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Sarah T. Stahl PhD

  • Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science

Dr. Stahl’s research focuses on circadian disruption of health behaviors after stressful life events that are common in late life with an emphasis on developing and testing digital health interventions that stabilize the 24-hour rhythm of sleep, meals, and physical/social activity. She has served as PI or Co-I for several NIH-funded clinical trials that range from proof-of-concept studies to confirmatory efficacy trials. Dr. Stahl is actively engaged in research mentorship and serves as mentor for the department’s T32 in Geriatric Mental Health.

    Education & Training

  • BA, Psychology, West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV), 2005
  • MS, Psychology, West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV), 2009
  • PhD, Life Span Developmental Psychology, West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV), 2011
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Translational Research Training in Geriatric Mental Health (T32), University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA), 2011-2014
Awards
Barry Lebowitz Early Career Scientist Award, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (2017)
Early-Stage Investigator Award, Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (2020)
Medical Student Research Mentoring Merit Award, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (2021)
Rising Star Award for Outstanding Alumni Achievements, Eberly College of Arts & Sciences, West Virginia University (2022)
Fellow, Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (2023)
Representative Publications

Stahl ST, Schulz R. Changes in routine health behaviors following late-life bereavement: A systematic review. J Behav Med. 2014; 37: 736-755.

Stahl ST, Arnold A, Chen J, Anderson S, Schulz R. Mortality following bereavement: The role of cardiovascular disease and depression. Psychosom Med. 2016; 78(6): 697-703.

Smagula SF, Hall MM, Stahl ST. Rest-activity rhythms and depression symptoms in older bereaved adults. Int Psychogeriatr. 2019; 31: 1675-1676.

Stahl ST, Smagula SF, Dew MA, Albert SM, Schulz RA, Reynolds, CF. Digital monitoring of sleep, meals, and physical activity for reducing depression in older spousally-bereaved adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2020; 28(10): 1102-1106.

Stahl ST, Smagula SF, Rodakowski J, Dew MA, Albert SM, Karp JF, Butters M, Gildengers A, Reynolds CF. Subjective sleep quality and trajectories of interleukin-6 in older adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2021; 29: 204-208.

Stahl ST, Rodakowski J, Smagula SF. Timing of daily activities over a 24-hour period and affective status among a national cohort of older dementia caregivers J Aging Health. 2021; 33: 125-132.

Smagula SF, Stahl ST, Krafty RF, Buysse DJ. Initial proof of concept that a consumer wearable can be used for real-time rest-activity rhythm monitoring  SLEEP; 2022 Mar 14;45(3):zsab288.

Stahl ST, Skidmore E, Kringle E, Shih M, Baum C, Hammel J, Krafty R, Covassin N, Li J, Smagula SF. Rest-activity rhythm characteristics associated with depression symptoms in stroke survivors. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2023; 104(8): 1203-1208.

Stahl ST, Kazan J, Lazzari T, Krafty R, Reynolds CF, Rollman B, Smagula SF, Gebara MA. Complicated grief after the COVID-19 death of a marital partner in late life. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2024; 32(3): 386-391.

Szanto K, Prigerson H, Stahl ST. Is social connection the solution for reducing widower suicide in late life? (Invited Editorial). Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2024; In press.