Tom F. Anders Seminar Series, formerly known as the Providence Sleep Research Interest Group (PSRIG), was formed in 1990 and provides an opportunity for scientists and clinicians to interact on a monthly basis for the scholarly exchange of ideas and information pertaining to the area of sleep and circadian rhythms. Historically, individuals from the surrounding areas of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and sometimes other parts of the country, participated in these monthly meetings.

This year the series will be held virtually and we are thrilled to present a diverse lineup of speakers from various institutions both nationally and internationally, and to open this series to a wider audience. We hope to maintain an atmosphere that is informal, intimate, and sleep-sophisticated.

TFASS seminars will be held via Zoom at 12pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month during the academic year. Invited speakers represent diverse backgrounds and approaches in their study of sleep and chronobiological issues, including basic and clinical research.

If you would like to be added to the TFASS mailing list, or for links to past recordings, please email Gina Mason at gina_mason@brown.edu.

Dates for the 2025-2026 academic year are listed below and will be updated with more details as speakers and presentation topics are confirmed.

To register for an individual date, click HERE.



Jamie Marc Zeitzer, PhD
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Co-Director, Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences, Stanford University
Topic: Reclaiming Teen Sleep: Innovative Biocultural Strategies from the U.S. and Taiwan
Chronic sleep deprivation among adolescents is a global crisis, with serious consequences for mental health, academic performance, and overall well-being. While biological changes during adolescence are largely universal, cultural and environmental factors play a major role in shaping sleep habits—and solutions. In this talk, I’ll share two cutting-edge, cross-cultural interventions designed to combat teen sleep loss. In the U.S., we’ve developed a novel approach combining passive light flash therapy during sleep with a behavioral intervention to encourage earlier bedtimes—without changing wake times. In Taiwan, we’ve integrated AIoT-powered classroom lighting with in-school mindfulness training to reduce sleep onset delays and improve daily functioning. Both strategies pair passive biological interventions with active behavioral components, aiming to not only extend sleep duration but also boost mood, attention, and academic outcomes. Join me to explore how culturally grounded, science-based innovations can help teens worldwide reclaim the rest they need.

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October 21, 2025

Vernon Grant, PhD
Assistant Research Professor, Montana State University
Topic: Assessing Sleep in Blackfeet Families
Pikanii Paokaan (Blackfeet Dreams) is a 7-week sleep intervention with adult and child dyads to increase nightly sleep. During summer of 2023, we successfully recruited 30 adults and 30 children (families) to participate in the sleep intervention. In November 2023, all participants reported to the tribal council chambers of the Blackfeet Nation for pre-intervention data collection. We collected height and weight and participants completed surveys on demographic information, sleep, stress and mental health, diet, and screen time. Before each participant left they were given three books from the Blackfeet Heritage Collection. The following week, all participants completed waketime and bedtime diaries to get an indication of pre-intervention sleep patterns. The intervention included two different components. Community-identified strategies were incorporated into all aspects of the intervention that were discussed during focus groups and interviews in 2022. The first component was text messages in the morning and evening. Morning texts included Blackfoot language with a link to a YouTube page where participants could learn to properly pronounce the words. Evening texts included sleep tips and suggested readings from the Blackfeet books. The second component of the intervention was a closed Facebook page where we included clips of elders talking about traditional thoughts on sleep. We also posted Blackfoot lullabies for our participants to listen to at night. Collectively, the texts and Facebook content were meant to help families get into a bedtime routine and obtain more nightly sleep. After 7 weeks, we collected post-intervention data on all participants and also interviewed 10 participants to evaluate the intervention. The following week participants completed waketime and bedtime diaries. We found that the depression anxiety and stress scale score significantly increased sleep trouble and playing outside for more than one hour significantly decreased sleep trouble. In addition, we found that each additional child in the household decreased sleep (hours) and playing outside for more than an hour increased sleep (hours). These findings suggest that children playing outside is paramount to sleep quality and quantity and decreasing stress is vitally important for sleep quality.

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November 18, 2025

Stephanie Crowley, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science, Rush University
Topic:
To be announced


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December 16, 2025

Lauren Asarnow, PhD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology and Pediatrics, University of Southern California School of Medicine
Topic:
To be announced


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January 20, 2026

Fiona Baker, PhD
Senior Program Director, Human Sleep Research Laboratory, SRI International
Topic:
To be announced


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February 17, 2026

Speaker and topic to be announced

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March 17, 2026

Lauren Hartstein, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine
Topic:
To be announced


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April 21, 2026

Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD
Professor of Nutritional Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Topic:
To be announced


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May 19, 2026

Alicia Chung, EdD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health, NYU Langone
Topic:
To be announced


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