Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Body and How it Affects the Job/Driving

This session will teach attendees about the science of sleep, why it’s important, and what happens when we don’t get enough of it. Attendees will also learn about how to improve their sleep, and reduce the associated risks of sleep deprivation and fatigue.

Dr. Lois James (PHD) - Washington State University College of Nursing Sleep and Performance Research

Lois James is the Assistant Dean of Research and an Associate Professor in the Washington State University (WSU) College of Nursing, where she focuses on the impact of sleep loss, fatigue, stress, and bias on performance and safety in shift workers such as police officers, firefighters, health care personnel, and military personnel. She has received multiple honors and awards for her work, and is internationally recognized as a leading expert in her field. She specializes in developing, implementing, and evaluating fatigue risk management and sleep education programs. She is also the founding director of Counter Bias Training Simulation (CBTsim), a novel and innovative simulation-based anti-bias training program that has been featured in National Geographic and the feature-length documentary “bias.” Dr. James’s work has been published extensively in academic journals, practitioner magazines, and mainstream media such as the New York Times and the Washington Post. During her time at WSU, James has brought in approximately $7,000,000 of extramural funding, making her an important contributor to WSU’s “Drive to 25” goal of being recognized as one of the nation’s top 25 public research universities, preeminent in research and discovery, teaching, and engagement by 2030.