Carolyn D’Ambrosio recently returned to Yale after having spent a couple of decades away. Her first stint on campus started in 1995 when she was a fellow at Yale School of Medicine. Now she’s an associate professor and the vice chief for fellowship training in the section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.
She’s a big fan of sleep, both personally and professionally; D’Ambrosio studies sleep, writes about best practices, and treats people with sleep disorders. She’s also an expert in medical ethics and is currently working on her second book.
We caught up with her for the latest edition of Office Hours, a Q&A series that introduces Yale newcomers to the broader university community.
| Title | Associate Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary) |
|---|---|
| Research interest | Sleep and breathing in relation to women’s health |
| Prior institution | Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital |
| Started at Yale | July 1, 2021 |
How would you describe your research?
Carolyn D’Ambrosio: The bulk of my research has been on women’s health and its relationship to sleep, looking at the effects of menopause on sleep and breathing, for example. I also look at whether treatment for sleep disorders affects a patient’s quality of life. And I’ve done some research with Medicare on appropriate screening and treatment for sleep and breathing problems.
I’m also interested in sleep and breathing in pregnancy and the outcomes for both the pregnant patient and the baby. There’s not a lot of research on this, so I’m one of the people working on guidelines for those taking care of pregnant patients.
You did a fellowship at Yale earlier in your career. What brought you back?
D’Ambrosio: I’ve always had a fondness for Yale. I was here for four years as a fellow and two years as a faculty member, then got recruited up to Boston where I was for many years. And then I got a call asking if I would consider coming back. Luckily, I was in a position in life that made that possible. The people you work with make all the difference and I had kept in touch with many people here and respected them enormously. So it was an easy yes.
What is your book about?
D’Ambrosio: When you’re in a field like sleep medicine that’s still developing, you are always a little bit horrified that you at one point gave advice that’s later revealed to be the opposite of what should be done. There was no clearer picture of that than when my first child was born and the advice at that time was to let an infant cry themselves to sleep in the middle of the night so the parents could get some sleep. And it was absolutely not the right thing to do.
Over the last 15 years, when my husband and I had time — he’s a pediatric sleep doctor — we started researching this ubiquitous practice and found the research doesn’t support it. So we wrote this book, “Comfort the Kid!” The research shows that all of those nighttime awakenings are normal, and the interactions parents and infants have during those times are opportunities for bonding and crucial for the infant’s development. It was rewarding to put together and I hope it’s making some impact for people.
Now we’re working on a book about sleep and teenagers, which is a lot more challenging.
What do you like to do for fun?
D’Ambrosio: Sleep! I joke that my daydream is to be able to take a nap after work, but that never happens. I also like to take my two dogs on walks and hikes. I ski in the winter and do watersports in the summer — jet ski, kayak, canoe — usually with my family or close friends.
You also took a very long walk recently with one of your daughters for a good cause. What was that experience like?
D’Ambrosio: “Coming out of the darkness” is the theme of a 17-mile walk for suicide prevention. We started walking at 8 p.m. and finished a little after 4 a.m. You’re in Manhattan, it’s night, it’s very vibrant. For the first several hours that keeps you distracted and you’re doing ok. Then you start slumping. And soon you’re really slumping and by the end it was grueling. Then the morning light comes up. And it’s a really nice analogy for mental health where if you can just get through that darkness, the light will come. It was really quite powerful to see how many people just in that one night were affected by suicide and wanted to make some sort of impact to prevent it.
