Dr Karyn O’Keeffe is a Senior Lecturer at the Sleep/Wake Research Centre, and a physiologist with considerable clinical experience in monitoring sleep and managing sleep disorders.
Karyn began her career in sleep research and medicine as a Clinical Physiologist at WellSleep, University of Otago Wellington, where she worked for 10 years and gained first-hand experience of shift work. She began to transition to the Sleep/Wake Research Centre in 2006 and has been based at the Centre full-time since 2012.
Karyn has broad research interests but is particularly passionate about understanding the impacts of shift work and fatigue and improving fatigue management, particularly for healthcare professionals, and improving sleep health in the general population. Her previous research mainly focussed on treatment provision for sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnoea and insomnia. She has worked with government and industry groups to provide expert advice in relation to sleep, shift work and fatigue management.
Karyn is responsible for the strategic direction and coordination of the Centre’s teaching activities, which include two undergraduate courses, two postgraduate courses, as well as professional development courses, workshops and seminars.