Aric Prather, PhD
Aric Prather is an assistant professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry. He is also a faculty member in the Health Psychology Postdoctoral Program, the the Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Postdoctoral Scholars Program, and on the Executive Board of the UCSF Center for Obesity Assessment, Study, and Treatment (COAST). His research focuses on the inter-relationship between psychological stress and sleep as dynamic predictors of physical and mental health. His research utilizes epidemiologic, naturalistic, and laboratory based studies to understand the extent to which sleep disturbance serves as a critical behavioral pathway to poor health. With specialized training in psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), he primarily focuses on immune outcomes implicated in infectious disease, inflammatory conditions, and accelerated immunosenescence. He is also dedicated to investigating how larger social construct (e.g, social disadvantage) drive variation in stress and sleep disturbance and ultimately contribute to health disparities.
