MY SERVICES

Research Interests

My laboratory research is focused on understanding the neurobiology of the human circadian pacemaker, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, and its interaction with the sleep homeostat, and on applying that knowledge to clinical medicine and occupational health. We are examining the role of the pineal hormone melatonin in the organization of sleep and circadian rhythms. We are investigating the physiological mechanism underlying photic resetting of the human circadian pacemaker, having shown that some blind people without sight can retain normal circadian responsiveness to light. We are now investigating how the timing, duration, intensity and wavelength of light affects its circadian resetting capacity, which is mediated through intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells containing the novel photopigment melanopsin. Current research is aimed at functional determination of the photoreceptor(s) responsible for circadian vision in humans, on adaptation of circadian photoreceptors and on the after-effects of entrainment on circadian period in humans. We are investigating how circadian and homeostatic processes interact to regulate sleep and neurobiological function during wakefulness. Other ongoing research in the lab includes examining novel wakefulness- and sleep-promoting countermeasures, the effect of exercise on the circadian pacemaker, fMRI of the sleep deprived brain, the influence of aging on sleep and circadian rhythms, the influence of chronic sleep restriction on human performance, the influence of space flight on sleep and circadian rhythms and the application of our research to night workers-including medical residents and police-through the work of the Harvard Work Hours, Health and Safety Group.

Trainees

Steven H. Strogatz, PhD [1986 - 1989]
Theresa L. Shanahan, MD [1990 - 1992]
Joanne Waldstreicher, MD [1990 - 1992]
Ghada El-Hajj-Fuleihan, MD [1991 - 1994]
Elizabeth B. Klerman, MD, PhD [1991 - 1995]
Diane B. Boivin, MD, PhD [1992 - 1997]
David Neri, PhD [1993 - 1995]
Jamie M. Zeitzer, PhD [1994 - 1999]
James K. Wyatt, PhD, D ABSM [1995 - 1998]
Todd Horowitz, PhD [1996 - 2000]
Sat Bir Khalsa, PhD [1996 - 1998]
Megan Jewett, PhD** [1997 - 1999]
Angela Ritz-De Cecco, PhD [1997 - 2004]
Kenneth P. Wright Jr., PhD [1997 - 2000]
Jeanne Duffy, MBA, PhD** [1998 - 2000]
Scott P. Grady, MD, PhD [1999 - 2002]
Claude Gronfier, PhD [1999 - 2003]
Laura K. Barger, PhD** [2000 - Present]
Steven Lockley, PhD [2000 - 2003]
Joshua J. Gooley, PhD** [2001 - 2002 / 2005 - Present]
Shana E. McCormack, MD [2001 - Present]
John Cronin, MD** [2002 - 2004]
Joseph T. Hull, PhD [2002 - Present]
Nayantara Santhi, PhD** [2002 - 2010]
Kurt A. Smith, MD [2002 - 2005]
Anne-Marie Chang, PhD** [2003 - 2011]
Frank A.J.L. Scheer, PhD [2003 - 2005]
Martin W. Schoen, MD [2003 - 2006]
Erin E. Flynn-Evans** [2004 - Present]
Julie Marie Gottselig, PhD [2004 - 2006]
Sean W. Cain, PhD [2006 - 2012]
Christopher Carello, PhD** [2006 - 2007]
Daniel Cohen, MD** [2006 - 2011]
Melanie Rüger, PhD [2007 - Present]
Josna Adusumilli, MD [2007- Present]

Third Service

NIH R01 (National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute) Principal Investigator
"Bright light treatment of shift rotation insomnia"
NIH R01 (National Institute of Mental Health) Principal Investigator
"Treatment of circadian sleep disorders with bright light"
NIH T32 (National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute) Program Director
"Training in sleep, circadian and respiratory neurobiology"
CDC R-01 (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) Principal Investigator
"Sleep Disorders Management, Health and Safety in Police"
National Space Biomedical Research Institute Team Leader
"Human Performance Factors, Sleep and Chronobiology Team"
National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Principal Investigator
"Circadian entrainment, sleep-wake regulation and performance during space flight"
NIH R-01 (National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute) Principal Investigator
"Adaptation of Circadian Responses to Light Treatment"
NIH R-01 (National Institute of Complementary and Alternative Medicine) Principal Investigator
"Mechanism Underlying the Effects of Blue Light in Humans"
Department of Justice (National Institute of Justice) Principal Investigator
"Testing the Effectiveness of a Comprehensive Fatigue Management Program for the Boston Police"
NIH P01 (National Institute on Aging) Principal Investigator
"Sleep, aging and circadian rhythm disorders"
National Aeronautics & Space Administration, Principal Investigator
Flight-Based Protocol Aboard Space Shuttle: 

Teaching

Circadian Biology: From Cellular Oscillators to Sleep Regulation
Properties, mechanisms, and functional roles of circadian (daily) rhythms in organisms ranging from unicells to mammals. Cellular and molecular components, regulation of gene expression and physiological functions, genetic and biochemical analyses of circadian rhythms, and neurobiology of the mammalian circadian pacemaker. Mathematics and modeling of oscillatory systems and applications to circadian rhythms. Experimental studies of human rhythms, including the sleep-wake cycle and hormone rhythms, with applications to sleep disorders. Find more information on the course website.

I , (Ph.D., M.D., F.R.C.P). am the Baldino Professor of Sleep Medicine, Director of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Sleep Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He is an Affiliate Faculty Member in the Neuroscience Program at Harvard Medical School and the Health Science and Technology Program at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Click here and start typing. Consectetur adipisci velit.

Sleep health and occupational safety

In a 1999 interview with the Harvard Gazette regarding his team's characterization of a near-24-hour human circadian period, Czeisler noted that "accepting the near-24-hour period means that all the ideas about daily human rhythms that we take for granted must be rethought."[25] Understanding the internal circadian period makes problems dealing with jet-lag, night shifts, and sleep schedules in orbit more approachable

Guided by the significant real-life implications of his research, Czeisler is a strong advocate for healthy sleep habits. In consulting with the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers for the National Basketball Association (NBA), he emphasized sleep as the "third pillar of health" alongside nutrition and exercise.[26] He instituted structural changes to the teams' schedules to allow for healthier sleep habits, including pushing morning practices into the afternoon and the '2 a.m. rule' which prevents players from traveling if they are going to arrive at their hotel later than 2:00 am.[26][27]

According to Czeisler, sleep deficit poses a significant individual and public health hazard as demonstrated by the significant contribution of drowsiness to workplace accidents and motor vehicle accidents.

Job Opportunities at the Division of Sleep Medicine 

We are seeking a candidate for a post-doctoral research fellowship position. Our clinical research program is wide-ranging and multi-disciplinary, with an emphasis on circadian biology, sleep physiology, and sleep disorders medicine. Our current faculty and trainees have backgrounds in physiology, psychology, medicine, and mathematics, and the successful candidate will be encouraged to collaborate within and outside the Division as they pursue their research interests.
We seek a post-doctoral fellow to join our team who will participate in ongoing projects and develop new research initiatives.
There is strong Institutional and Departmental commitment to research training, with many opportunities for career development and continuing education. Post-doctoral fellows are expected to take part in our institutional training program in "Sleep, Circadian and Respiratory Neurobiology".
Interested candidates should visit the Sleep Training Program page for more information.

Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers.
We strongly encourage applications from women and minority candidates.