Lewina O. Lee, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Lewina O. Lee, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, and Psychologist-Clinical Investigator at the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System. She received her Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology–Aging) from the University of Southern California. She completed a Clinical Psychology internship at VA Palo Alto and a postdoctoral fellowship in Epidemiology at Boston University and VA Boston. Her research examines the role of psychosocial stress exposure – particularly early adversity – on lifespan health, and mechanisms which transmit the effects of stress on health, while adopting a lifespan developmental perspective. A related line of her research considers positive psychosocial factors which confer resilience against the effects of psychosocial stress exposure on health. She co-directs the Boston Early Adversity and Mortality Study (BEAMS), which aims to create a cradle-to-grave dataset to enable research on lifespan processes linking childhood experiences to later-life health. She has been the recipient of numerous awards from the National Institute on Aging, including a predoctoral NRSA (F31) fellowship, a Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08), and an RF-1 award.

Publications

  • Published 9/25/2025

    Marino VR, Kubzansky LD, Grodstein F, Kim S, Spiro A, Lee LO. Optimism and cognitive functioning trajectories in a cohort of aging men. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2025 Sep 25; 80(10). PMID: 40711855.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/18/2025

    Vasterling JJ, Bhalla A, Franz MR, Kaiser AP, Lee LO. War zone veteran cognitive-related functional decline and posttraumatic stress symptoms: Relationship to intimate partner stress. Psychol Trauma. 2025 Sep 18. PMID: 40965954.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/20/2025

    Sobczak S, Orgeta V, Beenakker M, Boks M, Boltri M, Cations M, Coeur E, Cook JM, Corveleyn X, Dorame AN, van Dijk GC, Forresi B, Fréel S, Gómez-Bautista D, Günak MM, Havermans DCD, Hopwood M, O J, Lawrence KA, Lee LO, Maercker A, Marsman A, Olivé I, Quaedflieg CWEM, Ruisch J, Thorp SR, Woudsma JS, Zabihi S, Olff M. Post-traumatic stress disorder in older adults: a global collaboration on setting the future research agenda. Lancet Healthy Longev. 2025 Jun; 6(6):100720. PMID: 40550237.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/1/2024

    Vogt D, Borowski S, Kumar SA, Lee LO, Schnurr PP. Psychosocial Well-Being at the Time of Trauma Exposure and Risk of PTSD. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Oct 01; 7(10):e2440388. PMID: 39453662.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/1/2024

    Marino VR, Trudel-Fitzgerald C, Aldwin CM, Spiro A, Lee LO. The Costs of Coping: Long-Term Mortality Risk in Aging Men. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2024 Apr 01; 79(4). PMID: 38501168.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 55 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Psychologist, National Center for PTSD
    VA Boston Healthcare System

Websites

Education

  • University of Southern California, PhD
  • University of Southern California, MA
  • University of Southern California, BA

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