The Menopause Wake-Up Call: Understanding Sleep Through Hormonal Change

Fiona C. Baker, PhD is Director of the Center for Health Sciences and Human Sleep Research Program at SRI International, a non-profit research organization in Menlo Park, California, USA. She also holds an appointment as Honorary Professorial Research Fellow in the Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dr. Baker has been active in basic and clinical sleep and neuroscience research for over 20 years. She is an expert in women’s health and sleep, considering factors like menstrual pain, premenstrual syndrome, and menopause. She has published extensively in the field, which has advanced understanding of insomnia and sleep disturbances that emerge in the context of women’s health, including during the menopause transition, and identified factors that can be targeted for effective treatment. She also has extensive experience in the study of the sleeping brain, including in adolescents and in alcohol use disorder, as well as considering sex differences.

Dr. Hachul received her degree in Medicine from the Federal University of São Paulo and PhD in Medicine (Gynecology) from the Federal University of São Paulo. She then completed a Post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychobiology - Medicine and Biology of Sleep at UNIFESP. She is currently a supervisor and affiliated professor at UNIFESP. She is also the head of the Women's Sleep Sector - this department aims to provide multidisciplinary care to women with sleep problems based on assistance, teaching, and research. She is a member of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Association of São Paulo and the Brazilian Sleep Academy. Here experience focuses on Gynecoendocrinology and menopause, with interest in sleep disorders, insomnia, hormonal disorders, and sleep. 

Dr. Nowakowski is a licensed clinical psychologist and board certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine. She is also an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine Section of Health Services Research in the Department of Medicine located within the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness & Safety, a combined Baylor and VA Health Services Research and Development Center for Innovation. Dr. Nowakowski treats patients with Insomnia and other sleep disorders at the Baylor Sleep Medicine Clinic in Houston.