Bio


Dr. Barwick is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Sleep Medicine Division. She is Director of the Sleep & Circadian Health Program and is responsible for developing and expanding clinic services and overseeing didactics and training for Behavioral Sleep Medicine postdoctoral fellows. She also serves as Associate Division Chief for Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Barwick and her team offer comprehensive evaluations of sleep problems and brief, evidence-based, non-drug treatments for insomnia, hypersomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, nightmares and other parasomnias, and Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) adjustment. Treatment, provided in individual or group formats, emphasizes a collaborative approach and uses cognitive-behavioral techniques as well as mindfulness- and acceptance-based techniques to help people fall asleep and stay asleep more easily, feel less sleepy or fatigued during the day, manage misaligned sleep-wake patterns, and reduce the frequency and severity of nightmares.

Dr. Barwick presents at regional, national and international conferences. She also collaborates in and conducts ongoing research studies at Stanford and other national and international hospitals and universities. Integrated protocols have been developed and are currently being tested for treating sleep problems that co-occur with medical conditions such as chronic pain or POTS, as are CBTI protocols delivered in Mandarin via telehealth to patients at Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in China.

Clinical Focus


  • Health Psychology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Behavioral Sleep Medicine
  • Clinical Psychology

Academic Appointments


Administrative Appointments


  • Director of Sleep & Circadian Health Program, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences - Division of Sleep Medicine (2015 - Present)
  • Associate Division Chief of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences - Division of Sleep Medicine (2020 - Present)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations


  • Chair, Membership Committee, Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (2019 - Present)
  • Member, American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2015 - Present)
  • Member, American Psychological Association (APA) (2014 - Present)
  • Member, APA Division 38 - Health Psychology (2016 - Present)

Professional Education


  • Fellowship: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (2014) CA
  • PhD, Pennsylvania State University, PA (2011)
  • Internship, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, CA (2011)
  • Fellowship, VA James A. Haley, FL (2012)
  • Fellowship, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, CA (2014)
  • DBSM, Board of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (2019)

Current Research and Scholarly Interests


Research interests focus on expanding sleep education, improving sleep health, optimizing treatment for circadian rhythm disorders, and adapting treatment for insomnia in populations where developmental, medical, psychiatric and cultural factors intersect.

Current research projects include developing and piloting integrated protocols for treating sleep problems that co-occur with medical conditions such as chronic pain or POTS. Ongoing collaborations include delivery of a CBTI protocol in Mandarin via telehealth to patients at Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in China. Past projects include investigation of the link between RLS and the gut microbiome and a survey of student sleep health.

Stanford Advisees


Graduate and Fellowship Programs


All Publications


  • DYNAMIC FEATURES OF THE TREATMENT PROCESS PREDICT DIFFERENT OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS UNDERGOING COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY FOR INSOMNIA Hu, Y., Xu, Y., Barwick, F. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2022: A209
  • RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME: DOES IT START WITH A GUT FEELING? Blum, D. J., During, E., Barwick, F., Davidenko, P., Zeitzer, J. M. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2019
  • Factors associated with fatigue in patients with insomnia. Journal of psychiatric research Kim, S. J., Kim, S. n., Jeon, S. n., Leary, E. B., Barwick, F. n., Mignot, E. n. 2019; 117: 24–30

    Abstract

    Although fatigue is common in insomnia, the clinical associates of fatigue in patients with insomnia are largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the clinical associates of fatigue in patients with insomnia. Patients visiting the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center completed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Insomnia Symptom Questionnaire (ISQ), the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Among 6367 patients, 2024 were diagnosed with insomnia (age 43.06 ± 15.19 years; 1110 women and 914 men) according to the ISI and the ISQ. Insomnia patients with severe fatigue (n = 1306) showed higher insomnia symptoms, daytime sleepiness, depression and longer habitual sleep duration than those without severe fatigue (n = 718). Higher insomnia symptoms, daytime sleepiness and depressive symptoms, and longer habitual sleep duration, independently predicted higher fatigue scores. Among insomnia patients with daytime sleepiness (ESS≥10), only habitual sleep duration and depression predicted fatigue scores. The interaction between insomnia severity and daytime sleepiness significantly predicted the severity of fatigue. Depression was a significant mediator between insomnia and fatigue. For 598 insomnia patients undergoing overnight polysomnography (PSG), no significant correlations were found between fatigue and any PSG parameters. The current study suggests that managing insomnia or depression may reduce the fatigue of insomnia patients, whereas arbitrary efforts to prolong sleep duration may worsen their fatigue.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.06.021

    View details for PubMedID 31272015

  • Sleep, sleeplessness and neuropsychiatric conditions. Practical Neurology Barwick, F. 2019
  • Managing Sleep for Optimal Performance, Brain Function, and Mental Health LIFESTYLE PSYCHIATRY Kutscher, S., Barwick, F., Noordsy, D. L. 2019: 261–83
  • Sleep disorders in patients with postural tachycardia syndrome: A review of the literature and guide for clinicians AUTONOMIC NEUROSCIENCE-BASIC & CLINICAL Miglis, M. G., Barwick, F. 2018; 215: 62–69
  • Commentary: Parent-Reported Behavioral and Psychiatric Problems Mediate the Relationship between Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Cognitive Deficits in School-Aged Children FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY Barwick, F., Guilleminault, C. 2017; 8: 597

    View details for PubMedID 29180980