The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson welcomes Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, CBSM, FAASM, assistant professor of psychiatry and director of its new Sleep and Health Research Program.
Dr. Grandner is an internationally recognized sleep researcher who studies how sleep and sleep-related behaviors are related to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, neurocognitive functioning, mental health and longevity.
Please Note: On Sept. 30, Dr. Grandner will present, "Sleep Duration and Health: Downstream Cardiometabolic and Neurocognitive Consequences and Upstream Social, Behavioral and Environmental Determinants" at the Behavioral Health Pavilion, Room 1233, from 4 – 5 p.m. at the Banner – University Medical Center South, 2800 E. Ajo Way, Tucson.
He is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) for two research studies. One study focuses on sleep patterns and how they relate to cardiometabolic disease risk and neurocognitive function. The other is on social, environmental and behavioral factors and how they impact sleep. His methodologies include population-level surveys, computer-based geospatial analyses, home-based assessments of sleep and health and laboratory studies.
“We are fortunate have Dr. Grandner on board. The University of Arizona is gaining a top-caliber researcher, who is an excellent fit with our department’s research emphasis on the connections between emotional health and autonomic functions. In addition, we are getting a first-class clinician and educator with his special expertise in sleep and sleep disorders. We are delighted to have him on our team and see him as a further addition to our growing investment in team research,” said Ole Thienhaus, MD, MBA, chairman of the UA Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Grandner earned a bachelor's degree in clinical and social sciences in psychology from the University of Rochester, then earned a doctorate from the Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego. Subsequently, he completed a Behavioral Sleep Medicine Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He is board-certified in behavioral sleep medicine. After completing his fellowship, he was appointed a research associate in medicine and then instructor in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed a master’s degree in translational research, studying inflammatory and metabolic function associated with sleep.
Dr. Grandner has published more than 75 articles and chapters on issues relating to sleep and health. His articles have been published in SLEEP, Appetite, Obesity, Sleep Medicine, International Journal of Obesity, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and JAMA Internal Medicine. He is associate editor of the journal Sleep Health, the official journal of the National Sleep Foundation. He serves on the Mental Health Task Force for the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and works to help improve sleep and performance in professional and non-professional athletes. He is a regular lecturer on topics related to sleep and health for students, patients, corporations and athletes. He has been invited multiple times to the National Institutes of Health by a variety of their institutes and centers, including the NHLBI, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the Office of Dietary Supplements and has presented at Congressional briefings.
His research has been profiled in hundreds of national and international news outlets, including all major American outlets and news outlets in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. His work has been featured on the “TODAY Show,” BBC News and other TV programs. His research has also been featured in magazines such as Men's Health, Women's Health Magazine, Health Magazine, The Oprah Magazine, Shape Magazine and Men's Fitness, and in newspapers such as USA Today, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
He has received awards and honors for his work from the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research Society, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Heart Association, Population Association of America, Sleep Research Network, among other organizations. He also has received the Outstanding Professor Award and Outstanding Doctoral Teaching Award from San Diego State University Department of Psychology, for his teaching.
He joins an existing cadre of renowned sleep investigators at the UA, including Sairam Parthasarathy, MD, professor of medicine, director of the Center for Sleep Disorders and program director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. Dr. Parthasarathy said, "Dr. Grandner is a world-class sleep researcher and we are delighted to have him join the critical mass of sleep researchers here at the University of Arizona."