Sara Huston, PhD

Associate Research Professor

S. Huston headshot
207-287-1967

Augusta, ME

Education

  • PhD, Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, 1993
  • BA, Biology/Anthropology, Hampshire College, 1988

Research Interests

  • Public health surveillance
  • Health disparities
  • Policy and environmental influences on physical activity and nutrition
  • Chronic disease epidemiology, particularly stroke, cancer, and asthma
  • Complex sample surveys
  • Spatial analysis
  • Best practices for dissemination of data for public health action

Dr. Huston has more than 20 years of experience in applied public health epidemiology and surveillance working in state health departments. Chronic disease epidemiology and surveillance are her specific areas of expertise. Dr. Huston began her career in applied epidemiology as a U.S. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer assigned to the North Carolina Division of Public Health from 1995 to 1997. During the next 13 years, she served as the Cardiovascular Epidemiologist for the N.C. Division of Public Health and on the faculty of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. Dr. Huston joined the faculty at the University of Southern Maine in 2010 and, through a contract with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), she serves as the Lead Chronic Disease Epidemiologist for the Maine CDC, co-leading a team of epidemiologists who work in programs covering asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, physical activity, nutrition, obesity, and tobacco. She currently serves on the Editorial Board of the journal Preventing Chronic Disease and is active in the Chronic Disease, Maternal & Child Health, and Oral Health Committee of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.

Expertise

  • Chronic disease epidemiology
  • Applied public health surveillance

Selected Publications

See here for a list of Dr. Huston's recent publications.

S. Huston headshot
207-287-1967

Augusta, ME

Education

  • PhD, Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, 1993
  • BA, Biology/Anthropology, Hampshire College, 1988

Research Interests

  • Public health surveillance
  • Health disparities
  • Policy and environmental influences on physical activity and nutrition
  • Chronic disease epidemiology, particularly stroke, cancer, and asthma
  • Complex sample surveys
  • Spatial analysis
  • Best practices for dissemination of data for public health action