thePULSEGiving Freud a Run for His Money
By Jennie Fitzgerald
Sigmund Freud stand back! Dr. Amy Wolfson, who teaches and researches at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, is all about uncovering sleep secrets. She got her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Harvard in ‘ 82 and her Doctorate from Washington University in ‘87. Since then, she has been a post-doctorate researcher at Stanford, has written “The Woman’s Book of Sleep,” and has participated in numerous studies. Yeah, I’d say she’s up there with the greats.
Ever wonder why when we were younger we all managed pretty consistently to sleep through our smoke-detector-sounding alarm clocks? Dr. Wolfson is the one to ask. She focuses her research on children and adolescents, visiting many middle and high schools to get first hand information. “I am thrilled that my current research involves working with middle school students in an urban, public school setting. Often these are students who are ignored…”
She loves to engage her college students in every aspect of research and analysis. Holy Cross’s emphasis on Undergraduate learning and development struck Amy as beneficial to this process. Getting to know her students in and out of the classroom is one perk she values. “There is nothing more exciting than seeing a student turned on to an area of study and making it his or her own.”
Her dedication shows itself in ~ in addition to her devotion to her students ~ her eagerness to share her findings with the public. I mean, she’s not doing all this stuff just so she can have the best night’s sleep EVER or to discover why her 16-year-old son hates getting up in the morning ~ although it probably helps. She has shared her knowledge by teaching, working with parents, speaking at conferences, and publishing work in self-help books and magazines.
Her life outside the classroom (and lab)? Dr. Wolfson is married, has a teenage son, and is constantly active. Whether she’s hitting the slopes or the sand, volunteering, or getting on her bike, she makes sure to get in a little bit of both exercise and fun.
Her current four-year study will teach us the sleep patterns, daytime functioning, and environmental constraints that young teens face daily. And don’t be surprised if you hear Amy fighting for different school start times. Calling all teens, you might want to have Amy’s back in this fight!
