Ashley Mason, PhD
Associate Professor
Psychiatry
School of Medicine

She is primarily a researcher (85% time) but also does clinical work (15% time).

Research Focuses: Learn more at sealab.ucsf.edu - Non-pharmacologic interventions for mental health disorders - Whole-body hyperthermia for depression - Thermogregulatory processes among individuals with depression - Food cravings and overeating - Nutritional approaches in prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes - Impact of stress on metabolic health and biological aging - Effects of sugar on body and brain

Clinical Work: Learn more (including insurance coverage) at oshersleepgroup.ucsf.edu - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) - Offers 5-6 groups focused on sleep problems per year - Maintains small individual practice for people with sleep problems - Sees patients over Zoom only - Covered for sleep treatment by medicare

• Variability of temperature measurements recorded by a wearable device by biological sex.
  Biology of sex differences 2023 Bruce LK, Kasl P, Soltani S, Viswanath VK, Hartogensis W, Dilchert S, Hecht FM, Chowdhary A, Anglo C, Pandya L, Dasgupta S, Altintas I, Gupta A, Mason AE, Smarr BL
• A Randomized Controlled Trial of Community-Delivered Heated Hatha Yoga for Moderate-to-Severe Depression.
  The Journal of clinical psychiatry 2023 Nyer MB, Hopkins LB, Nagaswami M, Norton R, Streeter CC, Hoeppner BB, Sorensen CEC, Uebelacker L, Koontz J, Foster S, Dording C, Giollabhui NM, Yeung A, Fisher LB, Cusin C, Jain FA, Pedrelli P, Ding …
• Correction: Treating binge eating and food addiction symptoms with low-carbohydrate Ketogenic diets: a case series.
  Journal of eating disorders 2023 Carmen M, Safer DL, Saslow LR, Kalayjian T, Mason AE, Westman EC, Sethi S
• Assessing Adherence to Multi-Modal Oura Ring Wearables From COVID-19 Detection Among Healthcare Workers.
  Cureus 2023 Shiba SK, Temple CA, Krasnoff J, Dilchert S, Smarr BL, Robishaw J, Mason AE
• Protocol for a randomized controlled trial comparing a very low-carbohydrate diet or moderate-carbohydrate plate-method diet for type 2 diabetes: the LEGEND (Lifestyle Education about Nutrition for Diabetes) trial.
  Trials 2023 Saslow LR, Eslamian A, Moran P, Hartogensis W, Mason AE, Kim S, Bauer DC, Griauzde DH, Goldman V, Liu V, Stephens P, Raymond K, Yeung G, Leung C, Hecht FM
• Controlled trial of a workplace sales ban on sugar-sweetened beverages.
  Public health nutrition 2023 Schmidt JM, Epel ES, Jacobs LM, Mason AE, Parrett B, Pickett AM, Mousli LM, Schmidt LA
• Psychological Support Strategies for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes in a Very Low-Carbohydrate Web-Based Program: Randomized Controlled Trial.
  JMIR diabetes 2023 Saslow LR, Missel AL, O'Brien A, Kim S, Hecht FM, Moskowitz JT, Bayandorian H, Pietrucha M, Raymond K, Richards B, Liestenfeltz B, Mason AE, Daubenmier J, Aikens JE
• Predictors of long-term neutralizing antibody titers following COVID-19 vaccination by three vaccine types: the BOOST study.
  Scientific reports 2023 Prather AA, Dutcher EG, Robinson J, Lin J, Blackburn E, Hecht FM, Mason AE, Fromer E, Merino B, Frazier R, O'Bryan J, Drury S, Epel ES
• Impact of digital meditation on work stress and health outcomes among adults with overweight: A randomized controlled trial.
  PloS one 2023 Radin RM, Epel ES, Mason AE, Vaccaro J, Fromer E, Guan J, Prather AA
• Methods for detecting probable COVID-19 cases from large-scale survey data also reveal probable sex differences in symptom profiles.
  Frontiers in big data 2022 Klein A, Puldon K, Dilchert S, Hartogensis W, Chowdhary A, Anglo C, Pandya LS, Hecht FM, Mason AE, Smarr BL
• Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Weight Loss Intervention on Long-Term Psychological Well-Being Among Adults with Obesity: Secondary Analyses from the Supporting Health by Integrating Nutrition and Exercise (SHINE) Trial.
