Alisa Huskey, Ph.D.

In my current position as a postdoctoral researcher, I am applying my training and experience in psychophysiological measurement and polysomnography to examine core body temperature and cardiac parasympathetic activity circadian patterns (e.g., 24 hours, during slow-wave sleep versus a resting wakeful state) that might change in response to cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi).

Although the major focus of my training thus far has been on basic behavioral science in psychophysiology, my long-term goal is to develop and extend translational psychological and physiological biomarkers of treatment response. These goals would be accomplished in conjunction within randomized clinical trials (RCT), particularly with interventions focused on sleep health (e.g., Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia), and stress-reduction (e.g., Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction), and trauma exposure (e.g., Prolonged Exposure Therapy). It is hoped that these findings will guide adaptation and enhancement of current behavioral interventions.

With these skills paired with training in state-of-the-science sleep and circadian methodology, I hope to meaningfully contribute to this area of research by incorporating basic science perspectives and methodologies into intervention frameworks focused on sleep health and stress reduction.

Dr. Huskey can be contacted at ahuskey@arizona.edu

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cmRVlmoAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao