Sarah Kowitt, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE
School of Medicine
Dr. Kowitt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine. She received her MPH and PhD from the Department of Health Behavior in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Family Medicine at UNC. She was trained in qualitative and quantitative research methods, health behavior theory, and study design. She has over 10 years of experience in public health.
Dr. Kowitt’s research focuses on preventing and reducing youth and young adult substance use, including tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol use. Within this field, she is most interested in advancing policies, regulations, and interventions to prevent and reduce substance use. She has published more than 55 peer-reviewed papers in journals including Health Affairs, JAMA Network Open, Addiction, Journal of Adolescent Health, Tobacco Control, Nicotine and Tobacco Research, Addictive Behaviors, and Health & Place. In 2020, she served as an expert panel member on a SAMSHA evidence-based guidebook on reducing youth and young adult vaping. Dr. Kowitt’s additional research interests include examining how neighborhood characteristics affect health behaviors and outcomes and understanding patterns and determinants of poly substance use.