Faculty

Karen P Jakubowski, PhD

Karen P Jakubowski, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email

Education & Training

PhD
Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
MS
Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
Clinical Psychology, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Psychosomatic Society
Member, North American Menopause Society

Selected Honors & Awards

New Investigator Award, North American Menopause Society

Research Interests

Trauma; Cardiovascular disease risk; Behavioral sleep medicine
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Lawn RB, Murchland AR, Thurston RC, Marquez C, Jakubowski K, Sampson L, Sumner J, Kubzansky LD, Koenen KC. Experiences of stalking and obtaining a restraining order are associated with onset of cardiovascular events in women: A prospective analysis in the Nurses' Health Study II. Circulation. 2025;152:00-00. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.073592
  2. Jakubowski K, Riedmann C, Chang Y, Koenen KC, Maki PM, Thurston RC. Trauma history and persistent poor objective and subjective sleep quality among midlife women. Menopause. 2025 Mar 1;32(3):207-216. PMID: 39773930
  3. Jakubowski KP, Koffer RE, Matthews KA, Burnett-Bowie SM, Derby CA, Yu EW, Green R, Thurston RC. Psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on women with trauma histories: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). J Trauma Stress. 2023 Feb;36(1):167-179. PMCID: PMC9877990
  4. Jakubowski KP, Barinas-Mitchell E, Chang YF, Maki PM, Matthews KA, Thurston RC. The cardiovascular cost of silence: Relationships between self-silencing and carotid atherosclerosis in midlife women. Ann Behav Med. 2022 Mar 1;56(3):282-290. PMCID: PMC8887577
  5. Jakubowski KP, Murray V, Stokes N, Thurston RC. Sexual violence and cardiovascular disease risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Maturitas. 2021 Nov;153:48-60. PMCID: PMC8531533

Clinical Interests

Behavioral medicine; Health inequities; Chronic pain
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. Jakubowski K, Dauria EF, et al. (in press) Burnout prevention and mitigation protocol for research studies on sexual and intimate partner violence. Staff health Education & Behavior
  2. Murchland AR, Haneuse S, Lawn RB, Berkman L, Jakubowski K, Glymour MM, Koenen KC. Intimate partner violence and cognitive functioning - toward quantifying dementia risk. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 May;21(5):e70029. doi: 10.1002/alz.70029. PMID: 40318131; PMCID: PMC12046629.
  3. Jakubowski KP, Jhamb M, Yabes J, Gujral S, Oberlin LE, Bender F & Steel J. (2020). Technology-assisted cognitive-behavioral therapy for end-stage renal disease: A feasibility study. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 10, 657-663.

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Clinical training & mentorship; Medical student & resident education

Karen Jakubowski, PhD, Recognized for Excellence in Medical Student Research Mentorship

Dr. Karen Jakubowski

Please join us in congratulating Karen Jakubowski, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), who has received a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Medical Student Research Mentoring Merit Award. This prestigious award is presented to a Longitudinal Research Project (LRP) mentor of a graduating Pitt Med student in recognition for outstanding mentorship over the course of the LRP. Dr. Jakubowski’s research...

The 9th Annual Sleep & Circadian Science Research Day Presents the Latest in Sleep and Circadian Science Research

Center for Sleep and Circadian Science Research Day

The annual Center for Sleep and Circadian Science Research Day presents new research in the field, with more than 160 individuals attending the event. Following opening remarks presented by Daniel Buysse, MD (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine, and Clinical and Translational Science UPMC Endowed Chair in Sleep Medicine), a clinical symposium presented “Hot Topics in Treatment of Sleep Apnea,” featuring...

Psychiatry Residents Present Robust Research at the 7th Annual Psychiatry Research Pathway Symposium

PRP Residents and Mentors

The Psychiatry Research Pathway (PRP) Symposium provides UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital residents engaged in research the opportunity to present their work to fellow residents, faculty mentors, T32 postdoctoral research program directors, and interested members of our academic community. This year, the PRP Symposium began with a panel discussion focused on interventional psychiatry, moderated by Katherine Lyman...

Associations Between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Cardiovascular and Brain Health in Women; Sex-Dependent Alterations in the Memory Network 

Drs. Rebecca Thurston and Minjie Wu

Recent studies led by Pitt Psychiatry investigators examine the associations between post-traumatic stress disorder and cardiovascular and brain health in women ( JAMA Network Open), and sex-dependent alterations in the memory network ( Alzheimer’s & Dementia). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Cardiovascular and Brain Health in Women Most women in the United States will experience at least one major...

The Department of Psychiatry’s 20th Annual Research Day

The 20th annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day on June 9, 2022, represented a joyful reunion for more than 400 faculty members, trainees, and staff, who had not attended a large in-person event together since 2019. The morning session featured 110 posters at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. In the afternoon, attendees gathered across the street at the University...