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Faculty Detail    
Name STEPHEN JUSTIN THOMAS
  
Campus Address SC 1010 Zip 0017
Phone  (205) 996-0142
E-mail
Other websites
     

Education
Undergraduate  University of Alabama at Birmingham    2008  BS - Biology and Psychology 
Fellowship  University of Alabama    2011  Clinical Fellowship in Behavioral Sleep Medicine 
Residency  University of Florida    2013  Clinical Internship in Health Psychology and Behavioral Sleep Medicine 
Graduate  University of Alabama    2013  PhD - Clinical Health Psychology 
Fellowship  University of Alabama at Birmingham    2017  Research Fellowship in Sleep and Hypertension 

Certifications
Veteran's Affairs Certification in Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD  2014 
Veteran's Affairs Certification in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia  2014 


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Primary  Psych - Behavioral Neurobiology  Psych - Behavioral Neurobiology Associate Professor
Secondary  Med - Pulmonary/Allergy/Critical Care  Med - Pulmonary/Allergy/Critical Care Assistant Professor
Center  Comprehensive Neuroscience Center  Comprehensive Neuroscience Center Associate Professor
Center  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci Associate Professor
Center  Epilepsy Center  Epilepsy Center Associate Professor
Center  Minority Health & Research Center  Minority Health & Research Center Associate Professor

Biographical Sketch 
Dr. S. Justin Thomas received a PhD in clinical health psychology from the University of Alabama with an emphasis on health psychology and behavioral sleep medicine. He completed clinical internship at the University of Florida, clinical fellowships in behavioral sleep medicine at both the University of Alabama and the University of Florida, and a two-year post-doctoral research fellowship on sleep and hypertension at UAB. Dr. Thomas is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He is the Director of the UAB Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic integrated in the UAB Sleep/Wake Disorders Center and serves as Chair of the Practice Committee of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
American Heart Association    https://www.heart.org/ 
Sleep Research Society    https://sleepresearchsociety.org/ 
Society for Research on Biological Rhythms    https://srbr.org/ 
Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine  Chair, Practice Committee  https://behavioralsleep.org/ 
 



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Mechanisms Underlying Racial Differences in Nocturnal Hypertension and Non-Dipping Blood Pressure
Description
Dr. Thomas' program of research is translational, spanning basic, clinical, and population science. Broadly, his research interests focus on circadian and sleep mechanisms underlying health, as well as disparities in health. He has a particular interest in circadian rhythms research and its application to clinical practice. He is currently a co-investigator on an American Heart Association-funded study examining the impact of dietary sodium intake on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and nocturnal blood pressure. He is also actively involved in research aimed at examining other factors that contribute to elevated nocturnal blood pressure using population cohorts, including the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study and Jackson Heart Study.

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Gaddam K, Pimenta E, Thomas SJ, Cofield SS, Oparil S, Harding SM, Calhoun DA. Spironolactone reduces severity of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with resistant hypertension: A preliminary report. J Hum Hypertens. 2010;24:532-37  20016520 
Gonzaga CC, Gaddam K, Ahmed MI, Pimenta E, Thomas SJ, Harding SM, Oparil S, Cofield SS, Calhoun DA. Severity of obstructive sleep apnea is related to aldosterone status in subjects with resistant hypertension. J Clin Sleep Med. 2010;6:363-68.  20726285  
Thomas SJ, Lichstein KL, Taylor DJ, Reidel BW, Bush AJ. Epidemiology of bedtime, arising time, and time in bed: Analysis of age, gender, and ethnicity. Behav Sleep Med. 2013;12:169-82.  23574553 
Lichstein KL, Scogin FR, Thomas SJ, DiNapoli EA, Dillon HR, McFadden A. Telehealth cognitive behavior therapy for co-occurring insomnia and depression symptoms in older adults. J Clin Psychol. 2013;69:1056-65.   24014056  
Thomas SJ, Calhoun DA. Sleep, insomnia, and hypertension: Current findings and future directions. J Am Soc Hypertens. 2017;11(2):122-129.  28109722 
Thomas SJ, Booth III JN, Bromfield S, Seals SR, Spruill TM, Ogedegbe G, Kidambi S, Shimbo D, Calhoun D, Muntner P. Clinic and ambulatory blood pressure in a population-based sample of African Americans: the Jackson Heart Study. J Am Soc Hypertens. 2017;11(4):204-212.  28285829  
Thomas SJ, Booth III JN, Dai C, Li X, Allen N, Calhoun D, Carson AP, Gidding S, Lewis CE, Shikany JM, Shimbo D, Sidney S, Muntner P. Cumulative incidence of hypertension by 50 years of age: the CARDIA study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018;7(14). doi:10.1161/JAHA.117.007988.  29997132 
Johnson DA, Thomas SJ, Abdalla M, Guo N, Yano Y, Rueschman M, Tanner RM, Mittleman MA, Calhoun DA, Wilson JG, Muntner P, Redline S. Association between sleep apnea and blood pressure control among African Americans: the Jackson Heart Sleep Study. Circulation. 2018 Dec 10. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.036675. [Epub ahead of print]  30586763 
Sakhuja S, Booth III JN, Lloyd-Jones DM, Lewis CE, Thomas SJ, Schwartz JE, et al. Health behaviors, nocturnal hypertension and non-dipping blood pressure: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults and Jackson Heart Study. Am J Hypertens. 2019 Feb 2. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpz017. [Epub ahead of print]  30715142 
Booth III JN, Anstey DE, Bello NA, Jaeger B, Pugliese D, Thomas SJ, Deng L, Shikany JM, Lloyd-Jones D, Schwartz JE, Lewis CE, Shimbo D, Muntner P. Race and sex differences in sleep blood pressure: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. J Clin Hypertens. 2019 Feb 5. doi: 10.1111/jch.13474. [Epub ahead of print]  30719843 
 

Keywords
behavioral sleep medicine, circadian rhythms, ambulatory blood pressure