Bender CV (1 of 6)
Amy M. Bender
Work: 403-254-6663 ext. 262 Cell: 587-703-8664 · Email:
Centre for Sleep and Human Performance
106,51 Sunpark Drive SE
Calgary, AB T2X 3V4
Education/Credentials
PhD (5/2015) Experimental Psychology, Washington State University
Project title: Sleep Disturbance and Daytime Symptoms in Cigarette Smokers Attempting to Quit Without Treatment
MSc Experimental Psychology (5/2012) – Washington State University
Project title: Individual Differences in Polysomnographic Sleep Variables Before and After Repeated Exposures to Sleep Deprivation.
Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT), (2008) Registry #11546
BA Psychology (12/2002) - California State University, San Bernardino
Research Experience
Mitacs Postdoctoral Research Fellow: (joint appointment) Centre for Sleep and Human Performance & University of Calgary
Co-Investigator – The Relationship of Sleep Quality to Recovery, Training Capacity, and Performance in Elite Athletes (6/2015 – Present)
Responsibilities include:
· Study design, management and execution of all aspects of the study including: Ethics application and modifications; Develop all standard operating procedures; Recruitment of Canadian Olympic athletes; Consent; Administers and management of the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) and sleep diary through SurveyMonkey; Scoring ASSQ and randomization of athletes to objective sub-study; Actigraphy programming and downloading sleep and wake activity; Coordinates clinical interview with the sleep specialist; Main contact person for follow-up with athletes; Data mining; Dissemination of results and reports; Complex statistical techniques for data analysis; Scientific writing of manuscripts and reports
· Research coordinator for clinical sleep screening of all funded Canadian Olympic Athletes
· Research coordinator for the Fatigue Management project for the Olympic National Curling Team
Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University, Spokane, WA
Principal Investigator – Smoking Cessation Study (3/2013 – 5/2015)
Polysomnographic (PSG) Technologist/Research Assistant (8/2006 – 5/2015)
Responsibilities included:
· Study design, management and execution of a three night laboratory study which included: Informed consent, screening, study, and weekly follow-up sessions
· Administered bio-samples for participants including: Carbon monoxide testing and urine analysis of cotinine and other drugs
· Performed PSG hook-ups for sleep studies and scored sleep data
· Administered and scored 30+ different sleep and smoking questionnaires
· Completed complex data mining, statistics, and analysis techniques including Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) spectral analysis
· Monitored research participants and administered cognitive and physiological testing, including: functional near infrared spectroscopy, skin conductance response, deadly force simulator, and driving simulator during sleep deprivation experiments
· Trained research assistants and developed standard operating procedures on PSG hook-up technique, near infrared optical topography, driving simulator, and ECG Holter monitors
· Managed technical aspects of PSG equipment, database, and sleep software including: Troubleshooted equipment/software problems; Imputed initial recording information; Archived and appended recordings; Developed customized sleep reports and hypnograms for six different sleep studies
Clinical Experience
Holy Family Hospital Sleep Disorders Center, Spokane, WA (9/2008 – 11/2011)
Aspen Sleep Centers, Spokane Valley, WA (8/2006 – 6/2008)
Polysomnographic Technologist – Supplemental
Responsibilities included:
· Performed diagnostic sleep studies in patients with sleep disorders which involved: Set up of equipment, supplies and paperwork; Monitored and documented patient activity (sleep staging, respiratory events, period leg movements, heart rate and ECG abnormalities); Scored epochs of sleep and respiratory events in order to determine if treatment was needed; Fitted patients on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) masks according to size, type and comfort; Titrated patients to a proper pressure using CPAP, Bi-Level and Variable Positive Airway Pressure (VPAP).
