Håvard Kallestad

Håvard Kallestad is a Researcher and senior consultant psychologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Mental Health within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. He serves as Director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Research group at NTNU Department of Mental Health / St. Olavs University Hospital Division of Mental Health Care. His work bridges clinical practice with academic research in the specialized intersection of sleep medicine and psychiatric care.

Kallestad's primary research focus centers on interventions that act on the circadian system in mental disorders, clinical sleep medicine, and assessment methods in sleep and psychiatry. His work demonstrates a strong emphasis on translating sleep research into clinical applications, particularly examining how circadian rhythm interventions can improve mental health outcomes. His research spans digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (dCBT-I), light environment modifications in psychiatric settings, chronotherapeutic approaches for depression, and the relationship between sleep disturbances and various mental health conditions including OCD, bipolar disorder, and alcohol use disorder.

Analysis of Kallestad's publication record reveals a clear trajectory of increasing clinical impact in sleep medicine. His recent work shows growing emphasis on pragmatic, real-world applications of sleep interventions in primary care settings, with multiple randomized controlled trials examining group-delivered CBT-I and digital interventions. A distinctive feature of his research program is the integration of circadian science with practical psychiatric care, particularly through environmental modifications like blue-depleted lighting in hospital settings. His work consistently addresses how sleep interventions can be scaled and implemented in routine clinical practice rather than just specialized research settings.

Kallestad leads the Trondheim Sleep Group, which focuses on advancing research in sleep medicine with particular attention to the interface between sleep disorders and mental health conditions. His research program demonstrates strong interdisciplinary collaboration across psychiatry, neuroscience, and engineering fields, particularly evident in studies involving novel sleep monitoring technologies and computational analysis of sleep data.