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NJAAP Webinars

• Aligning School Start Times for Adolescent Health: The Case for Starting School Later [Recording / PDF] Speakers: Dr. Bert Mandelbaum & Dr. Deborah Steinbaum – August 31, 2022

• Implementing Healthy School Hours to Prioritize Student Well-Being: A Panel Discussion with District Leaders who are Champions for Change – [Recording / PDF / Q&A] Speakers: Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, Moderator, Panelists: Mike LaSusa, Kenneth Batchelor, Superintendent of Radnor School District, Radnor, PA; Jessica Caruso Baxter, Principal, Randolph High School – October 18, 2022

Let’s Sleep Webinar Series

• Summary and Panel Discussion: The Summit on Teen Sleep and School Start Times – Evidence, Conclusions, and Opportunities After California became the first U.S. state to require school start times that prioritize adolescent sleep health, Start School Later spearheaded a virtual summit of experts across multiple disciplines, including health, education, equity, and transportation safety. The 2-day summit—hosted by Stanford’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine in 2021 and supported by the National Sleep Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine—confirmed the need for and feasibility of later start times for adolescents. The interdisciplinary group of nearly 100 experts reviewed existing research, recommended future research focus areas that could advance and assist implementation of healthy school start times, and identified unique opportunities (and challenges) to conduct research while most California schools begin to implement middle school start times of 8:00 a.m. and high school start times of 8:30 a.m. by the July 1, 2022 deadline. The peer-reviewed paper summarizing the summit’s findings is published in the Feb. 2022 scholarly journal, Sleep Health.
  Speakers: Rafael Pelayo, MD, Terra Ziporyn Snider, PhD, Joy Wake

• Serenity and Sleep Amidst Seasonal Stress, Anxiety, and ExcitementThe Holiday Season can bring joy, togetherness, and sleeplessness. Keeping up with social obligations and striving to meet the expectations of friends and family can cause stress and anxiety, which may contribute to poor quality sleep and diminish enjoyment of the season. Healthy sleep is essential for our physical and emotional health year-round. Join us to learn how to decrease stress and anxiety, optimize sleep, and enjoy the Holidays.
  Speakers: Daniel S. Lewin, PhD, DABSM, CBSM, Peter Polos, MD, PhD, FCCP, FAASM

• Immune Function, Sleep, and Circadian Rhythm: Understanding the Crucial ConnectionWhile we sleep, our immune system is working to protect us from illness. So what happens if we don’t get enough sleep? Multiple scientific studies reveal that disruptions to sleep and circadian rhythm weaken our immune response and make us more susceptible to disease, allergies, viruses, and even cancer. Conversely, ample and well-timed sleep boosts our immune function, reduces infection risk, and even improves antibody production after immunization. Recent advancements in our understanding of sleep and the immune system have exciting and wide-ranging application in disease prevention, public health, medicine, and policy.
  Speakers: Phyllis Payne, Peter Polos, MD, PhD, FCCP, FAASM, Charles Czeisler, MD, PhD, FRCP

• Adolescent Sleep and Safety: What Every Parent, Practitioner, and Policy Maker Needs to KnowIt’s no secret that teenagers don’t always make the best decisions; it’s age appropriate. And there’s no question that parenting adolescents can be fraught with worry. No wonder. Teens are at higher risk for car crashes, substance use, suicide, depression, and impulsivity. And most are sleep-deprived. But there’s good news: Science-informed practices and policies that support sleep are proven to help teens thrive, and they literally save lives.
  Speaker: Judith Owens, MD, MPH

• Adolescent Sleep Health: What Schools, Parents, Teachers, and Students Can DoYou’ll Learn:
  – How sleep affects adolescent physical and mental health, suicide, and safety
  – The biological basis for teenagers’ later sleep and wake cycles
  – Why sleep is even more important during the pandemic
  – What schools, parents, teachers, and students can do to improve teens’ sleep-Why sleep-friendly school hours are essential for
  adolescent  sleep health, learning, and equity, and how one superintendent of schools made them happen
  Speakers: Rafael Pelayo, MD, Chace Anderson, PhD

• Teenagers, Sleep, & Mental Health: The Crucial Connection for Policymakers, Practitioners, & ParentsDr. Wendy Troxel explains how chronic sleep loss among teens is a major public health problem with wide-ranging negative impacts on kids, families, schools, and communities. Getting enough sleep is crucial to a teenager’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. As our communities address students’ suffering and inequities during the pandemic and beyond, evidence-based strategies that support adolescent sleep and mental wellness are essential.
  Speakers: Wendy Troxel, PhD

• Sleep Disparities And Their Impact On School-Age YouthEvery child needs healthy sleep, yet not every child has equal access to it. In the United States, 30-40% of adults and 40-70% of adolescents report sleep deficiencies annually. People of color and low socioeconomic status populations have the highest prevalence of sleep problems, including sleep disorders, insufficient sleep, and irregular sleep-wake patterns. School-age children are no different. The consequences of poor sleep impact academic learning and absenteeism, mental health, risky behavior, and wellbeing. Yet sleep health disparities are often not considered in the school community environment. This webinar will describe sleep health disparities in youth, the consequences of insufficient, irregular, and misaligned sleep, and why understanding the disparities is important for effective and equitable health and education interventions.
  Speakers: Amy Wolfson, PhD, Azizi Sexias, PhD

• Aligning Secondary School Schedules With Adolescent Sleep Needs: An IntroductionMany middle and high schools start too early in the morning for the biologically driven later sleep patterns of adolescents. The resulting sleep loss harms teens’ mental and physical health, safety, and learning – and it’s a barrier to equity. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and many other major health and education groups recommend that secondary schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later, and that’s why California passed the healthy school start times law. Today, as part of their pandemic recovery plans, a growing number of school districts nationwide are following the science and allowing teens to get the sleep they need to nourish the whole child and advance learning and equity. Experts in their fields – Dr. Judy Owens of Harvard Medical School and Tom Platt a logistics consultant at Decision Support Group – will help you get started.
  Speakers: Judith Owens, MD, MPH, Tom Platt

• Getting Sleep-Ready for Back to SchoolIt’s not too early to start your family’s transition from summer sleep to school sleep. We all want our kids to start school bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but the sudden earlier wake-up times can wreak havoc on students’ mood, health, and learning, and impact driver safety. With prior planning, persistence, and patience — and some practical evidence-based tips from a renowned pediatrician — your family can start the school year with sleep on your side.
  Speakers: Craig Canapari, MD

• Dream Season: Sleep and Teen Athletic Performance and RecoverySleep affects athletic performance – including reaction time, energy level, memory, and accuracy. Sleep also plays a vital role in post-exercise recovery and reducing the risk of sports-related injuries. Athletes may need more sleep than non-athletes. Coaches and athletes who recognize the importance of sleep are using sleep to gain a winning edge. Join us for an illuminating discussion between sleep health professionals who work with school-age, collegiate, and professional athletes to foster sleep to improve sports performance, health, and quality of life.
  Speakers: Brendan Duffy, CCSH, RPSGT, Meeta Singh, MD,Virend Somers, MD, PhD