Orfeu M. Buxton

Dr. Buxton’s research primarily focuses on 1) the causes of chronic sleep deficiency in the workplace, home, and society, and 2) the health consequences of chronic sleep deficiency, especially cardiometabolic outcomes, and the physiologic and social mechanisms by which these outcomes arise. Successful aging is a central focus of this work. Ongoing interdisciplinary human studies involve sleep loss, aging, and insomnia, as well as health disparities.

Dr. Buxton is a member of the Work, Family, and Health Network, co-chairs the Steering Committee, and leads the Biomarker and Actigraphy Data Coordinating Center (BADCC) for the Work, Family, and Health Study, among others. Dr. Buxton serves on the Internal Advisory Board for the Harvard School of Public Health Center for Work, Health, and Well-being. Dr. Buxton also serves as an associate editor for Sleep Health sleephealthjournal.org and on the editorial board for Sleep.

After earning a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh and a stint as a small business owner, Dr. Buxton earned a doctoral degree in Neuroscience from Northwestern University, and obtained post-doctoral training in sleep and endocrinology at the University of Chicago. Dr. Buxton co-founded the National Postdoctoral Association, a member-driven organization that provides a unique, national voice for postdoctoral scholars.