Meet the Team

by Alice Braga, Ph.D. | Sleep Research Network

Introducing Janet M. Mullington, PhD

A leading figure in sleep and circadian research, Dr. Janet Mullington has dedicated her career to advancing our understanding of how sleep impacts inflammatory systems, cardiovascular health, recovery from post-infectious syndromes and overall well-being.

Highlights of her work:

  • Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Ph.D., University of Ottawa, Canada
  • Postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute (Germany) and the University of Pennsylvania
  • Member, Harvard Medical School Multicultural Committee (2008-2016)
  • Research Advising Fellow, Harvard Medical School (since 2010)
  • Program Director, Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (since 2012)
  • Editorial Board Member: past: SLEEP and current: Sleep Medicine Reviews

Research Focus:

  • Inflammatory systems and sleep loss
  • Effects of sleep on host defenses, cardiovascular, endocrine, and neurobehavioral function and diseases of post-infectious syndromes
  • Translation of basic discoveries into clinical applications

Clinical Contributions:

  • National and international reputation for research on the role of sleep in human health and disease
  • Founding participant, National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project (CDC, SRS, and AASM initiative) to promote sleep health as part of the federal Healthy People 2020 goals
  • Previous service as liaison to the Academic Sleep Centers Task Force of the AASM
  • Contributions to development of clinical best practice resources, (including authoring for the Basics of Sleep Guide, 2nd edition, 2009; and section editing for the Fundamentals of Sleep and Circadian Science, 3rd edition, 2025)

Educational Contributions:

  • Leadership in educational and training initiatives for medical students, PhDs, and clinical researchers
  • Mentorship of emerging investigators in translational and clinical sleep research
  • Course Director, Clinical Research Orientation Program for PhDs, Harvard Catalyst
  • Service as grant reviewer, course developer, and committee member for the Sleep Research Society, including Career Development courses at APSS and the Trainee Education Advisory Committee
  • Participant in NIH liaison meetings with agency leadership to advocate for the sleep research community

To learn more about the Sleep Research Network (SRN), contact Melissa McKinzie at coordinator@srsnet.org.