معرفی
Dr. Lauren Booker is a Research Fellow at the Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. With over 15 years of experience in sleep research, she leads significant projects examining sleep disorders, circadian rhythms, and their impact on occupational health and rural communities.
Her educational background includes:
- Doctorate in Philosophy from Monash University (2015-2019)
- Masters in Public Health from Monash University (2014-2015)
- Postgraduate diploma in behavioral science from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (2013)
Dr. Booker's research focuses on circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, particularly shift work disorder and infant sleep development. Her work examines how sleep patterns affect health outcomes in rural communities, healthcare workers, and new mothers. She investigates the relationship between maternal circadian disruption from shift work and melatonin levels in breast milk, as well as the impact of mistimed expressed breast milk on infant sleep outcomes. Her research has significant implications for occupational health and safety policies, particularly for healthcare workers and truck drivers in rural settings.
Her publication record demonstrates a strong focus on the intersection of sleep disorders and pandemic health outcomes, particularly regarding long COVID. Her work frequently explores how pre-existing sleep conditions influence susceptibility to and recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection. She also investigates rural health disparities, comparing metropolitan and regional healthcare shift workers to identify occupational risks related to sleep and fatigue.
Dr. Booker has secured significant research funding including:
- Sleep better- Think Better- Work Safe from WorkSafe grants program (2022-2025)
- Shift work and changes to breast milk composition from Norman Beischer Medical Research Foundation (2022-2023)
She maintains active collaborations with major organizations including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and WorkSafe Victoria, focusing on post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection and occupational fatigue risks in rural settings.
