Professor Raja’s scholarly work is focused on trauma-informed approaches to healthcare, the physical health effects of traumatic events, and patient-provider communication in health settings. She is particularly focused on studying how trauma impacts vulnerable populations, and works to identify resilience factors that promote health and healing. To receive updates on Dr. Raja's research, you can follow her on Academia.edu or ResearchGate.net.

She is a highly sought after speaker in the areas of trauma-informed healthcare, post-traumatic stress disorder, and resilience skills. Her energetic, down to earth presentation style integrates empathy, a strong commitment to equity and inclusion, and pragmatic, evidence-based skills for individuals and organizations. Please contact her if you are interested in trainings, keynotes or panel discussions.

Scholarly Work and Research

  • Dr. Raja is an active collaborator with many federal and national organizations including the Texas Association of Community Health Centers, the American Dental Association, the Office on Women’s Health (US Department of Health and Human Services), the Institute on Trauma and Trauma Informed Care, and the Reproductive Health National Training Center. This is an abbreviated list of recent talks and keynotes.

    Trauma Informed Prenatal Care. Keynote Address for Women's Mental Health Conference, Department of Psychiatry and Cummings School of Medicine, University of Calgary. May 12, 2023.

    Trauma Informed Care in Historically Marginalized Populations. Care Quest Institute for Oral Health. Webinar January 26, 2023.

    Trauma Informed Healthcare: Stress, Resilience, and Recovery. Keynote Address for Family Planning Providers Conference sponsored by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Kalamazoo, MI. September 13, 2022.

    Developing Your Own Emotional Resilience and Wellness Plan: Professional and Personal Strategies to Survive and Thrive this Year (and Next Year too). American Dental Association Webinar. May 19, 2022.

    Resilience Skills for Dentists. Invited presentation for the Dental Professionals Advisory Council, Minority Initiatives Sub Committee, United States Coast Guard virtual monthly meeting. May 18, 2022.

    Trauma Informed Care: Future Directions. Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Webinar Session. May 18, 2022.

    How Can Dentists Develop Emotional Resilience in a World Full of Stress?: Practical Strategies from Psychology, Public Health, and Neuroscience. American Dental Association Webinar. April 18, 2022.

    Mental Health Transformation in Dental Schools: Reflection and Action. Invited Presentation for Big Ten Dental Deans Meeting. Rosemont, IL. December 13, 2021

    Trauma Informed Transformation: A Call to Action. Texas Association of Community Health Centers, Closing Keynote Webinar. Austin, TX. November 14, 2021.

    A Healthier Approach to College Admissions. Panelist for National Webinar. College Wise College Counseling, San Francisco, CA. October 12, 2021.

    Practicing Cognitive Flexibility and Realistic Optimism in Times of Trauma. Panelist for National Women’s Health Week Webinar Series. Office on Women’s Health, US Department of Health and Human Services. May 12, 2021.

    Trauma and the Teen. Panelist for national webinar for school and college counselors sponsored by College Wise, Common App, and Reach Higher. January 12, 2021.

    Stress and Resilience: Practical Strategies for Dental Education. CME presentation for New York University Langone Health, December 17, 2020.

    Mental Health and Taking Care of You. Presentation for American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Town Hall, August 26, 2020.

    Trauma Informed Healthcare Practice. Webinar session for Violence Prevention and Trauma-Informed Care interdisciplinary elective at University of California of San Francisco. October 28, 2020.

    Providing Trauma-Informed Care in Family Planning Clinics. 1.5 Hour Webinar Session for Reproductive Health National Training Center, June 2, 2020.

    Trauma Informed Health Care 101: From Theory to Practice. Texas Association of Community Health Centers, Keynote Seminar, Houston, TX, October 19, 2019.

    Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth After Trauma. Keynote Seminar, Texas Association of Community Health Centers, Houston, TX, June 19, 2019.

