Sarah Scales, PhD, MPH

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Department of Environmental, Occupational, and Agricultural Health
College of Public Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Professional Summary

• 2024 – present, Post-doctoral Researcher, Department of Environmental, Occupational, and Agricultural Health

Education

• 2023, PhD, University of Delaware
• 2020, MPH, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
• 2018, BS, Millsaps College

Research Interests

Sarah Elizabeth Scales, PhD, MPH, is a post-doctoral research associate in the Water, Climate, and Health Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Scales trained as an infectious disease epidemiologist at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and further specialized in disaster epidemiology at the University of Delaware. She has collaborated on a number of projects with the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (ASED) based in Brussels, Belgium. Her research interests are at the crux of hazards, conflict, and health. Her current research focuses on the use of epidemiologic methods to assess the human-health impacts of climate-related hazards, such as extreme heat events. She is particularly interested in the effects of disasters and conflict on the health of displaced populations. Dr. Scales hopes that her work provides tangible applications for field practitioners and contributes to evidence-informed policy and practice.

Selected Publications

• Scales SE, Park JW, Nixon R, Guha-Sapir D, Horney J. (2023) Chickenpox Outbreaks in Three Refugee Camps in Mainland Greece, 2016-2017: A retrospective study, Prehospital and Disaster Medicine,https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X23006702.
• Scales SE, Park JW, Nixon R, Guha-Sapir D, Horney J. (2023) Disease Burden among Refugees in Camps on Mainland Greece, 2016-2017: A retrospective cross-sectional study. Migration and Health Collection, BMC Public Health 23(1715). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16472-3.
• Scales SE, Patrick E, Stone KW, Kintziger KW, Jagger MA, Horney JA. Lessons Learned From the Public Health Workforce’s Experiences With the COVID-19 Response. (2022) Health Secur. 20(5): 387-393. doi: 10.1089/hs.2022.0091. PMID: 36201262.
• Scales SE, Patrick E, Stone KW, Kintziger KW, Jagger MA, Horney JA. A Qualitative Study of the COVID-19 Response Experiences of Public Health Workers in the United States. (2021) Health Secur. 19(6):573-581. doi:10.1089/hs.2021.0132
• Guha-Sapir D, Scales SE. Challenges in public health and epidemiology research in humanitarian settings: experiences from the field. (23 Nov 2020) BMC Public Health. 20(1):1761. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09851-7. PMID: 33228599; PMCID: PMC7684900.
• Ogbu JT, Scales SE, Moitinho de Almeida M, van Loenhout JAF, Speybroeck N, Guha-Sapir, D. Predictors of exceeding emergency under-five mortality thresholds in humanitarian settings (1999-2020): considerations for measles vaccination, malnutrition, and displacement status. (2022) Archives of Public Health. 80(160). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-022-00916-0.  
• Guha-Sapir D, Ogbu JT,  Scales SE, Moitinho de Almeida M, Donneau AF, Diep A, Bernstein R, al-Masnai A, Rodriguez-Llanes JM, Burnham G. Civil war and death in Yemen: Analysis of SMART survey and ACLED data, 2012 – 2019. (8 Aug 2022) PLoS Global Health. 2(8): e0000581. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000581.
• Horney JA, Pena A, Scales SE, Fleury-Steiner RE, Camphausen LC, Miller SL. Disruption, adaptation, and maintenance of domestic violence service during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2024) Critical Public Health.

Professional Affiliations

• Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Chapter of Mississippi