCID: PMC12124956; DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2025.101967;
     
  6. Taylor ME, Liu M, Abelson S, Eisenberg D, Lipson SK, Schueller SM. The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance of Digital Mental Health Interventions for College Students: A Systematic Review. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2024 Dec; 26(12):683-693. PMID: 39392547; PMCID: PMC11706926; DOI: 10.1007/s11920-024-01545-w;
     
  7. Flesaker M, Freibott CE, Evans TC, Gradus JL, Lipson SK. Loneliness in the college student population: Prevalence and associations with substance use outcomes. J Am Coll Health. 2025 Oct; 73(8):3255-3261.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39302240; PMCID: PMC11924129; DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2024.2400105;
     
  8. Freibott CE, Auty SG, Stein MD, Lipson SK. Opioid misuse and mental health in college student populations: A national assessment. J Affect Disord. 2024 Oct 15; 363:72-78.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39038626; PMCID: PMC11348281; DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.07.078;
     
  9. Freibott CE, Vest N, Stein MD, Lipson SK. Opioid Overdose Knowledge Among Adolescents and Young Adults. JAMA Pediatr. 2024 Jun 01; 178(6):618-620.View Related Profiles. PMID: 38648053; PMCID: PMC11036307; DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.0561;
     
  10. Vázquez MM, Fowler LA, Zhu Y, Grammer AC, Fitzsimmons-Craft EE, Lipson SK, Shah J, Eisenberg D, Newman MG, Taylor CB, Wilfley DE. Disparities in Mental Health Symptoms Among Sexual and Gender Diverse Subgroups in a National Sample of College Students. Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers. 2024 Mar 14. PMID: 40693689; PMCID: PMC12221272; DOI: 10.1037/sgd0000714;
     
Showing 10 of 78 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 78 publications over 14 distinct years, with a maximum of 14 publications in 2022

YearPublications
20121
20132
20144
20152
20168
20171
20186
20195
202010
20218
202214
20236
20246
20255

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