SEA Lab

Ashley E. Mason, PhD | Laboratory Director

Ashley E. Mason is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Core Faculty at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health, Co-Director of the Center for Obesity Assessment, Study, and Treatment (COAST), and Director of the UCSF Osher Center Sleep Group. She joined UCSF's Osher Center for Integrative Health in the Fall of 2013 as a postdoctoral fellow. She completed her Clinical Internship in Behavioral Medicine at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, her PhD and MA in Clinical Psychology at the University of Arizona, and her undergraduate degrees at Northwestern University.

She is the principal investigator and a co-investigator on several federally funded projects from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the US Department of Defense (DOD). She also leads research funded by several philanthropic organizations. Her current work focuses on (1) developing thermal therapy protocols, including hyperthermia and contrast therapy, for the treatment of clinical depression and insomnia, (2) combining thermal therapy protocols with behavioral treatments to improve outcomes in clinical depression and insomnia, (3) optimizing firefighter health by reducing the bodily burden of toxicants (e.g., PFAS, mold mycotoxins), and (4) using wearable devices to assess changes in physiological metrics, in particular body temperature, as either predictors of illness or as correlates of changes in depression symptoms. She also studies environmental and behavioral interventions to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and craving and craving-related eating, particularly in the context of obesity and diabetes. She directs the UCSF Osher Center Sleep Clinic, where she treats patients with insomnia. She occasionally appears on podcasts to talk about her work in thermal therapies and insomnia treatment.

Sarah Fisher, MS | Program Policy Analyst, Laboratory Manager

Sarah first joined the SEA Lab in 2018, when she worked on the Biology and Experiences of Eating (BEE) study, the HEATBED pilot study, and the TemPredict study before leaving for graduate school in 2020. She has since returned to the SEA Lab after earning her M.S. in Psychology, and she is excited to be back with the SLEEPS study and assisting the team in launching exciting new studies!

Leena Pandya, ND | Associate Research Specialist

Dr. Leena Pandya joined the lab in October 2020. She earned her undergraduate degree in Neurobiology & Behavior from Cornell University, after which she pursued her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University and completed her residency at an outpatient integrative neurology clinic. Dr. Pandya has contributed to various research projects in the past at the NIH's National Cancer Institute, UW-Harborview, and both her alma maters. She is a practicing Naturopathic Doctor specializing in lifestyle medicine, herbal remedies for primary care concerns, and regenerative joint therapies. Her most recent research interests include the use of sauna to promote excretion of environmental toxicants, non-pharmacological options for metabolic syndrome, and non-opiate solutions for pain. She completed a postdoctoral felloship at UCSF and is now an Associate Research Specialist leading research studies on firefighter health.

Ming Pei, B.A. | Predoctoral Fellow

Mingzhuo Pei joined the SEA Lab during her medical school research year. She is a medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, a TRIM Predoctoral Fellow at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health, and a former UCSF Aging Research Fellow.

Her research examines how physical and psychological health shape function, symptom impact, and quality of life, with interests in aging, women’s health, sleep, pain, and the mind–body connection. She is drawn to integrative approaches that support long-term wellbeing and everyday functioning.

Erika Jung, PhD | Study Interviewer

Erika Jung is a licensed psychologist (PSY30770) who has worked with adolescents and adults in a variety of settings across the continuum of care. She joined the SEA lab in 2023 as a therapist providing CBT for depression as part of the HEATBED study. She now works on the SLEEPS study. In her private practice, she treats depression, anxiety, trauma, and eating disorders utilizing a weight-inclusive approach. She received her BA from Brown University and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She completed her predoctoral internship at Stanford University Counseling and Psychological Services and her postdoctoral residency at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City, where she worked from 2017 to 2022.

Polina Eidelman, PhD | Study Interviewer

Polina Eidelman, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist (PSY25550) who works with the SEA lab as a clinical interviewer on the SLEEPS study. She also has a private practice in San Diego and is a partner at the Redwood Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Research. In her private practice, Polina works with adult individual clients on issues including sleep problems, difficulties with mood/emotion regulation, anxiety, parenting, and life transitions and stress utilizing an individualized CBT approach. She received her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2011 and has been licensed as a clinical psychologist since 2013.

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