Steven A. Shea, Ph.D.

  • Professor, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences
  • Professor, OHSU-PSU School of Public Health
  • Director, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences

Biography

The goal of Dr. Shea’s research is to understand the biological basis behind changes in disease severity across the day and night, and to understand the physiological and adverse health effects of shift work. For instance, Dr. Shea is determining whether cardiovascular changes across the day and night are caused by the body clock (the endogenous circadian pacemaker) or attributable to behaviors that occur on a regular daily basis, including the sleep/wake cycle. Understanding the biological basis of these physiological and pathophysiological changes across the day and night may provide an insight into the underlying cause of the disease and could lead to better therapy (e.g. appropriately timed medication to target specific phases of the body clock or to coincide with specific behaviors that cause vulnerability, such as exercise), and countermeasures aimed at reducing the adverse health effects of shift work.

Education and training

  • Degrees

    • B.Sc., 1982, Loughborough University
    • Ph.D., 1989, University of London

  • Certifications

    • Certificate of Completion, Leadership Program, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, 2010

Memberships and associations:

  • Sleep Research Society
  • American Academy of Sleep Medicine

Additional information

Publications

Selected publications

  • Sianoja M, Crain TL, Hammer LB, Bodner T, Brockwood KJ, LoPresti M, Shea SA. The relationship between leadership support and employee sleep. J Occup Health Psychol. 2019 Dec 2. doi: 10.1037/ocp0000173. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Williams CN, Hartman ME, McEvoy CT, Hall TA, Lim MM, Shea SA, Luther M, Guilliams KP, Guerriero RM, Bosworth CC, Piantino JA. Sleep-Wake Disturbances After Acquired Brain Injury in Children Surviving Critical Care. Pediatr Neurol. 2019 Aug 26. pii: S0887-8994(19)30597-1. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2019.08.010. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Qian J, Scheer FAJL, Hu K, Shea SA. The circadian system modulates the rate of recovery of systolic blood pressure after exercise in humans. Sleep. 2019 Oct 16. pii: zsz253. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsz253. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Thosar SS, Berman AM, Herzig MX, McHill AW, Bowles NP, Swanson CM, Clemons NA, Butler MP, Clemons AA, Emens JS, Shea SA. Circadian Rhythm of Vascular Function in Midlife Adults. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2019 Jun;39(6):1203-1211. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.119.312682.
  • Scheer FAJL, Chellappa SL, Hu K, Shea SA. Impact of mental stress, the circadian system and their interaction on human cardiovascular function. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019 May;103:125-129. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.01.016. Epub 2019 Jan 16.
  • Thosar SS, Rueda JF, Berman AM, Lasarev MR, Herzig MX, Clemons NA, Roberts SA, Bowles NP, Emens JS, Ellison DH, Shea SA. Separate and interacting effects of the endogenous circadian system and behaviors on plasma aldosterone in humans. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2019 Feb 1;316(2):R157-R164. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00314.2018. Epub 2018 Dec 6.
  • Buxton OM, Shea SA. Sleep & work, work & sleep. Sleep Health. 2018 Dec;4(6):497-498. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2018.10.007. Epub 2018 Oct 21.
  • Butler MP, Emch JT, Rueschman M, Sands SA, Shea SA, Wellman A, Redline S. Apnea-Hypopnea Event Duration Predicts Mortality in Men and Women in the Sleep Heart Health Study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2019 Apr 1;199(7):903-912. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201804-0758OC.
  • Williams CN, Lim MM, Shea SA. Sleep disturbance after pediatric traumatic brain injury: critical knowledge gaps remain for the critically injured. Nat Sci Sleep. 2018 Aug 8;10:225-228. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S174608. eCollection 2018.
  • Lam DJ, Shea SA, Weaver EM, Mitchell RB. Predictors of Obtaining Polysomnography Among Otolaryngologists Prior to Adenotonsillectomy for Childhood Sleep-Disordered Breathing. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018 Aug 15;14(8):1361-1367. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.7274.

