Expands leadership in circadian science and health, performance and safety, and workforce health and wellness

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — National Sleep Foundation (NSF) today announced the appointment of four new members to its Board of Directors: Anne-Marie Chang, PhD, of Penn State University; Steven K. Howard, MD, of Stanford Medicine; Jeffrey Michael, EdD, of the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy; and Gina C. Pervall, MD, of LifeHealth LLC. The new members join Board Chair Mark R. Rosekind, PhD, and NSF’s board of researchers, clinicians, business leaders, and public health experts committed to advancing NSF’s mission to improve health and well-being through sleep.

Anne-Marie Chang, PhD, is Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State University. Her research examines the interrelationships of sleep physiology and behavior, circadian rhythms, cardiometabolic health, cognitive function, and genomics. Dr. Chang’s work on the effects of light on sleep – particularly light emitted from electronic devices – and on how sleep characteristics relate to adolescent health has advanced understanding of how sleep deprivation affects cognition and physiological outcomes. She has previously served on NSF’s Screen Use and Sleep Consensus Panel and is on the editorial board of NSF’s journal, Sleep Health®.

Steven K. Howard, MD, is Professor Emeritus of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Stanford Medicine. His research centers on the effects of sleepiness and fatigue on medical personnel. Using realistic simulation, his lab teaches health care personnel the techniques of crisis resource management (CRM) while measuring the sleep propensity and performance of nurses, residents, and staff physicians. Dr. Howard has lectured extensively on sleep deprivation and its impact on physician performance, and his findings are broadly applicable.

Jeffrey Michael, EdD, is Distinguished Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, where he holds the Leon S. Robertson Faculty Development Chair in Injury Prevention. Dr. Michael is an accomplished national and international leader in the analysis, development, and implementation of programs to improve road safety in the United States and other nations. His current research focuses on strategies for using emerging mobility technologies to improve safety and reduce health disparities, and he is leading an effort to develop evidence-based policy models to steer the deployment of new mobility products and services for public health benefit.

Gina C. Pervall, MD, is National Medical Director of LifeHealth LLC, a company specializing in health care services and staffing for employers and government agencies. She previously served as Medical Director for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Department of Occupational Health and Wellness and as Medical Director of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Dr. Pervall also served as Chief of the Medical Advisory Board for the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration and Chairperson of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Medical Review Board, where her leadership was instrumental in developing guidelines and regulations adopted by local and federal governments to promote workplace safety and medical fitness-to-drive. Dr. Pervall previously served on NSF’s Board of Directors (2022–2023).

“NSF’s work connecting sleep to health, performance, and safety benefits broad segments of the public, from everyday people to our most influential institutions and organizations. Anne-Marie, Steve, Jeff, and Gina each bring deep expertise and real-world experience that will help NSF continue to be a trusted source that translates sleep science and insights into programs that can positively impact people’s daily living. We are grateful they have chosen to lend their leadership to our mission,” said John Lopos, National Sleep Foundation CEO.

About the National Sleep Foundation
There’s only one National Sleep Foundation (NSF). NSF is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. Founded in 1990, the NSF is committed to advancing excellence in sleep health theory, research and practice. For over 35 years, NSF has promoted sleep health through expert recommendations, consensus guidelines, tech standards, and easy-to-use evidence-based tips and tools to improve sleep. For more information about NSF, visit www.theNSF.org │ SleepHealthJournal.org

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SOURCE National Sleep Foundation