Sleep, glymphatics, and traumatic brain injury in the military: biomarkers and interventions

April 13 | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Join in person at Spokane Center for Clinical Research and Simulation, Room 250 (SCRS 250)

Or via Zoom

Meeting ID: 921 9471 2798
Passcode: 440015

LCDR J. Kent Werner Jr. MD, PhD, is an active-duty physician and neuroscientist in the Navy Medical Corps who is appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the Uniformed Services University (USU) in Bethesda, MD. He serves as the Associate Program Director for the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) Sleep Fellowship and the Director of Research for the WRNMMC Sleep Disorders Center. Clinically, he is board certified in sleep medicine and neurology, treating patients at WRNMMC Sleep and Neurology Clinics and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

His research focuses on the impact of traumatic brain injury on sleep physiology and cognitive performance. This includes the development of novel molecular, electrophysiological, magnetic resonance, and optical spectroscopy biomarkers of sleep and circadian function. He aims to use these for the execution of targeted clinical trials for TBI-related sleep disorders. He actively trains medical students, graduate students, residents and fellows in his laboratory at USU, and he is serving as principal investigator in multiple human research protocols exploring sleep physiology and testing novel therapies.