Colin Shapiro

Dr. Shapiro has a major interest in the basic physiological aspects of sleep, clinical aspects of sleep disorders, the use of sleep recordings for diagnostic purposes and the prospect of using sleep related measures in psychiatry specifically in depression. His interests include measurement in psychiatry and at present this is focused on the measurement of fatigue. He also has an interest in chronobiology as it relates to psychiatry and pharmacology. Dr. Shapiro has further, more limited interests in a range of psychiatric topics including insomnia, psychopharmacology, education of psychiatrists and measurement in psychiatry.

In the last few years, Dr. Shapiro has developed interests in providing information to both family physicians and the general public about specific conditions. Formal evaluation of this information and the impact of this form of health care intervention has been undertaken. Recently he has developed with colleagues, a free behavioral treatment for insomnia.

For the last half a dozen years Dr. Shapiro has directed a paediatric sleep program at Youthdale Treatment Centre. He will usually mentor and train 1-2 post graduate students and 1-2 fellows at any one time.

The range of research topics Dr. Shapiro is currently focused on is broad and has recently included sleep aspects of: adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, fetal alcohol syndrome, paediatric obesity and driving simulator studies. Further studies in obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea and psychopharmacology have been carried out as have studies on cognitive behavioral therapy in patients with depression and insomnia.