Dr. Sitara M. Weerakoon is an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale School of Public Health. She was previously a postdoctoral fellow with the Yale School of Medicine NIDA T32 Postdoctoral Research Training Program in Substance Abuse Prevention. Dr. Weerakoon obtained a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health from Austin College.

Her program of research explores socioecological risk and protective factors for adolescent and teen substance use. She is skilled in research design, quantitative data analysis, data visualization, survey development, GIS mapping, community participatory research, and health communication. She has presented her work at national and international research conferences and her research has been covered by Forbes, The Independent, The Telegraph, and more.