Publications

  • Sleep, psychological symptoms, and cannabis use before, during, and after COVID-19 “stay-at-home” orders

    Journal of Cannabis Research
    1. Nicole P. Bowles
    2. Sean P.M. Rice
    3. Joey Hebl
    4. Alicia V. Stewart
    5. Steven Shea

  • Belonging, endurance, and resistance

    Social Science and Medicine
    1. Omar H. Ordaz
    2. Raina L. Croff
    3. La Troy D. Robinson
    4. Steven A. Shea
    5. Nicole P. Bowles

  • Effectiveness and Durability of a Workplace Sedentary Behavior Intervention Based on the Total Worker Health® Approach

    Behavioral Sciences
    1. Bradley Wipfli
    2. Sara Wild
    3. Ginger Hanson
    4. Steven Shea
    5. Kerri Winters
    6. Wura Olawole
    7. Renee Kozlowski
    8. Saurabh S. Thosar

  • Identifying an acceptable number of ambulatory blood pressure measurements for accuracy of average blood pressure and nocturnal dipping status

    American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology
    1. Leandro Campos de Brito
    2. Sean P.M. Rice
    3. Nicole P. Bowles
    4. Matthew P. Butler
    5. Andrew W. McHill
    6. Jonathan Emens
    7. Steven A. Shea
    8. Saurabh S. Thosar

  • Later circadian timing and increased sleep timing variability are associated with attenuations in overnight blood pressure dipping among chronic nightshift workers

    Sleep health
    1. Brooke M. Shafer
    2. Desirae Christopher
    3. Steven A. Shea
    4. Ryan Olson
    5. Andrew W. McHill

  • Obesity alters the circadian profiles of energy metabolism and glucose regulation in humans

    Obesity
    1. Andrew W. McHill
    2. Saurabh S. Thosar
    3. Nicole P. Bowles
    4. Matthew P. Butler
    5. Omar Ordaz-Johnson
    6. Jonathan S. Emens
    7. Jonathan Q. Purnell
    8. Melanie Gillingham
    9. Steven A. Shea

  • Chronological distribution of readings in ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring exams affects the nighttime average and the magnitude of blood-pressure dipping

    American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology
    1. Leandro C. Brito
    2. Nicole P. Bowles
    3. Andrew W. McHill
    4. Sean P.M. Rice
    5. Matthew P. Butler
    6. Jonathan Emens
    7. Steven A. Shea
    8. Saurabh S. Thosar

  • Daily cannabis use is associated with sleep duration differentially across ages

    Sleep health
    1. Joshua E. Gonzalez
    2. Steven A. Shea
    3. Nicole P. Bowles

  • Multidimensionality of the PROMIS sleep disturbance 8b short form in working adult populations

    Sleep health
    1. Rebecca M. Brossoit
    2. Hannah P. Stark
    3. Tori L. Crain
    4. Todd E. Bodner
    5. Leslie B. Hammer
    6. Cynthia D. Mohr
    7. Steven A. Shea

  • The Tech4Rest Randomized Controlled Trial

    Journal of occupational and environmental medicine
    1. Ryan Olson
    2. Peter W. Johnson
    3. Steven A. Shea
    4. Miguel Marino
    5. Rachel Springer
    6. Sean P.M. Rice
    7. Jarred Rimby
    8. Courtney Donovan

  • Chronobiology of Exercise

    Comprehensive Physiology
    1. Leandro C. Brito
    2. Thais C. Marin
    3. Luan Azevêdo
    4. Julia M. Rosa-Silva
    5. Steven A. Shea
    6. Saurabh S. Thosar

  • Rapid changes in overnight blood pressure after transitioning to early-morning shiftwork

    Sleep
    1. Andrew W. McHill
    2. Josie Velasco
    3. Todd Bodner
    4. Steven A. Shea
    5. Ryan Olson

  • Sleep and Executive Functioning in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors after Critical Care

    Children
    1. Cydni N. Williams
    2. Cindy T. McEvoy
    3. Miranda M. Lim
    4. Steven A. Shea
    5. Vivek Kumar
    6. Divya Nagarajan
    7. Kurt Drury
    8. Natalia Rich-Wimmer
    9. Trevor A. Hall

  • Slow wave synchronization and sleep state transitions

    Scientific Reports
    1. Dan Guo
    2. Robert J. Thomas
    3. Yanhui Liu
    4. Steven A. Shea
    5. Jun Lu
    6. Chung Kang Peng