Grants/Awards
· Bender, A.M. Co-I, $90,000– Mitacs Accelerate Postdoctoral Fellowship
Project title: Relationship of Sleep to Recovery and Performance in Elite Athletes (2/2015)
· American Association of Sleep Technologists Distinguished Service Award 2014
· Bender, A.M. Co-PI, $10,609– WSU Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program
Project title: Objective Markers of Sleep Disturbance as Predictors of Smoking Relapse (6/2013)
· Associated Students of Washington State University Spokane graduate student travel award, $500 (10/2013)
· Sleep Research Society Merit Abstract Award, $500 (6/2011)
· Inland Northwest Health Science Excellence in Research Award, (3/2009)
· Sleep Research Society Honorable Mention Abstract Award, $250 (6/2007)
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Bender, A.M., Van Dongen, H.P.A., Roll, John M., Layton, M.E. (in preparation). Sleep Disturbance and Daytime Sleepiness in Cigarette Smokers Attempting to Quit Without Treatment.
Kishi, A., Van Dongen, H.P.A., Natelson, B.H., Bender, A.M., Palombini, L.O., Bittencourt, L, Tufik, S., Ayappa, I., Rapoport, D.V. (Submitted).
Sleep Continuity is Positively Correlated with Sleep Duration in Laboratory Nighttime Sleep Recordings.
Van Dongen, H.P.A., Bender, A.M., & Dinges, D.F. (2012). Systematic Individual Differences in Sleep: Homeostatic and Circadian Rhythm Contributions to Neurobehavioral Impairment during Sleep Deprivation. Accident Analysis and Prevention 45S: 11-16.
Luik, A.I., Bender, A.M., Tucker, A.M., Belenky, G., & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (2008). Systematic Inter-Individual Differences in Polysomnographic Sleep Variables. Sleep-Wake Research in the Netherlands 19: 109-112.
Bender, A.M., Tucker, A.M., Knittle, K.A., Belenky, G., & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (2007). Slow Wave Activity in the First NREM Episode is a Trait Marker in Addition to a Homeostatic State Marker. Sleep-Wake Research in the Netherlands 18: 33-36.
Presentations
Bender, A.M., Lawson, D., James, L., & Samuels, C.H. (poster, 6/2015). Subjective Sleep Profiles in Elite Athletes using the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire. Associated Professional Sleep Society’s National SLEEP meeting, Seattle, WA.
Bender, A.M., Layton, M., Roll, J., & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (poster, 6/2015). Polysomnography in Cigarette Smokers after Smoking and during a Quit Attempt. Associated Professional Sleep Society’s National SLEEP meeting, Seattle, WA.
Bender, A.M. (oral and poster, 6/2014). Subjective Sleep Differences between Elite Athletes and Non-Athlete Healthy Controls. SLEEP 37(Abstract Supplement), 0140. Associated Professional Sleep Society’s National SLEEP meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
Kishi, A., Bender, A.M., Ayappa, I., Rapoport, D.M., Van Dongen, H.P.A. (poster, 6/2014). Trait-Like Interindividual Differences in Dynamics of Sleep Stage Transitions in Healthy Young Adults. SLEEP 37 (Abstract Supplement), 0855. Associated Professional Sleep Society’s National SLEEP meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
Bender, A.M., Layton, M., Roll, J., & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (oral, 5/2014). Objective Changes in Sleep among Healthy Smokers during Smoking Cessation. Translational Addictions Research Center Monthly Seminar Series, Spokane, WA.
Bender, A.M., Lawson, D., Van Dongen, H.P.A., Meeuwisse, W.H.,
Samuels, C.H. (oral, 2/2014; poster, 9/2013). Subjective Sleep Differences between Elite Athletes and Non-Athlete Healthy Controls. Wiley Research Exposition, Pullman, WA; Sport Medicine and Innovation Conference, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Bender, A.M. Van Dongen, H.P.A. (oral, 6/2013). Sleep Stage Transition Index as a Proxy of Arousal Index. SLEEP 36 (Abstract Supplement), 0299.
Bender, A.M. (oral, 6/2012). Waveform Recognition for Sleep Technologists. American Association of Sleep Technologists Sleep Scoring Course, Boston, MA.
Bender, A.M. (oral, 6/2012). Sleep Stage Scoring for Sleep Technologists. American Association of Sleep Technologists Sleep Scoring Course, Boston, MA.
