Current research shows that healthy sleep is necessary for good health, and that sleep is an important factor in cardiovascular health, obesity, diabetes, and psychological well-being.
I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology (CSRN) at the University of Pennsylvania, which is part of the Division of Sleep Medicine, in the Department of Medicine. I joined the CSRN in 2007 to work with Dr. Allan Pack to study relationships among sleep, health and longevity.
Specifically, I am studying the how sleep and sleep-related behaviors are related to longevity, mental health, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Research projects currently involve home-based sleep assessments, polysomnography and actigraphy, neurobehavioral performance and neuropsychological functioning, metabolic measurements such as insulin resistance, dietary preferences, psychological health and quality of life assessments. Find out how to become involved as a research participant.
Another area of my work involves examining sleep and health at the community and population level. This work aims to understand how sleep is experienced on a societal level, and how this plays a role in the bigger picture of health. Some of my studies in this area have explored relationships between sleep and age, sex, income, marital status, eployment, diet, race/ethnicity, depression and other social and health-related factors.
Regarding my educational background, while earning a Bachelor's degree in Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology from the University of Rochester, I worked at the Rochester Sleep and Neurophysiology Research Laboratory with Dr. Michael Perlis and Dr. Donna Giles. I went on to earn a doctoral degree from the Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego, working with Dr. Daniel Kripke at the Circadian Pacemaker Laboratory. I completed an APA internship with the Behavioral Medicine service at the San Diego VA Healthcare System and Outpatient Psychiatric Services at UCSD.
My research has been profiled in over 200 national and international news outlets, including NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox News, CNN, USA Today, WebMD, and news outlets in China, Vietnam, Russia, India, Pakistan, Italy, the UK, and other nations.
While still a graduate student, I was recipient of two separate Outstanding Professor Awards (from the Department of Psychology and a student group) for my work as a statistics instructor.
I have maintained memberships with a number of academic organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Psychological Association, Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms, International Association for the Study of Dreams, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and Sleep Research Society, where I currently serve on the Membership & Communications Committee. I helped found the Pennsylvania Sleep Society, for which I currently serve on the Board of Directors. Every June you can find me at the meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. I am an Expert Volunteer for the National Sleep Foundation, and I have given a number of lectures on topics related to sleep and health.
For more information, see my CV.
