The UTC Diversity Lecture Series presents “Adolescence: Teen Sleep Patterns and Early School Start Times,” a lecture by Dr. Mary A. Carskadon, Director of Chronobiology and Sleep Research at Bradley Hospital and Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. Carskadon will speak on Thursday, March 29, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at First Centenary, Oak Street Center. This lecture is free and open to the public.
“We want to share the research about adolescent development and the dynamics of early start times to begin a conversation in our community,” said Dr. Roger Thompson, Associate Professor, UTC Department of Criminal Justice.
A major research focus of Carskadon is the sleep patterns of young people. Included in the research the lab performs: circadian rhythms and puberty; changes in how sleep pressure functions in adolescents; the role of morning-type or evening-type preference on sleep behaviors; sleep loss and genetic predictors of depressed mood in college students; sleep patterns and food intake.
Carskadon’s research includes examining associations of sleep regulatory mechanisms to sleep/wake behavior of children, adolescents and young adults.
Her findings have raised public health issues regarding the consequences of insufficient sleep in adolescents and concern about early school start times.
Among a number of honors bestowed upon Carskadon is a Lifetime Achievement Award for the National Sleep Foundation and Outstanding Educator and Distinguished Scientist Awards of the Sleep Research Society.
She is an elected Fellow of the Association of Psychological Science and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Sponsors for the March 29th lecture include UTC Departments of Criminal Justice, City of Chattanooga Office of Multicultural Affairs, UTC College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, Southeast Tennessee Civil Rights Working Group, Chattanooga Gang Task Force, and the UTC Office of Equity and Diversity. Co-sponsors include UTC Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Social Work, Legal Assistant Studies and Africana Studies.
