Sleep research expert joins WWAMI Spokane faculty

SPOKANE – Jonathan Wisor has joined the research faculty of the WWAMI Medical Education Program at WSU Spokane. His appointment as an assistant professor is part of the growing focus on health sciences at the Spokane campus. He also holds an appointment with the Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Physiology in the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

Wisor brings to WSU Spokane a strong research background in sleep, including work to increase the understanding of the neurobiological basis for sleep, biological rhythms and sleep disorders therapeutics. His expertise provides a natural connection between WWAMI Spokane and the Sleep and Performance Research Center at WSU Spokane.

Wisor previously served as a staff scientist at the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory of SRI International in Menlo Park, Cal., and as the laboratory manager of the Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology Laboratory at the Stanford University Medical School. He is currently the principal investigator in two studies that consider the effects of pharmaceuticals on sleep disorders.

Wisor holds a doctoral degree from the UCLA School of Medicine. He is the recipient of predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships from the National Multi-Site Training Program for Basic Sleep Research. 

About WWAMI
WWAMI is an enduring partnership between the University of Washington School of Medicine and the states of Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho that makes medical education accessible to Northwest students through decentralizing education and sharing existing facilities and personnel. WSU Spokane became a new WWAMI site after the state legislature funded the program in 2007; its inaugural class began their studies this August.

The WWAMI Spokane program is coordinated with the Regional Initiative in Dental Education (RIDE) Dental Program. The unique and interdisciplinary training these programs offer demonstrates the increasing importance of health sciences education to WSU Spokane and Spokane itself.

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