Mary Carskadon
Encyclopedia
Mary A. Carskadon, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
. She is also the Director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Research Lab at E.P. Bradley Hospital. She is considered to be an expert on sleep
and circadian rhythms during childhood
and adolescence
along with issues related to daytime sleepiness
. She has also contributed important research on school start times as it relates to sleep patterns and sleepiness in children.
Carskadon studied psychology at Gettysburg College
and graduated in 1969. She received at Ph.D. in neuro- and biobehavioral sciences in 1979 at Stanford University
. At Stanford, she studied under William C. Dement
. Along with Dement, she developed the Multiple Sleep Latency Test
(MSLT) used to clinically determine sleepiness in sleep disordered patients, particularly by measuring daytime sleep onset latency
. Carskadon started her own research group at Brown University in 1985. Her research in adolescent sleep/wake behavior has resulted in proposed changes in public policy. This research suggests that circadian rhythms shift during adolescence and that secondary schools should have start times later in the morning.
Each summer, Carskadon's lab hosts adolescents who live in the sleep lab for 14 days. The adolescents participate in summer camp
like activities while their sleep is monitored each night.
Carskadon has received many awards for her research including the Nathaniel Kleitman Distinguished Service Award of the American Sleep Disorders Association (1991), the Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Sleep Foundation (2003), Mark O. Hatfield Public Policy Award of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
(2003), and the Outstanding Educator Award of the Sleep Research Society
(2005). The Sleep Research Society has since renamed the award the Mary A. Carskadon Outstanding Educator Award. The Association of Polysomnographic Technologists also presents the Carskadon Award for Research Excellence to a member each year. In 2007 she was presented with the Distinguished Scientist Award by the Sleep Research Society. She is a past president of the Sleep Research Society (1999–2000) and founder of the Northeast Sleep Society (1986).
Carskadon has published many research articles and book chapters. In addition she has edited or co-edited several books such as The Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming, Sleep Medicine, and Adolescent Sleep Patterns: Biological, Social, and Psychological Influences.
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. She is also the Director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Research Lab at E.P. Bradley Hospital. She is considered to be an expert on sleep
Sleep
Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than...
and circadian rhythms during childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
and adolescence
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
along with issues related to daytime sleepiness
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Excessive daytime sleepiness is characterized by persistent sleepiness, and often a general lack of energy, even after apparently adequate night time sleep...
. She has also contributed important research on school start times as it relates to sleep patterns and sleepiness in children.
Carskadon studied psychology at Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...
and graduated in 1969. She received at Ph.D. in neuro- and biobehavioral sciences in 1979 at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. At Stanford, she studied under William C. Dement
William C. Dement
William Charles Dement is a pioneering US sleep researcher, and founder of the Sleep Research Center, the world's first sleep laboratory, at Stanford University. He is a leading authority on sleep, sleep deprivation, and the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and...
. Along with Dement, she developed the Multiple Sleep Latency Test
Multiple Sleep Latency Test
The Multiple Sleep Latency Test is a sleep disorder diagnostic tool. It is used to measure the time elapsed from the start of a daytime nap period to the first signs of sleep, called sleep latency...
(MSLT) used to clinically determine sleepiness in sleep disordered patients, particularly by measuring daytime sleep onset latency
Sleep onset latency
In sleep science, sleep onset latency is the length of time that it takes to accomplish the transition from full wakefulness to sleep, normally to the lightest of the non-REM sleep stages.-Sleep latency studies:...
. Carskadon started her own research group at Brown University in 1985. Her research in adolescent sleep/wake behavior has resulted in proposed changes in public policy. This research suggests that circadian rhythms shift during adolescence and that secondary schools should have start times later in the morning.
Each summer, Carskadon's lab hosts adolescents who live in the sleep lab for 14 days. The adolescents participate in summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
like activities while their sleep is monitored each night.
Carskadon has received many awards for her research including the Nathaniel Kleitman Distinguished Service Award of the American Sleep Disorders Association (1991), the Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Sleep Foundation (2003), Mark O. Hatfield Public Policy Award of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is a United States professional society for the medical subspecialty of sleep medicine. It was established in 1975. The AASM is the only professional society that is dedicated exclusively to the medical subspecialty of sleep medicine...
(2003), and the Outstanding Educator Award of the Sleep Research Society
Sleep Research Society
The Sleep Research Society is an organization that promotes the science of sleep and related disorders. Additionally, the SRS is dedicated to the training and education of future sleep researchers.-Organization:...
(2005). The Sleep Research Society has since renamed the award the Mary A. Carskadon Outstanding Educator Award. The Association of Polysomnographic Technologists also presents the Carskadon Award for Research Excellence to a member each year. In 2007 she was presented with the Distinguished Scientist Award by the Sleep Research Society. She is a past president of the Sleep Research Society (1999–2000) and founder of the Northeast Sleep Society (1986).
Carskadon has published many research articles and book chapters. In addition she has edited or co-edited several books such as The Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming, Sleep Medicine, and Adolescent Sleep Patterns: Biological, Social, and Psychological Influences.
External links
- Carskadon Biography, Brown Medical School
- Carskadon Biography, Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center