Bilgay Izci Balserak
Associate Professor
Research Interests
- Dr. Izci Balserak’s research focuses on women's health (including childbearing and midlife women) with an emphasis on sleep disturbances, circadian rhythms, clock genes and their relevance to adverse health outcomes (i.e. cardiometabolic health outcomes). Her specific research attention is dedicated to (1) assessing the sleep-related determinants of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes (i.e. pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and intrauterine growth retardation), (2) identifying the risk factors for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), (3) producing a screening tool for SDB in the pregnant population, (4)identifying circadian genes associated with adverse health outcomes and (5) using a behavioral sleep intervention called "BETTER" to prevent sleep-related metabolic adverse health outcomes.
- She currently is performing a Randomized Control Trial (RCT), which is the best study design. This RCT aims to improve sleep and prevent adverse pregnancy and infant outcomes including gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-term delivery etc. These are associated with circadian genes, SDB, short & long sleep duration, and low percentage of delta power (slow wave sleep). The secondary aim is to examine whether intervention is associated with decreased inflammatory biomarkers such as IL-6 and CRP.
At a Glance
- Title Associate Professor
- College College of Nursing
- Department Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science
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