Description

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Kelly Bennion, PhD, EdM, is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her research uses a combination of behavioral, eye tracking, polysomnography (overnight sleep monitoring), and neuroimaging (e.g., fMRI) approaches to understand the effects of sleep and stress on memory for negative and traumatic experiences.

Dr. Bennion received her PhD in Psychology with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience from Boston College. She has received grants supporting her research from sources including the US Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, American Psychological Association, and Psi Chi. She was also a visiting scholar at the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School in 2015, where she researched the effects of sleep restriction on adolescent cognition.

Dr. Bennion also earned an Ed.M. in Mind, Brain, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her commitment to teaching has been acknowledged by her receipt of the 2020 Early Career Award for Achievement in Teaching (College of Liberal Arts, Cal Poly), 2017 Professor of the Year Award (College of Liberal Arts, Cal Poly), 2015 Teaching Excellence in Psychological Science Award (American Psychological Association), and the 2015 Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award (Boston College).

Dr. Bennion is passionate about mentorship and outreach, particularly in the spirit of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has founded four mentorship programs for psychology and neuroscience students at Boston College and Cal Poly, coordinated neuroscience events throughout the greater Boston area for children, college students, and older adults, and organized several events promoting Women in Science. In addition to her role as an Assistant Professor, Dr. Bennion serves as a Faculty Fellow in the Office of University Diversity and Inclusion at Cal Poly running the BEACoN Research Mentoring Program for underrepresented students.

Kate Sprecher, PhD is a scientist and communicator with a passion for harnessing the power of sleep. Kate’s research has focused on the impact of sleep and circadian rhythms on health, and strategies to mitigate the effects of sleep loss on physical and mental performance. She completed a BSc at Flinders University in Australia, an MS at the University of Otago in New Zealand, a PhD at the University of Wisconsin and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado, all focused on neuroscience, psychology and physiology. Her research has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health, Sleep Research Society, Australasian Sleep Association, New Zealand Neurological Society, and US Navy.

As a passionate advocate for sleep health, Kate has spoken at international conferences, the US Congress, and health podcasts, and published in leading academic journals. Kate also lends her expertise to medical clients, developing health communication resources.

Kate’s favorite active pursuits happen outdoors, where she uses her sleep knowledge to optimize her performance in extreme environments. She has conducted sleep research on Mt Everest and recently completed a self-supported through-hike of the 1200 mile Pacific Northwest Trail.