Current Scholars
Brooke Shafer, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University
Primary mentor: Andrew McHill, PhD
Mentors: Quin Denfeld, PhD, RN, FAHA and Melanie Gillingham, PhD, RD
Dr. Brooke Shafer is a Research Assistant Professor in the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences studying the mechanistic interplay between sex, sleep/circadian health, and cardiometabolic outcomes. Dr. Shafer’s BIRCWH project focuses on understanding how sleep/circadian disruptions affect sex-specific cardiometabolic mechanisms in newly hired male and female nurses. Dr. Shafer’s long-term career goal is to become an independent investigator with a research program focused on developing sleep medicine driven strategies that target sex-disparities in health outcomes and cardiometabolic disease prevention, with an emphasis on promoting women’s health across the lifespan.
Project title: Uncovering the impact of circadian misalignment on sex-specific mechanistic pathways affecting cardiometabolic health
Alex Dufford, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University
Primary Mentor: Elinor Sullivan, PhD
Mentors: Ellen Tilden, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, Kristen Mackiewicz Seghete, PhD
Dr. Alex Dufford is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry studying how stress and sleep affect postpartum symptoms of depression and anxiety. Dr. Dufford’s BIRCWH project focuses on using dense longitudinal sampling methods of postpartum stress, sleep, and mood symptoms using wearables (Oura Ring) and smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment. Dr. Dufford’s long-term career goal is to improve detection and treatment of postpartum mood disorders using predictive modeling and deep phenotyping. He hopes to use these methods to also assess the efficacy and mechanisms of psychological interventions in the early postpartum period.
Project Title: Examining the Dynamics of Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality, and Mood Symptoms across the Early Postpartum Period
Erin Foster, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Dermatology at Oregon Health & Science University
Primary mentor: Alex Ortega-Loayza, MD MCR
Mentors: David Jacoby MD, Jamie Lo MD MCR, Eric Simpson MD MCR
Dr. Erin Foster is a medical dermatologist with a special interest in complex skin disorders such as autoimmune blistering diseases, oral and vulvar dermatology. Dr. Erin Foster believes that her patients know more than she does about their skin, because they see it every day. She approaches clinical care with the goal of developing relationships based on mutual trust and working together toward health. Her research focuses on vulvovaginal mucosal conditions, shared decision making with patients, and the immunological basis of skin disease. When she’s not working, Dr. Foster is hiking, biking, reading fiction, baking, or spending time with family. A native Texan, she loves Portland summers and Mt. Hood winters. She feels lucky every day to live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest!
Project Title: Improving Outcomes for Patients with Vulvovaginal Lichen Planus