  Mindfulness 2022 Hooker AR, Sagui-Henson SJ, Daubenmier J, Moran PJ, Hartogensis W, Acree M, Kristeller J, Epel ES, Mason AE, Hecht FM
• Association of Food Insecurity and Food Addiction Symptoms: A Secondary Analysis of Two Samples of Low-Income Female Adults.
  Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2022 Parnarouskis L, Gearhardt AN, Mason AE, Adler NE, Laraia BA, Epel ES, Leung CW
• Author Correction: Detection of COVID-19 using multimodal data from a wearable device: results from the first TemPredict Study.
  Scientific reports 2022 Mason AE, Hecht FM, Davis SK, Natale JL, Hartogensis W, Damaso N, Claypool KT, Dilchert S, Dasgupta S, Purawat S, Viswanath VK, Klein A, Chowdhary A, Fisher SM, Anglo C, Puldon KY, Veasna D, Prather …
• Author Correction: Feasibility of continuous fever monitoring using wearable devices.
  Scientific reports 2022 Smarr BL, Aschbacher K, Fisher SM, Chowdhary A, Dilchert S, Puldon K, Rao A, Hecht FM, Mason AE
• Detection of COVID-19 using multimodal data from a wearable device: results from the first TemPredict Study.
  Scientific reports 2022 Mason AE, Hecht FM, Davis SK, Natale JL, Hartogensis W, Damaso N, Claypool KT, Dilchert S, Dasgupta S, Purawat S, Viswanath VK, Klein A, Chowdhary A, Fisher SM, Anglo C, Puldon KY, Veasna D, Prather …
• Metrics from Wearable Devices as Candidate Predictors of Antibody Response Following Vaccination against COVID-19: Data from the Second TemPredict Study.
  Vaccines 2022 Mason AE, Kasl P, Hartogensis W, Natale JL, Dilchert S, Dasgupta S, Purawat S, Chowdhary A, Anglo C, Veasna D, Pandya LS, Fox LM, Puldon KY, Prather JG, Gupta A, Altintas I, Smarr BL, Hecht FM
• A Brief Motivational Intervention Differentially Reduces Sugar-sweetened Beverage (SSB) Consumption.
  Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine 2021 Mason AE, Schmidt L, Ishkanian L, Jacobs LM, Leung C, Jensen L, Cohn MA, Schleicher S, Hartman AR, Wojcicki JM, Lustig RH, Epel ES
• Negative Mood and Food Craving Strength Among Women with Overweight: Implications for Targeting Mechanisms Using a Mindful Eating Intervention.
  Mindfulness 2021 Sagui-Henson SJ, Radin RM, Jhaveri K, Brewer JA, Cohn M, Hartogensis W, Mason AE
• Longer Leukocyte Telomere Length Predicts Stronger Response to a Workplace Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Sales Ban: An Exploratory Study.
  Current developments in nutrition 2021 Wojcicki JM, Lustig RH, Jacobs LM, Mason AE, Hartman A, Leung C, Stanhope K, Lin J, Schmidt LA, Epel ES
• A Pilot Study Comparing the Effects of Consuming 100% Orange Juice or Sucrose-Sweetened Beverage on Risk Factors for Cardiometabolic Disease in Women.
  Nutrients 2021 Price CA, Medici V, Nunez MV, Lee V, Sigala DM, Benyam Y, Keim NL, Mason AE, Chen SY, Parenti M, Slupsky C, Epel ES, Havel PJ, Stanhope KL
• Feasibility and acceptability of a Whole-Body hyperthermia (WBH) protocol.
  International journal of hyperthermia : the official journal of European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology, North American Hyperthermia Group 2021 Mason AE, Fisher SM, Chowdhary A, Guvva E, Veasna D, Floyd E, Fender SB, Raison C
• Feasibility of continuous fever monitoring using wearable devices.
  Scientific reports 2020 Smarr BL, Aschbacher K, Fisher SM, Chowdhary A, Dilchert S, Puldon K, Rao A, Hecht FM, Mason AE
• Intervention Enhancement Strategies Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes in a Very Low-Carbohydrate Web-Based Program: Evaluating the Impact With a Randomized Trial.
  JMIR diabetes 2020 Saslow LR, Moskowitz JT, Mason AE, Daubenmier J, Liestenfeltz B, Missel AL, Bayandorian H, Aikens JE, Kim S, Hecht FM
• Treating binge eating and food addiction symptoms with low-carbohydrate Ketogenic diets: a case series.
  Journal of eating disorders 2020 Carmen M, Safer DL, Saslow LR, Kalayjian T, Mason AE, Westman EC, Sethi S
• Correction: Examining the Effects of Mindful Eating Training on Adherence to a Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes (the DELISH Study): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.
