Amy Reynolds
D.Phil(Soc.Science), M.SciMed(Clin Epi) B.Psych(Hons), Dip.Gov(Contract Mgmt)Senior Lecturer and Honours Research Co-ordinator
School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences
Amy is a clinical epidemiologist and senior lecturer in Psychology and Public Health. Based at the Appleton Institute at CQUniversity Australia's Adelaide Campus, Amy's research interests include
- Shift work, sleep and health
- Microbiota changes with insufficient sleep
- Broader sleep health awareness for the general public
- Developing education and awareness of the impact of shift work on health
- Psychological preparedness for natural disaster
Amy's PhD was conferred in February 2015, and was entitled 'The Impact of Insufficient Sleep on Healthy Functioning in Men'. She focussed on the effects on insufficient sleep and shift work on men's health, with a particular emphasis on the metabolic consequences of poor sleep. Her PhD work involved sleep laboratory manipulation of sleep duration, and working on the large community-dwelling cohort study MAILES: Men, Androgens, Inflammation, Lifestyle, Environment and Stress based in Adelaide.
Amy's current interests are the role of intestinal microbiota on health, and how shift work (particularly sleep loss, circadian misalignment) alters profiles in the gut. She is particularly passionate about applied research, and translating findings from the laboratory into real-world changes for shift workers and other members of society who experience insufficient sleep. This has driven her interest in working with Emergency Services personnel to ensure best outcomes for workers and society as a whole.
Amy has worked at the University of Western Australia on the WA pregnancy cohort study (RAINE), and during her time in WA secured industry funding within the mining sector looking at fatigue interventions for FIFO workers.
Universities Studied At
The Flinders University of South Australia (2004-05)
University of South Australia (2006-09; B.Psych(Hons))
University of South Australia (2010-15; PhD(Psychology)
Universities Worked At
University of South Australia (2010-2012)
University of Western Australia (2012-2014)
CQUniversity Australia (2015-current)
Awards
2016 Australasian Sleep Association Helen Bearpark Memorial Scholarship recipient
2016 Invited Researcher: Alfred P Sloan Foundation Early Career Researcher workshop
2016 CQUniversity Australia Early Career Researcher program
2015 Freemason's Foundation Trevor Prescott Memorial Scholarship recipient
2011 Australasian Chronobiology Society doctoral student conference award
2010 European Sleep Research Society travel award (Lisbon, Portugal)
2009 Chancellor's letters of commendation (University of South Australia)
2007 Lawbook Company prize for achievement in Criminal Justice: Psychology, Crime and the Law (Flinders)
2007 Chancellor's letters of commendation (University of South Australia)
Media Citations
2016-2017: Sealy Australia Sleep Expert
Television Do you get enough sleep? Sunrise Weekend. February, 2017.
Radio Interview Is technology affecting your sleep? Tech Daily (Andy Wells). 7 December, 2016.
Online 10 unconventional ways to help you fall asleep. Body and Soul (Dr Amy Reynolds). 1 December, 2016.
Radio Sleep, technology and health. ABC North West Qld (Zara Margolis). 1 December, 2016.
Online ‘Sleep: The most overlooked cause of belly fat’. news.com.au; Herald Sun; Perth Now; Daily Telegraph Australia; The Mercury; Geelong Advertiser (Kathleen Alleaume). 1 December, 2016
Online ‘Sleeping with the enemy: Australians struggling to sleep as we take tech to bed’ Sydney Morning Herald (Sarah Berry). 28th November, 2016
Online Could a disrupted sleep also disturb your gut? ABC News (Fiona Pepper). 1st November, 2016
Radio Interview Sleep and the gut. The Health Report, ABC Radio National (Fiona Pepper, Dr Norman Swan). 31st October 2016
Podcast ‘Gut microbiome, sleep disruption and obesity’ The Healthy Shiftworker (Audra Starkey). 19th October, 2016
Online ‘How the tiny organisms in our stomachs can affect our sleep’. Van Winkles (Chelsea Harvey). 18th March, 2016
Print ‘Health matters: Sleep problems, and all the rest’. The Australian (Sean Parnell), 11th March, 2016
Radio Interview Sleep and the human gut microbiome. ABC Mid North Coast (Fiona Wyllie), 9th March, 2016
Print ‘Sleep deprivation caused by jet lag and shift work could be treated through your gut microbiome’. Huffington Post (Cayla Dengate), 7th March, 2016
Radio Interview Impact of sleep on the human gut microbiome. ABC Regional (Chrissy Arthur), 26th February 2016
Radio Interview Testosterone and sleep in men. 774 ABC Melbourne (talkback with Red Symons), October 2015
Previous teaching
Undergraduate
Individual Differences and Assessment (current)
Research for Emergency and Disaster Management (current)
Advanced Methods in Psychology
Graduate/Postgraduate
Honours Research Project (A and B)
Research Methods in Clinical Psychology
Honours thesis supervision
Professional Experience
2008-2010: Counseling and Behavioural Intervention Specialist
2007: Gradaute, Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Professional Memberships
Australasian Sleep Association (2010-current)
Australasian Sleep Association Membership committee (2015-current)
Australasian Chronobiology Society (2010-current)
Working Time Society (2017-current)
Professional Interests
- Shift work and health
- Sleep loss, inflammation and metabolic dysfunction
- Sleep health education and awareness
Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences - Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified
