Andrew J. Fuligni, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and the Department of Psychology. He also is a Senior Scientist in the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, where he directs the Adolescent Development Lab at UCLA. His work focuses on the interaction between biobehavioral development and sociocultural experience among youth from diverse ethnic and immigrant backgrounds.

Abstract

Sleep is simultaneously a biological imperative and a sociocultural practice, and this intersection of biology and social context is particularly notable during adolescence. In this talk, I will highlight how maturational changes in the circadian rhythm of sleep interact with adolescents’ social settings and exposure to broader systems of inequality to create significant risks to mental and physical health for many youth.