  JMIR research protocols 2020 Mason AE, Saslow L, Moran PJ, Kim S, Wali PK, Abousleiman H, Hartman A, Richler R, Schleicher S, Hartogensis W, Epel ES, Hecht F
• Association of a Workplace Sales Ban on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages With Employee Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Health.
  JAMA internal medicine 2020 Epel ES, Hartman A, Jacobs LM, Leung C, Cohn MA, Jensen L, Ishkanian L, Wojcicki J, Mason AE, Lustig RH, Stanhope KL, Schmidt LA
• Chapter 29 Eustress, distress, and oxidative stress: Promising pathways for mind-body medicine.
  2020 Kirstin Aschbacher, Ashley E. Mason
• Correction to: Lipid findings from the Diabetes Education to Lower Insulin, Sugars, and Hunger (DELISH) Study.
  Nutrition & metabolism 2019 Mason AE, Saslow LR, Moran PJ, Kim S, Wali PK, Abousleiman H, Richler R, Schleicher S, Goldman VM, Hartman A, Leung C, Hartogensis W, Hecht FM
• Do stress eating or compulsive eating influence metabolic health in a mindfulness-based weight loss intervention?
  Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association 2019 Radin RM, Epel ES, Daubenmier J, Moran P, Schleicher S, Kristeller J, Hecht FM, Mason AE
• Stringency in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) criteria and application in clinical study
  Journal of Infertility and Reproductive Biology 2019 Schneider, C., Huddleson, H., Masharani, U., Mason, A.E., & Frassetto, L.
• A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Mindfulness-Based Weight Loss Intervention on Cardiovascular Reactivity to Social-Evaluative Threat Among Adults with Obesity.
  Mindfulness 2019 Daubenmier J, Epel ES, Moran PJ, Thompson J, Mason AE, Acree M, Goldman V, Kristeller J, Hecht FM, Mendes WB
• Lipid findings from the Diabetes Education to Lower Insulin, Sugars, and Hunger (DELISH) Study.
  Nutrition & metabolism 2019 Mason AE, Saslow LR, Moran PJ, Kim S, Abousleiman H, Richler R, Schleicher S, Goldman VM, Hartman A, Leung C, Hartogensis W, Hecht FM
• Correction: Maternal caregivers have confluence of altered cortisol, high reward-driven eating, and worse metabolic health.
  PloS one 2019 Radin RM, Mason AE, Laudenslager ML, Epel ES
• Maternal caregivers have confluence of altered cortisol, high reward-driven eating, and worse metabolic health.
  PloS one 2019 Radin RM, Mason AE, Laudenslager ML, Epel ES
• Sweet cognition: The differential effects of glucose consumption on attentional food bias in individuals of lean and obese status.
  Physiology & behavior 2019 Mason AE, Jhaveri K, Schleicher S, Almeida C, Hartman A, Wackerly A, Alba D, Koliwad SK, Epel ES, Aschbacher K
• The burden of being poor: Stress at the belly of the matter.
  Brain, behavior, and immunity 2019 Mason AE
• Examining the Effects of Mindful Eating Training on Adherence to a Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes (the DELISH Study): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.
  JMIR research protocols 2019 Mason AE, Saslow L, Moran PJ, Kim S, Wali PK, Abousleiman H, Hartman A, Richler R, Schleicher S, Hartogensis W, Epel ES, Hecht F
• Rapid Assessment of Reward-Related Eating: The RED-X5.
  Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) 2019 Vainik U, Eun Han J, Epel ES, Janet Tomiyama A, Dagher A, Mason AE
• Stress resilience: Narrative identity may buffer the longitudinal effects of chronic caregiving stress on mental health and telomere shortening.
  Brain, behavior, and immunity 2018 Mason AE, Adler JM, Puterman E, Lakmazaheri A, Brucker M, Aschbacher K, Epel ES
• Can Mindfulness Address Maladaptive Eating Behaviors? Why Traditional Diet Plans Fail and How New Mechanistic Insights May Lead to Novel Interventions.
  Frontiers in psychology 2018 Brewer JA, Ruf A, Beccia AL, Essien GI, Finn LM, van Lutterveld R, Mason AE
• Weight Loss Maintenance and Cellular Aging in the Supporting Health Through Nutrition and Exercise Study.
  Psychosomatic medicine 2018 Mason AE, Hecht FM, Daubenmier JJ, Sbarra DA, Lin J, Moran PJ, Schleicher SG, Acree M, Prather AA, Epel ES
• Comfort Eating and All-Cause Mortality in the US Health and Retirement Study.
