Trainee Symposia Series
The Trainee Symposia Series includes seminars on the science of sleep and circadian rhythms, career development, as well as social activities for trainees to foster a collegial atmosphere.
Sponsored in part by Avadel Pharmaceuticals
Trainee Symposia Saturday
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Baltimore Convention Center
Registration, Networking, and Opening Remarks
2:00 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.
Expert Mentors: Choosing What Counts When Everything Feels Important
2:40 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.
Jesse Cook, PhD | Kristina Lenker, PhD | Joel Raymond, PhD | Charlie Zhong, PhD, MPH
Networking Activity: Journey Together: Many Paths, One Dream
3:10 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.
Diversity Travel Award Recognition and Data Blitz Presentation
3:50 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.
Welcome Keynote
4:10 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.
Chiara Cirelli, MD, PhD
Trainee Opportunities Panel
4:50 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Pat Carter, PhD, RN, CNS | Rosemary Estevez Burns, PhD, DBSM | Jimmy Fraigne, PhD | Kat Kennedy, PhD
Depart for Trainee Social Event
5:30 p.m.
Trainee Symposia Sunday
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Baltimore Convention Center
TSS-01: Sleep & the Glymphatic System
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Room 346
Dante Picchioni, PhD | Alisa Huskey, PhD
This panel will examine the relationship between sleep and glymphatic flow and its role in maintaining brain health. It will also highlight how advanced neuroimaging modalities are used to visualize glymphatic activity, offering insights into this critical process.
TSS-02: Rest-activity: Rhythms and Health Across the Lifespan
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Room 347
Stephen Smagula, PhD | Stephanie Crowley, PhD | Eve Van Cauter, PhD
This panel will examine rest–activity rhythms and the methods used to measure them. The discussion will also delve into how these rhythms relate to health outcomes, bridging fundamental research with translational applications aimed at improving patient care and overall well-being.
TSS-03: Responsible Use of AI in Sleep Research and Scientific Writing
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Room 348
Sean Drummond, PhD | Sara McNamara, PhD| Robert Thomas MD
This lecture will provide essential guidance on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in sleep science, address ethical considerations and best practices, and offer practical insights to leverage tools responsibly and with scientific integrity.
TSS-04: Sleep and Women’s Health: Evidence, Assumptions, and Future Directions
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Room 349
Sara Mednick, PhD | Fiona Baker, PhD
This panel will provide an overview of the current evidence on sleep and women’s health, contrasting what data reveals with common assumptions perpetuated by the media. The session will clarify methodological approaches for studying the menstrual cycle and sleep and outline future directions to advance understanding and improve health outcomes.
TSS-05: Non-pharmacological Treatment for Insomnia: Evidence Beyond CBT-I
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Room 350
Philip Gehrman, PhD, CBSM, FAASM | Ashley Curtis, PhD
This panel will summarize the current evidence of non-pharmacological approaches for treating insomnia beyond traditional CBT-I, with focus on promising interventions. Speakers will additionally discuss potential treatment options for diverse patient populations.
TSS-06: Multi Modal Insights into Sleep and Memory
9:10 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. | Room 346
Robert Stickgold, PhD | Sara Aton, PhD
This panel will explore how multimodal approaches, including advanced neuroimaging and source-resolved techniques, provide a comprehensive view of memory consolidation during sleep, emphasizing translational value across human and animal research.
TSS-07: Are There Ideal Times for Eating and Physical Activity?
9:10 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. | Room 347
Andrew McHill, PhD | Leandro C. Brito, PhD
This panel will examine current evidence on whether there are optimal times to eat or engage in physical activity throughout the day, including impacts on circadian and cardiometabolic health.
TSS-08: Data Visualization: Effective Ways to Present Complex Sleep and Circadian Data
9:10 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. | Room 348
Orfeu Buxton, PhD | Emmanuel Mignot, MD, PhD | Angus Burns, PhD
This panel will highlight best practices for visualizing complex sleep and circadian data, including multimodal, longitudinal, and high-dimensional datasets.
TSS-09: Understanding the Role of Climate Change on Sleep Health
9:10 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. | Room 349
Azizi Seixas, PhD | Danielle Wallace, MPH, PhD
This panel will highlight the ways climate change leads to poor sleep health, including impacts of increasing global temperatures, pollution, and climate anxiety.
TSS-10: Sleep and Psychedelics: A Voyage to Remember and to Forget
9:10 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. | Room 350
Matthew Reid, PhD | Andy Krystal, MD, MS
This panel will discuss how psychedelic substances influence the physiology and subjective experience of sleep, as well as potential therapeutic approaches across psychiatric and sleep disorders.
TSS-11: Big Data in Sleep and Activity Patterns Across Different Model Organisms
10:20 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. | Room 346
Olivia J. Walch, PhD | David Prober, PhD
This panel will discuss strategies for obtaining large-scale behavioral data to study sleep and activity patterns across diverse model organisms.
TSS-12: Light Exposure and Its Impact on Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
10:20 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. | Room 347
Melissa St. Hilaire, PhD | Frank Scheer, PhD | Erin Flynn-Evans, PhD, MPH
This panel will discuss the importance of light exposure for sleep and circadian health.
TSS-13: Building Bridges in Sleep Science: Engaging Communities in Research and Care
10:20 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. | Room 348
Ariel Williamson, PhD | Lu Dong, PhD | Allison Harvey, PhD
This panel will describe how community engagement can strengthen sleep science, promote equity, and improve real-world health outcomes.
TSS-14: Childhood Sleep & Long-term Consequences
10:20 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. | Room 349
Mary Carskadon, PhD | Lauren Hale, PhD
This panel will explore how disruptions to sleep and circadian physiology shape physical, emotional, and cognitive development.
TSS-15: Sleep and Circadian Assessments: Accessible Tools to Decrease Burden and Increase Accessibility in Research and Clinical Settings
10:20 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. | Room 350
Joe Kossowsky, PhD, MMSc | Kelly Baron, PhD
This session will highlight novel tools designed to reduce patient and clinician burden in the assessment of sleep and circadian rhythms in research and in the evaluation and treatment of circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders.
The following schedule has been updated as of 5/7/26 and is subject to change.