    Trauma Informed Health Care 102: From Theory to Practice. Texas Association of Community Health Centers, Substance Use Disorders Symposium & Workshops, Keynote Seminar, Austin, TX, June 19, 2019.

    Resilience: 10 Key Skills for Stress and Setbacks into Success. Milwaukee Child Welfare Partnership and University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Day long workshop, March 13, 2019.

    Trauma Informed Healthcare: From Theory to Practice. New York State Family Planning Training Center. 8 hour workshop trainings in New York State (Buffalo, New York City, Syracuse). October 23, 2018, November 1 & 2, 2018, November 8, 2018.

    Trauma Informed Oral Health SAMHSA/HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions Special National Roundtable Panel Webinar Discussion. September 5, 2018.

    Integrated Primary and Behavioral Health Providers Addressing Barriers to Oral Health SAMHSA/HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions Special National Roundtable Webinar Discussion. July 31, 2018.

    Trauma Informed Care: Empowering Warriors to Promote Recovery. National Webinar for the Uniformed Services University, Center for Deployment Psychology. May 9, 2018.

    Approaching, Diagnosing & Treating Patients Impacted by Trauma, Violence & Acute Injury. University of Minnesota, College of Dentistry Continuing Education Seminar (7 hours). Minneapolis, MN, February 16, 2018.

    The Objective Structured Clinical Exam in Dental Education. Invited seminar, Ohio State University College of Dentistry. Columbus, OH, September 20, 2017.

    Raja, S. “Integrating Trauma Treatments: The Intersection of CBT, DBT and ACT for PTSD.” Solutions on Site, Ontario, Canada, November 3-4, 2014.

    Raja, S. “The Impact of Traumatic Exposure and Principles of Trauma-Informed Care.” Live and Webcast Address for the Healthier Pregnancy: Tools and Techniques to Best Provide ACA-Covered Preventive Services Seminar, Office on Women’s Health, US. Department of Health and Human Services, Ohio State University, September 23, 2014.

  • Recent Peer Reviewed Publications (Abbreviated List)

    Raja, S., Rabinowitz, E. P., Sayer, M. A., & da Fonseca, M. (2022). Patient comfort discussing sensitive behavioral health topics. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 1-6.

    White, A., Saxer, K., Raja, S., & Hall, S. L. (2022). A Trauma-informed Approach to Postpartum Care. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 65(3), 550-562.

    Raja, S., Rabinowitz, E. P., & Gray, M. J. (2021). Universal screening and trauma informed care: Current concerns and future directions. Families, Systems, & Health.

    Raja, S., da Fonseca, M., & Rabonowitz, E. (2020). Patient Preferences on Sharing Private Information in Dental Settings. Journal of the American Dental Association. Journal of the American Dental Association. 151(3), 33 - 42.

    Behrman, P., Fitzgibbon, M. Buscemi, J., Laroche, H., Yanez, B., Sanchez-Johnsen, L, Gwede, C., Raja, S., Gonzales, R. Jacobson, L., Gil-Rivas, V., Colvard, C., Ashing, K., (2019). Society of Behavioral Medicine Position Statement: Congress should protect immigrants seeking health care. Transitional Behavioral Medicine. 9(6), 1244-1247. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibz119

    Behrman, P., Redding, C.A., Raja, S. Newton, T.L., Beharie, N., Printz, D. (2018). Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) Position Statement: Restore CDC Funding for Firearms and Gun Violence Prevention Research. Translational Behavioral Medicine, ibx040, https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibx040

    Raja, S., Hasnain, M., Hoersch, M., Gove-Yin, S.,& S.,& Rajagopalan, C. (2015). Trauma Informed Care in Medicine: Current Knowledge and Future Research Directions. Family and Community Health 38(3), 217-227.

