Chandra Jackson, Ph.D., M.S.

Sleep, an essential human need for maintaining biological homeostasis, is a seemingly simple behavior and yet complex physiological state. It is not entirely endogenous and is, therefore, positively or negatively affected by modifiable physical (e.g. light; temperature; noise), as well as social (e.g. psychosocial stress) environmental factors. These factors vary by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Preventing or minimizing the impact of environmental disturbances on sleep duration, quality, and timing could help populations avoid or delay a host of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, while addressing health disparities.

My research group seeks to determine the social and biological pathways linking these upstream, modifiable physical and social environmental factors to sleep and cardiovascular health in the overall population and by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

Dr. Jackson is an Earl Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator and earned a M.S. in Cardiovascular Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Epidemiology from The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She was an Alonzo Smythe Yerby postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Research Associate at the Harvard Catalyst Clinical and Translational Science Center. She serves as a member of the editorial board of Sleep Health, the journal of the National Sleep Foundation, and has received several merit-based awards. For instance, she received the Charlotte Silverman Award for outstanding commitment to public health, policy, and community outreach at Johns Hopkins and an Outstanding Fellows Award at Harvard.