Molly E Lasater

Molly E Lasater is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with departmental affiliations in International Health and Social and Behavioral Interventions. She is also affiliated with the Center for Humanitarian Health. Her work focuses on promoting the health of marginalized populations in low-resource settings through research on mental health, conflict, and climate change.

Dr. Lasater earned her PhD and MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2018 and 2014 respectively, and her BS from Santa Clara University in 2010. During her undergraduate studies, she graduated Cum Laude and received both the Lambda Alpha honor and the Excellence in Anthropology Award.

Dr. Lasater's primary research interest is in understanding the dynamic and multifaceted relationship between climate change, conflict, migration and displacement, and health to inform the development of effective strategies to promote the health and well-being of women and children in humanitarian settings. Her work spans several critical areas including global health, humanitarian health, climate change impacts, forced displacement, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), gender-based violence, and conflict and health. She has conducted extensive field research in challenging contexts such as Mali, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Zambia, focusing particularly on maternal and child health in humanitarian settings.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on evaluating psychosocial support programs for refugees, particularly mothers and children in crisis settings. She has conducted important work on the Baby Friendly Spaces program for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, mental health integration into maternal health services in Mali, and the adaptation of mental health treatments for use in low-resource settings. Her methodological approaches include systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, qualitative evaluations, and psychometric validation studies, showing her commitment to rigorous evidence generation in challenging humanitarian contexts.

Dr. Lasater has received several notable awards including the NIMH Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (2016-2018), which supported her doctoral research. Her undergraduate honors at Santa Clara University included Cum Laude graduation, Lambda Alpha recognition, and the Excellence in Anthropology Award (all 2010).

While specific information about her advising and grants is limited in the provided text, her research portfolio suggests involvement in significant grant-funded projects related to humanitarian health, mental health in conflict settings, and climate change impacts on vulnerable populations. Her work often involves interdisciplinary collaboration across global health, mental health, and humanitarian response sectors.

Dr. Lasater is actively involved with the Center for Humanitarian Health, which suggests she participates in research teams focused on improving health outcomes in crisis-affected populations. Her work on the Baby Friendly Spaces program indicates collaboration with organizations providing direct services to refugees, and her research in Mali suggests partnerships with local health systems to integrate mental health services.