  • The circadian system modulates the cortisol awakening response in humans

    Frontiers in Neuroscience
    1. Nicole P. Bowles
    2. Saurabh S. Thosar
    3. Matthew P. Butler
    4. Noal A. Clemons
    5. La Troy D. Robinson
    6. Omar H. Ordaz
    7. Maya X. Herzig
    8. Andrew W. McHill
    9. Sean P.M. Rice
    10. Jonathan Emens
    11. Steven A. Shea

  • Cardiac autonomic control during non-REM and REM sleep stages in paediatric patients with Prader-Willi syndrome

    Journal of Sleep Research
    1. Leandro C. Brito
    2. Thereza Queiroga
    3. Ruth R. Franco
    4. Caroline G.B. Passone
    5. Maria Cecilia Lopes
    6. Steven A. Shea
    7. Clarissa Bueno
    8. Leticia M.S.F.A. Soster

  • Daytime eating prevents internal circadian misalignment and glucose intolerance in night work

    Science Advances
    1. Sarah L. Chellappa
    2. Jingyi Qian
    3. Nina Vujovic
    4. Christopher J. Morris
    5. Arlet Nedeltcheva
    6. Hoa Nguyen
    7. Nishath Rahman
    8. Su Wei Heng
    9. Lauren Kelly
    10. Kayla Kerlin-Monteiro
    11. Suhina Srivastav
    12. Wei Wang
    13. Daniel Aeschbach
    14. Charles A. Czeisler
    15. Steven A. Shea
    16. Gail K. Adler
    17. Marta Garaulet
    18. Frank A.J.L. Scheer

  • Interactions between home, work, and sleep among firefighters

    American Journal of Industrial Medicine
    1. Shelby L. Watkins
    2. Martina A. Shannon
    3. David A. Hurtado
    4. Steven A. Shea
    5. Nicole P. Bowles

  • Night shift work is associated with an increased risk of asthma

    Thorax
    1. Robert J. Maidstone
    2. James Turner
    3. Celine Vetter
    4. Hassan S. Dashti
    5. Richa Saxena
    6. Frank A.J.L. Scheer
    7. Steven A. Shea
    8. Simon D. Kyle
    9. Deborah A. Lawlor
    10. Andrew S.I. Loudon
    11. John F. Blaikley
    12. Martin K. Rutter
    13. David W. Ray
    14. Hannah Jane Durrington

  • Optimization of primary care among black Americans using patient portals

    Journal of medical Internet research
    1. Omar H. Ordaz
    2. Raina L. Croff
    3. La Troy D. Robinson
    4. Steven A. Shea
    5. Nicole P. Bowles

  • Shorter sleep predicts longer subsequent day sedentary duration in healthy midlife adults, but not in those with sleep apnea

    Nature and Science of Sleep
    1. Saurabh S. Thosar
    2. Meera C. Bhide
    3. Isabel Katlaps
    4. Nicole P. Bowles
    5. Steven A. Shea
    6. Andrew W. McHill

  • Sleep efficiency is inversely associated with brachial artery diameter and morning blood pressure in midlife adults, with a potential sex-effect

    Nature and Science of Sleep
    1. Saurabh S. Thosar
    2. Daniel Chess
    3. Nicole P. Bowles
    4. Andrew W. McHill
    5. Matthew P. Butler
    6. Jonathan S. Emens
    7. Steven A. Shea

  • The active workplace study

    Contemporary Clinical Trials
    1. Bradley Wipfli
    2. Sara Wild
    3. Ginger C. Hanson
    4. Steven A. Shea
    5. Kerri Winters-Stone
    6. Saurabh S. Thosar

  • The endogenous circadian system worsens asthma at night independent of sleep and other daily behavioral or environmental cycles

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
    1. Frank A.J.L. Scheer
    2. Michael F. Hilton
    3. Heather L. Evoniuk
    4. Sally A. Shiels
    5. Atul Malhotra
    6. Rena Sugarbaker
    7. R. Timothy Ayers
    8. Elliot Israel
    9. Anthony F. Massaro
    10. Steven A. Shea