Bender, A.M., Belenky, G., Short, R. & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (poster, 6/2012). Individual Differences in Polysomnographic Sleep Variables across Multiple Recordings before and after Repeated Exposures to Total Sleep Deprivation. SLEEP 35 (Abstract Supplement), 0164. Associated Professional Sleep Society’s National SLEEP meeting, Boston, MA.
Bender, A.M., Satterfield, B., Belenky, G., & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (oral, 6/2011). Total Sleep Time Differences during a Simulated Night Shift Schedule. Associated Professional Sleep Society’s National SLEEP meeting, Minneapolis, MN. SLEEP 34 (Abstract Supplement), 0158.
Satterfield, B., Bender, A.M., Belenky, G., & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (6/2011). Slow Wave Sleep is Conserved during a Simulated Shiftwork Schedule. SLEEP 34 (Abstract Supplement), 0152.
Bender, A.M., Satterfield, B., Belenky, G., & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (oral, 3/2011). Sleep Duration and Sleep Structure Differences during a Simulated Night Shift Schedule. Sleep and Performance Research Center Seminar Series, Spokane, WA.
Bender, A.M., Raj, S., McCauley, P., Jackson, M.L., Belenky, G., Van Dongen, H.P.A. (poster, 6/2010). Accumulation of Sleep Homeostatic Pressure across Repeated Exposures to Total Sleep Deprivation. SLEEP 33 (Abstract Supplement), 0301. Associated Professional Sleep Society’s National SLEEP meeting, San Antonio, TX.
Bender, A.M., Tucker, A.M., Belenky, G., & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (poster, 6/2009; oral 4/2009). General Intellectual Functioning Does Not Predict Performance Impairment on the Psychomotor Vigilance Test during Sleep Deprivation. SLEEP 32 (Abstract Supplement), 0486. Associated Professional Sleep Society’s National SLEEP meeting, Seattle, WA; Inland Northwest Health Sciences Research Symposium, Spokane, WA.
Bender, A.M., Knittle, K. A., Tucker, A.M., Belenky, G., & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (poster, 6/2008). Trait-Like Individual Differences in Total Sleep Time among Healthy Young Adults. SLEEP 31 (Abstract Supplement), 0081. Associated Professional Sleep Society’s National SLEEP meeting, Baltimore, MD.
Bender, A.M., Tucker, A.M., Knittle, K., Belenky, G., & Van Dongen, H.P.A. (poster, 6/2007). Slow Wave Activity in the First NREM Episode is a Trait Marker in Addition to a State Marker. SLEEP 30 (Abstract Supplement), 0111. Associated Professional Sleep Society’s National SLEEP meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
Leadership
· University of Calgary Kinesiology Postdoctoral Fellows Group Member
· WSU Graduate Research Student Association (GRSA) Mentor for a new graduate student (2012-2015)
· WSU GRSA Vice President of Records (2013/2014)
· American Association of Sleep Technologists (AAST) Program Committee Chair (2012-2013)
· AAST Program Committee Member (2010-2013)
· Co-Chair of the Oral Presentations Session at the AAST National meeting 2013, Baltimore, MD
· Co-Chair of the Scoring of Sleep for the Sleep Technologist Course at the AAST National meeting 2012, Boston, MA
· Chair of the Pediatric Sleep Medicine Course at the AAST National meeting 2011, Minneapolis, MN
Athletic Achievements
· Community Colleges of Spokane Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (3/2014)
· Windermere Marathon Finisher (5/2011)
· Ironman Coeur d’Alene Finisher (6/2009) – 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile marathon in 13:52.
· Ascents of Mt. Adams (12,276’): 8/2010, 7/2010, 7/2007;
Mt. Rainier (14,411’): 7/2010; Mt. Baker (10,778’): 7/2010;
Mt. Hood (11,249’): 7/2010, 3/2010 attempted; Mt. Athabasca (11,453’): 5/2010 attempted.
· California Collegiate Athletic Association All Academic Team (2001), (2002)
· California State University San Bernardino Women’s Basketball Scholar Athlete (2001), (2002)
· Community Colleges of Spokane Basketball third in career rebounds
· Community Colleges of Spokane Basketball NWAACC All-Region Team (1999), (2000); NWAACC All-Tournament Team (1999), (2000)