Sara Geierstanger
ACAD PRG MGT OFCR 4
Institute for Health Policy Studies
School of Medicine

Sara Geierstanger, MPH, Evaluation Director, has worked with the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF since 1994. Sara’s evaluation work focuses on the potential of school health services to improve student physical and mental health and well-being to help them succeed in school and life. Her expertise is in multi-site evaluations, using a mixed methods approach of both qualitative and quantitative methods.

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Her current projects include a comprehensive evaluation of school health centers in Alameda County, as well as multiple evaluations of school-based behavioral health interventions throughout California. Sara received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and French from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. She also served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa, and a U.S. Fulbright Research Scholar in Norway. In all of her work, Sara emphasizes the importance of listening to the needs of the populations being served, minimizing data burden on school communities, while collecting the most vital information possible to help improve the lives of vulnerable populations.

Education & Training

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• Master of Public Health School of Public Health University of California, Berkeley 1994
• Bachelor of Arts Double Major: Economics and French University of Michigan 1988

Interests

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• School Health
• School Based Behavioral Health
• School Based Health Centers
• Program Evaluation

Websites

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• UCSF School Health Services Research & Evaluation (schoolhealthresearch.ucsf.edu)

Publications (18)

Top publication keywords:
First AidMental Health ServicesHealthcare DisparitiesSchool NursingTransgender PersonsHealth Services AccessibilityTask Performance and AnalysisProblem BehaviorAdolescentEducational StatusMental HealthLife Change EventsSchoolsPsychological TraumaSchool Health Services

• Youth Mental Health First Aid Training: Impact on the Ability to Recognize and Support Youth Needs.
  The journal of behavioral health services & research 2024 Geierstanger S, Yu J, Saphir M, Soleimanpour S
• Equity in Mental Health Care Receipt among Youth Who Use School-Based Health Centers.
  American journal of preventive medicine 2024 Soleimanpour S, Simmons C, Saphir M, Ng S, Jenks K, Geierstanger S
• Mental Health Needs, Barriers, and Receipt of Care Among Transgender and Nonbinary Adolescents.
  The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 2024 Lucas R, Geierstanger S, Soleimanpour S
• Case Management for Social Needs of Youth and Families in School-Based Health Centers.
  The Journal of school health 2024 Keeton VF, Soleimanpour S, Geierstanger S, Schapiro NA
• Developing National Standardized Performance Measures for School-Based Health Centers: The National Quality Initiative.
  The Journal of school health 2022 Soleimanpour S, Geierstanger S, Goddard A, Cushing K, Fields P, Love H

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• Risk and Resilience Factors Associated With Frequency of School-Based Health Center Use.
  The Journal of school health 2022 Soleimanpour S, Geierstanger S, Lucas R, Ng S, Ferrey I
• Mental Health Service Provision at School-Based Health Centers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Findings From a National Listening Session.
  Journal of pediatric health care : official publication of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates & Practitioners 2021 Sullivan E, Geierstanger S, Soleimanpour S
• Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience: Addressing the Unique Needs of Adolescents.
  Academic pediatrics 2017 Soleimanpour S, Geierstanger S, Brindis CD
• School absences due to health conditions: Interventions
  Encyclopedia of School Health, Eds. D.C. Wiley & A.C. Cory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications 2013 Geierstanger S, Soleimanpour S
• Chapter 2 The Role of School Health Centers in Health Care Access and Client Outcomes.
  School-Based Health Care: Advancing Educational Success and Public Health 2012 Samira Soleimanpour, Sara P. Geierstanger, Shelly Kaller, Virginia McCarter, Claire D. Brindis
• Expanding Organizational Advocacy Capacity: Reflections From the Field.
  The Foundation Review 2011 Annette Gardner, Sara Geierstanger, Lori Miller Nascimento, Claire Brindis
• Mental health characteristics and health-seeking behaviors of adolescent school-based health center users and nonusers.
  The Journal of school health 2011 Amaral G, Geierstanger S, Soleimanpour S, Brindis C
• The role of school health centers in health care access and client outcomes.
  American journal of public health 2010 Soleimanpour S, Geierstanger SP, Kaller S, McCarter V, Brindis CD
• Clinic consortia media advocacy capacity: partnering with the media and increasing policymaker awareness.
  Journal of health communication 2010 Gardner A, Geierstanger S, Brindis C, McConnel C
• The role of policy advocacy in assuring comprehensive family life education in California.
  Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education 2009 Brindis CD, Geierstanger SP, Faxio A
• Incorporating youth-led community participatory research into school health center programs and policies.
  Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 2008 Soleimanpour S, Brindis C, Geierstanger S, Kandawalla S, Kurlaender T
• Evaluation of a peer provider reproductive health service model for adolescents.
  Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 2005 Brindis CD, Geierstanger SP, Wilcox N, McCarter V, Hubbard A
• School-based health centers and academic performance: research, challenges, and recommendations.
  The Journal of school health 2004 Geierstanger SP, Amaral G, Mansour M, Walters SR