Sarah Vaughan
Dr. Vaughan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health. Her research seeks to improve birth outcomes for all with a focus on eliminating racial health disparities surrounding pregnancy and birth. She is especially interested in the relationship between biologic and social factors – including neighborhood environment – and how they impact health during pregnancy and birth outcomes.
Dr. Vaughan has over 10 years of experience with clinical research studies in metro Detroit. Most recently, she worked with the Biosocial Impact on Black Births study (BIBB) and the Fathers Matter study, both of which examined how psychosocial factors impact birth outcomes in Black families.
Dr. Vaughan has always had a broad range of interests, and as such, her path through academia has not followed a straight road. Instead, her journey has wound through various disciplines and experiences creating the professor and researcher she is today. Dr. Vaughan received a Bachelor of Arts in Music and French from the University of Northern Colorado followed by a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of New Mexico in 2013. She is also a Wayne State alum having earned a Master of Public Health with an emphasis in Research Methods in Urban Public Health in 2020.
Research interest(s)/area of expertise
- Improving birth outcomes
- Racial health disparities surrounding pregnancy and birth
- The relationship between biologic and social factors and how they impact health during pregnancy and birth outcomes
- The impact of neighborhood environment on health during pregnancy and birth outcomes
Education
- Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, University of New Mexico, 2013
- Master of Public Health, Wayne State University, 2020
Selected publications
Vaughan SE, Misra DP, Gohar J, Hyer S, Price M, Giurgescu C. The associations of objective and perceived neighborhood disadvantage with stress among pregnant black women. Public Health Nurs. 2023 May-Jun;40(3):372-381. doi: 10.1111/phn.13177. Epub 2023 Feb 5. PubMed PMID: 36740747; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10164036.
Hyer S, Vaughan S, Davis JW, Xie R, Misra D, Giurgescu C. The Association of Avoidance Coping with Gestational Weight Gain among Pregnant Black Women. West J Nurs Res. 2023 Mar;45(3):226-233. doi: 10.1177/01939459221127800. Epub 2022 Oct 4. PubMed PMID: 36196018; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10165848.
Vaughan SE, Misra DP, Wong AC, Rengers B, Jablonski S, Price M, Giurgescu C. Successful Recruitment Strategies for Engaging Pregnant African American Women in Research. West J Nurs Res. 2022 Jan;44(1):94-100. doi: 10.1177/01939459211005808. Epub 2021 Apr 22. PubMed PMID: 33882769.
Giurgescu C, Wong AC, Rengers B, Vaughan S, Nowak AL, Price M, Dailey RK, Anderson CM, Walker DS, Misra DP. Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms among Pregnant Black Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic. West J Nurs Res. 2022 Jan;44(1):23-30. doi: 10.1177/01939459211043937. Epub 2021 Sep 22. PubMed PMID: 34549653; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10493043.