Ashley Mason, PhD

Research Interests

• Non-pharmacologic treatments for insomnia
• Whole-body hyperthermia for depression
• Wearable devices in assessment of physiological correlates of mental health symptoms
• Food-craving experiences, stress-induced, and reward-based eating
• Adherence to dietary recommendations, particularly carbohydrate-restricted diets, in type 2 diabetes 
• Learn about Dr. Mason’s Sleep, Eating, and Affect Lab

Experience and Current Work

Dr. Ashley Mason’s primary research interests focus on sleep, eating, and affect. She is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US Department of Defense (DOD) and several foundations, including the Aoki Foundation, Tiny Foundation, and the Donner Foundation.

Her work funded by the NIH focuses on understanding how heat-based treatments may help reduce depression symptoms. Her current research trials involve the administration of whole-body hyperthermia, which is similar to a sauna treatment, and cognitive behavioral therapy, which is a psychotherapy for depression, as an integrative mind-body treatment for clinical depression. Her work funded by the U.S. Department of Defense focuses on using data from wearable devices as potential indicators of mental health symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, trauma, or stress symptoms. Dr. Mason also serves as a co-investigator on studies focused on reducing processed and liquid sugar from the diet. For example, she studies how banning the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages in workplaces might improve metabolic health, and how reducing carbohydrates in the diet may reduce risk for prediabetes and may improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Mason’s clinical practice focuses exclusively on insomnia treatment. She leads the Osher Center Sleep Group, which is a 5-week cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) group medical visit practice. She also serves as a co-investigator on studies of CBT-I in military populations.  

Education and Training

• National Center for Contemplative and Integrative Health Training in Research in Integrative Medicine (TRIM) Postdoctoral Fellowship, UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
• Clinical Internship, Behavioral Medicine Veterans Administration, Palo Alto Medical Health Care System 
• Licensed Clinical Psychologist, License Number 26991
• PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Arizona
• MA, Clinical Psychology, University of Arizona
• BA, Psychology and Sociology (double-major), Northwestern University 

Publications

View publications on UCSF Profiles