Steven A. Shea Laboratory
Research interests
The severity of many diseases varies across the 24-hour period. For example, heart attacks occur most frequently in the morning, and asthma is generally worst at night. The focus of Dr. Shea's research is to understand the biological basis behind these changes in disease severity across the day and night, for instance, are they caused by the body clock (endogenous circadian pacemaker) or attributable to behaviors that occur on a regular daily basis, such as the sleep/wake cycle. Understanding the basis of these pathophysiological changes may provide insight into the underlying causes of disease and could lead to better therapy (e.g. appropriate timing of medication), and countermeasures to reduce the adverse health effects of shift work.
Current studies
Health disparities in hypertension
We are looking for healthy people aged 40-60 for a study focused on hypertension and sleep. We are investigating how behaviors (such as exercise and changes in posture) and the body's internal clock (called the circadian rhythm) affect the control of the heart and blood pressure.
Eligible participants may have normal blood pressure or have mild hypertension with no current medication use and no history of cancer, heart disease, or other chronic illness. Initial screening involves 2-4 hospital visits followed by establishing a 1-3 week home sleep and activity routine. If successfully completed, this will be followed by a 6-night in-lab stay. Compensation up to $2,400 will be provided.
If you are interested in participating, please access our pre-screening survey here:
Circadian mechanisms of cardiovascular risk in obesity
We are looking for healthy people aged 35-65 for a study focused on body weight and sleep. We are investigating how behaviors (such as exercise and changes in posture) and the body's internal clock (called the circadian rhythm) affect the control of the heart and blood pressure.
Eligible participants may be lean or overweight with no current medication use and no history of cancer, heart disease, or other chronic illness. Initial screening involves 2-4 hospital visits followed by establishing a 1-3 week home sleep and activity routine. If successfully completed, this will be followed by a 5-day in-lab stay. Compensation up to $1,700 will be provided.
If you are interested in participating, please access our pre-screening survey here:
THC and Sleep
We are looking for volunteers for a study on the effect of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on sleep in humans.
Eligible participants will be between the age of 21 and 34 years old with a BMI less than 30 and free of any acute, chronic or debilitating medical conditions. Participants may be regular cannabis users (smoked, or digested weekly for the past 3 months) or controls with no cannabis use. Initial screening involves 2-3 clinic visits (<8 hours total) followed by establishing a 1-3 week home sleep and activity routine. If successfully completed, this will be followed by a 3-night in-lab stay, including administration of oral THC. Compensation up to $755 will be provided.
If you are interested in participating, please access our pre-screening survey here:
Vitamin C and Cardiovascular Risk
We are looking for healthy people aged 40-60 for a study focused on Vitamin C and sleep. We are investigating how a single dose of Vitamin C affects blood vessels during daily morning activities (such as exercise and changes in posture).
Eligible participants may be lean or overweight (BMI<30) with no current medication use and no history of cancer, heart disease, or other chronic illness. Participants currently taking Vitamin C supplements or eating more than 14 servings of fruit/vegetables weekly will be excluded. Initial screening involves 2-4 hospital visits followed by establishing a 1-2 week home sleep and activity routine. If successfully completed, this will be followed by two separate overnight in-lab stays. Compensation up to $445 will be provided.
If you are interested in participating, please access our pre-screening survey here:
Former postdoctoral fellows
Saurabh S. Thosar, PhD, MS, OTR/L
Saurabh received a B.O.Th in Occupational Therapy from Maharashtra University of Health Science in India, an M.S. in Movement Sciences from the Univ. of Illinois Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Human Performance (Physiology) from Indiana Univ. Bloomington. He is a certified clinical exercise specialist and licensed occupational therapist. Saurabh has received a fellowship from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, an early clinical investigator award from the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon, and a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Thosar studies the interactions between sleep, circadian rhythms and physical inactivity/activity as they relate to cardiovascular disease; and the development of chronotherapeutic countermeasures to cardiovascular risks in vulnerable populations. Link to his faculty page.
Nicole Bowles, PhD
Dr. Bowles graduated with her Ph.D. from Rockefeller University and went on to earn a master's in clinical epidemiology from Weill Cornell Medical College as a Health Disparities and Community Engagement Research Fellow. Dr. Bowles who joined Dr. Shea's laboratory in August 2016 is currently funded by a Ford Foundation Fellowship; broadly her research focuses on the interplay between stress, endogenous circadian rhythms, and the endocannabinoid system in humans. Link to her faculty page.
Andrew McHill, PhD
Dr. McHill graduated with a Ph.D. in Integrative Physiology with a specialization in sleep and circadian physiology from the University of Colorado Boulder. After graduating, he completed an NIH funded post-doctoral fellowship at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School within the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders and joined the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences in Dr. Shea's Circadian Laboratory in 2016 as a visiting post-doctoral fellow. In July 2017, he became a full time postdoctoral fellow within the institute. Dr. McHill is interested in understanding the contributing mechanisms by which circadian misalignment (i.e. shiftwork or jetlag) and insufficient sleep leads to adverse metabolic health and poor cognitive performance outcomes. Link to his faculty page.