Meet The Experts

Daniel J. Taylor, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona, and a licensed psychologist board certified in both Sleep Medicine and Behavioral Sleep Medicine. He is an expert in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) and the primary investigator of the grant that funded CBTIweb.org.

Allison K. Wilkerson, PhD., is a licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Sleep and Anxiety Treatment and Research Program (SATRP) within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Her research focuses primarily on evidence-based assessment and treatment for insomnia and other sleep disorders in children and adults with comorbid diagnoses, including substance use disorders and PTSD.

Kristi E. Pruiksma, PhD., is an Associate Professor and Licensed Clinical Psychologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She specializes in behavioral sleep medicine, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia and for nightmares, and Cognitive Processing Therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Jessee R. Dietch, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University and VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Her research focuses on behavioral sleep medicine interventions, sleep health disparities, and sleep assessment.

Dr. Bunnell is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of South Florida and a licensed psychologist in the state of Florida. His research focuses primarily on developing and evaluating health IT resources that improve access and quality of care of mental health services.

Sophie Wardle-Pinkston, MS, is a graduate student at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on the assessment and treatment of co-occurring sleep disorders and PTSD.

Ken Ruggiero, PhD, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, is a Professor of Nursing and Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he directs the Technology Applications Center for Healthful Lifestyles. His work focuses mainly on developing apps for health care providers and people who are affected by disasters and other major life events.

Dr. Alyssa Rheingold is a licensed clinical psychologist and Professor Victim's Research and Treatment Center (NCVC) within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is the Director of Clinical Operations at the NCVC and Co-Director of the Sleep and Anxiety Treatment and Research Program. Her expertise includes evidence-based treatment of trauma related mental health issues, child sexual abuse prevention, anxiety disorders and traumatic grief. Dr. Rheingold has published over 60 peer reviewed articles and book chapters in the area of anxiety and trauma.

Dr. Melissa Milanak is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Sleep & Anxiety Treatment & Research Program within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina. Her research and clinical expertise includes anxiety, sleep disorders, stress, and trauma. She is also a clinical assessment advisor for Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR) helping organizations effectively utilize assessments to augment best practices.

Casey D. Calhoun, Ph.D. is a Research Assistant Professor and Licensed Clinical Psychologist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. He specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and its applications to the treatment of PTSD.

Rick Simmons, RPSGT, is the research coordinator and manager at the Research Sleep Center within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

William Brim, Psy.D. is the director of the DoD Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) and an Associate Professor of Medical and Clinical Psychology at the Uniformed Services University. He is a fellowship trained expert in behavioral sleep medicine and lead CBT-I trainer at CDP providing training, consultation and supervision in behavioral sleep medicine.

Diana C. Dolan, PhD., CBSM, is a Senior Military Behavioral Health Psychologist at the Center for Deployment Psychology headquartered at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She specializes in behavioral sleep medicine and clinical health psychology, and is a US Air Force Veteran.

Alan Peterson, PhD., is a board-certified clinical health psychologist and a Full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He has significant clinical and research experience in the area of sleep disorders in active duty military personnel http://www.strongstar.org.

Charles M. Morin, PhD., is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Sleep Research Centre at Université Laval in Quebec City. He holds a Canada Research Chair on behavioral sleep medicine. Professor Morin has held several leadership positions in the field, including as current President of the World Sleep Society and member of the American Psychiatric Association work group revising sleep disorders diagnostic criteria for DSM-5. He is currently an Associate Editor for the journals SLEEP and for Behavioral Sleep Medicine and a member of the editorial board of several other journals. Professor Morin has published extensively on the topic of insomnia (8 books; > 300 articles and chapters) and his work has been instrumental in improving the standards of clinical care for individuals afflicted with insomnia.

Brittany Hall-Clark, PhD. is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, specializing in trauma recovery, military issues, insomnia, nightmares, anxiety, and multicultural diversity. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health San Antonio, where she worked as a research therapist for 8 years and now currently focuses on culturally sensitive research in military families. She is also part of a private practice called Insight Psychology and Behavioral Health Services in Pflugerville, Texas.

Brooke A. Fina, MSW, LCSW, BCD, is an Assistant Professor and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker within the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She is a Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (BCD) the by American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work. She provides clinical services for the South Texas Research Organizational Network Guiding Studies on Trauma and Resilience (STRONG STAR) Research Consortium, and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD (CAP) at the Fort Hood military installation in Killeen, Texas.

Marquisha R.G. Lee, PhD., ABPP, CBSM is a licensed staff psychologist at the Veteran Affairs North Texas Health Care System in Dallas. She specializes in health psychology and behavioral sleep medicine.

LaDonna C. Saxon, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, and a licensed psychologist with over ten years of experience working with military Veterans. She specializes in clinical health psychology, with emphasis in Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Treatments for Chronic Pain and Insomnia.