Ari Shechter, PhD

  • Associate Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine) at CUMC

On the web

Profile Headshot

Profile Navigation

Overview

Dr. Shechter is Associate Professor of Medical Sciences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health (CBCH). He received his PhD in neuroscience with a focus on human chronobiology. He then completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center at Columbia University examining how sleep relates to food intake regulation, physical activity, and metabolism.

Dr. Shechter's research focuses on how sleep and circadian rhythms relate to physical, mental, and behavioral health and disease. He is also interested in factors contributing to healthcare worker wellness, interventions for poor sleep, and the effects of light on sleep and mood. 

For more information about Dr. Shechter’s research and ongoing projects, please visit the CBCH Sleep Research Group

Academic Appointments

  • Associate Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine) at CUMC

Administrative Titles

  • Director of the CBCH Sleep Research Group
  • Co-Director of the CBCH Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
  • Faculty Member of the Masters Program in Human Nutrition, Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

Gender

  • Male

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • PhD, 2011 Neuroscience, McGill University
  • Fellowship: 2014 Columbia University

Committees, Societies, Councils

  • Sleep Research Society
  • Center of Excellence for Sleep and Circadian Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
  • Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine

Research

Research Interests

  • Behavioral Interventions for Sleep Disorders
  • Effects of Light on Sleep and Mood
  • Sleep Impact on Cardiovascular and Psychological Health

Selected Publications

  1. Shechter A, Firew T, Miranda M, Fray N, Norful AA, Gonzalez A, Chang BP. (2023). Sleep disturbance and burnout in emergency department healthcare workers. JAMA Network Open. 6(11): e2341910.
  2. Cornelius T, Edmondson D, Abdalla M, Scott A, Fernandez Sedano B, Hiti D, Sullivan AM, Schwartz JE, Kronish IM, Shechter A. (2023). Prospective bidirectional relationship between sleep duration and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms following suspected acute coronary syndrome. Psychosomatic Medicine.
  3. Makarem M, German CA, Zhang Z, Diaz KM, Palta P, Duncan DT, Castro-Diehl C, Shechter A (2023). Rest-Activity Rhythms are Associated with Prevalent Cardiovascular Disease, Hypertension, Obesity, and Central Adiposity in a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adults. JAHA: Journal of the American Heart Association.
  4. Norful AA, Haghighi F, Shechter A. (2022). Assessing sleep health dimensions in frontline registered nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for psychological health and wellbeing. SLEEP Advances. 4(1): zpac046.
  5. Abdalla M, Schwartz JE, Cornelius T, Chang BP, Alcántara C, Shechter A. (2020). Objective Short Sleep Duration and 24-hour Blood Pressure. International Journal of Cardiology Hypertension. 7 (2020), 100062
  6. Shechter A, Kim EW, St-Onge MP, and Westwood A. (2018). Blocking nocturnal blue light for insomnia: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 96:196-202.

For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov