GENA L. GLICKMAN, PHD

Scientist, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Uniformed Services University

Dr. Gena L. Glickman is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland. She received Bachelor Degrees in Psychology and Occupational Therapy from Villanova University and Thomas Jefferson University, and a Masters and Doctoral degree in Experimental Psychology from University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Prior to starting at USU, she continued at UCSD as a faculty member in the Center for Circadian Biology and also began conducting military research at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California. Dr. Glickman has broad expertise in behavioral neuroscience and circadian rhythms, and the primary focus of her research program is to further understand sleep, circadian rhythms and the biological effects of light in order to maximize human health and well-being. To that end, she has studied the effects of different lighting characteristics (e.g. exposure parameters, prior light history) on circadian resetting, melatonin suppression and the efficacy of therapeutic applications. By employing a variety of biomedical research techniques in humans and rodent models, her work has further elucidated the neural mechanisms that mediate the biological effects of light. Dr. Glickman's lab is now examining how the basic science of this primitive sensory system can be used to guide the rational development of clinical therapies and architectural lighting strategies. Current applications under investigation include the use of light therapy as an adjunct to cognitive processing therapy for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder as well as novel, multi-component lighting interventions that aim to optimize health and performance in hospital shiftworkers and military service members.