Dr. Ariel A. Williamson joined the Ballmer Institute as an assistant professor in September 2023. Dr. Williamson is a clinical psychologist and Diplomat in Behavioral Sleep Medicine (DBSM) with expertise in pediatric sleep health inequities and behavioral interventions. Her research uses a socio-ecological approach to understand how multiple factors (child; family; school; healthcare system; neighborhood and socio-cultural context) contribute to child sleep problems, inequities, and developmental outcomes. Dr. Williamson’s intervention research applies implementation science principles and community-engaged methods to promote pediatric sleep health and treat sleep problems in primary care and in partnership with community organizations.

Dr. Williamson serves on the board of the Philadelphia-area Beds for Kids program, which provides beds, bedding, and sleep education for children living in poverty and without an individual bed. She is also a sleep expert for the Pediatric Sleep Council, a free, evidence-based resource with information about early childhood sleep for families and clinicians. Dr. Williamson is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research and an Associate Editor for Sleep Health: the official journal of the National Sleep Foundation. She is also a committee member for the American Heart Association’s LIFESTYLE Sleep Health Committee of the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Sleep Research Society Foundation, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation. In 2023, she received the American Thoracic Society’s Carole L. Marcus Outstanding Achievement Award, which recognizes early career accomplishments in pediatric sleep and respiratory neurobiology.