    Raja, S., Hannan, S., Boykin, D., Orcutt, H., Hamad, J., Hoersch, M., & Hasnain, M. (2015). Self-Reported Physical Health Associations of Traumatic Events in Medical and Dental Outpatients: A Cross-Sectional Study. Medicine,94(17),e734

    Raja, S., Rajagopalan, C., Hasnain, M., Vadakumchery, T., Kupershmidt, A., Hamad, J., & Hoersch, M. (2015). Trauma Informed Care in Medical Settings: A Pilot Study of Female Patient Perspectives on Coping, Screening and Fostering Resilience. Journal of Women's Health Issues & Care.

    Raja, S., Hasnain, M., Vadakumchery, T., Hamad, J.,Shah, R., & Hoersch, M. (2015). Identifying elements of patient-centered care in underserved populations: a qualitative study of patient perspectives. PloS one, 10(5), e0126708-e0126708.

    Raja, S., Hoersch, M., Rajagopalan, C. F., & Chang, P. (2014). Treating Patients With Traumatic Life Experiences: Providing Trauma-Informed Care. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 145(3), 238-245.

  • Highly Cited Prior Publications (Abbreviated List)

    Campbell, R., Megson, G., Bybee, D., & Raja, S. (2008). The co-occurrence of childhood sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and sexual harassment: A meditational model of post-traumatic stress disorder and physical health outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(2), 194-207.

    Campbell, R., & Raja, S. (2005). The Sexual Assault and Secondary Victimization of Female Veterans: Help-Seeking Experiences with Military and Civilian Social Systems. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29(1), 97-106.

    Orsillo, S., & Raja, S. (2002). Comorbidity in PTSD. In R. Kimerling, P. C. Ouimette, & J. Wolfe: Gender and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Clinical, Research, and Program Level Applications. New York: Guilford.

    Riger, S., Raja, S., & Camacho, J. (2002). The radiating impact of intimate partner violence in women’s lives. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17(2), 184-205.

    Raja, S., & Stokes, J. (1998). Assessing attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: The modern homophobia scale. Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, 3(2), 113-134.

  • Conference Presentations & Published Abstracts (Abbreviated List)

    Raja, S., Gordon, S., Brodie, A., Sabato, E., & O’Donnell, J. (March, 2019). Dental Education’s “Me Too” Issue: Patient Harassment of Students. Session presented at the Annual Session and Exhibition of the American Dental Education Association, Chicago, IL.

    Raja, S. (March 2019). Using the Objective Structured Clinical Exam to Measure Competence in Behavioral Science. Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences in Dental Education Short Talks. Session presented at the Annual Session and Exhibition of the American Dental Education Association, Chicago, IL.

    Adams, E., Clements, A., Dodd, J., & Raja, S. (March, 2019). Trauma Informed Care as a Universal Precaution: Practical Applications for Behavioral Medicine Practitioners and Researchers. Pre-Conference Course presented at the 40th Annual Society for Behavioral Medicine Meeting, Washington, DC.

    Raja, S. (2017, March). Trauma informed care for interpersonal violence survivors: Understanding neurophysiology and behavioral coping. Annals of Behavioral Medicine (vol. 51, pp. S2354-s2355). 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013 USA: Springer.

    Behrman, P., Randell, K. A., Raja, S., Beharie, N., & Rothman, E. F. (2017, March). The impact of adverse childhood experiences [aces] on child and young adult health functioning. In Annals of Behavioral Medicine (vol. 51, pp. S1598-s1598). 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013 USA: Springer.

    Raja, S. (2017, March). The role of adverse childhood events in pediatric dental care: implications for trauma informed dental care. In Annals of Behavioral Medicine (vol. 51, pp. S1599-s1600). 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013 USA: Springer.

    Rothman, E. F., Raja, S., Ho, I., & Constantino, R. (2017, March). Intimate partner violence and trauma-informed care: priority issues for behavioral medicine. Annals of Behavioral Medicine (vol. 51, pp. S2354-s2354). 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013 USA: Springer