Sheela Raja Ph.D.

Sheela Raja, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and the Director of the UIC College of Dentistry Resilience Center. She has taught Behavioral Science at the UIC College of Dentistry for the last 15 years and holds a joint appointment in the College of Medicine. A clinical psychologist by training, she is the author of 4 books, including Overcoming Trauma and PTSD, and The Resilient Teen: 10 Key Skills to Bounce Back from Setbacks and Turn Stress into Success. Dr. Raja received her PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed internship and post-doctoral training at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Boston, MA. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications on the link between traumatic events and health, and serves as a consultant to the Office on Women’s Health (US Department of Health and Human Services) on trauma informed healthcare initiatives. She enjoys making evidence-based psychology accessible and is a blogger for Psychology Today, and a frequent contributor to various local and national media outlets.