  International journal of behavioral medicine 2018 Cummings JR, Mason AE, Puterman E, Tomiyama AJ
• Pathways and mechanisms linking dietary components to cardiometabolic disease: thinking beyond calories.
  Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 2018 Stanhope KL, Goran MI, Bosy-Westphal A, King JC, Schmidt LA, Schwarz JM, Stice E, Sylvetsky AC, Turnbaugh PJ, Bray GA, Gardner CD, Havel PJ, Malik V, Mason AE, Ravussin E, Rosenbaum M, Welsh JA, …
• Authors' Reply: Comment on "An Online Intervention Comparing a Very Low-Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations Versus a Plate Method Diet in Overweight Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial".
  Journal of medical Internet research 2018 Saslow L, Mason AE, Kim S, Goldman V, Ploutz-Snyder R, Bayandorian H, Daubenmier J, Hecht FM, Moskowitz JT
• Chronic Stress and Impulsive Risk-Taking Predict Increases in Visceral Fat over 18 Months.
  Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) 2018 Mason AE, Schleicher S, Coccia M, Epel ES, Aschbacher K
• Twelve-month outcomes of a randomized trial of a moderate-carbohydrate versus very low-carbohydrate diet in overweight adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus or prediabetes.
  Nutrition & diabetes 2017 Saslow LR, Daubenmier JJ, Moskowitz JT, Kim S, Murphy EJ, Phinney SD, Ploutz-Snyder R, Goldman V, Cox RM, Mason AE, Moran P, Hecht FM
• Testing a mobile mindful eating intervention targeting craving-related eating: feasibility and proof of concept.
  Journal of behavioral medicine 2017 Mason AE, Jhaveri K, Cohn M, Brewer JA
• Improving Assessment of the Spectrum of Reward-Related Eating: The RED-13.
  Frontiers in psychology 2017 Mason AE, Vainik U, Acree M, Tomiyama AJ, Dagher A, Epel ES, Hecht FM
• The contemptuous separation: Facial expressions of emotion and breakups in young adulthood.
  Personal Relationships 2017 Heshmati S, Sbarra DA, Mason AE
• An Online Intervention Comparing a Very Low-Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations Versus a Plate Method Diet in Overweight Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
  Journal of medical Internet research 2017 Saslow LR, Mason AE, Kim S, Goldman V, Ploutz-Snyder R, Bayandorian H, Daubenmier J, Hecht FM, Moskowitz JT
• Impact of a Mindfulness-Based Weight-Loss Intervention on Sleep Quality Among Adults with Obesity: Data from the SHINE Randomized Controlled Trial.
  Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) 2016 Adler E, Dhruva A, Moran PJ, Daubenmier J, Acree M, Epel ES, Bacchetti P, Prather AA, Mason A, Hecht FM
• Reduced reward-driven eating accounts for the impact of a mindfulness-based diet and exercise intervention on weight loss: Data from the SHINE randomized controlled trial.
  Appetite 2016 Mason AE, Epel ES, Aschbacher K, Lustig RH, Acree M, Kristeller J, Cohn M, Dallman M, Moran PJ, Bacchetti P, Laraia B, Hecht FM, Daubenmier J
• Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on mindful eating, sweets consumption, and fasting glucose levels in obese adults: data from the SHINE randomized controlled trial.
  Journal of behavioral medicine 2015 Mason AE, Epel ES, Kristeller J, Moran PJ, Dallman M, Lustig RH, Acree M, Bacchetti P, Laraia BA, Hecht FM, Daubenmier J
• Putting the brakes on the "drive to eat": Pilot effects of naltrexone and reward-based eating on food cravings among obese women.
  Eating behaviors 2015 Mason AE, Laraia B, Daubenmier J, Hecht FM, Lustig RH, Puterman E, Adler N, Dallman M, Kiernan M, Gearhardt AN, Epel ES
• The relationship between preoperative general mental health and postoperative quality of life in minimally invasive lumbar spine surgery.
  Neurosurgery 2015 Asher R, Mason AE, Weiner J, Fessler RG
• Acute responses to opioidergic blockade as a biomarker of hedonic eating among obese women enrolled in a mindfulness-based weight loss intervention trial.
  Appetite 2015 Mason AE, Lustig RH, Brown RR, Acree M, Bacchetti P, Moran PJ, Dallman M, Laraia B, Adler N, Hecht FM, Daubenmier J, Epel ES
• Excessive Sugar Consumption May Be a Difficult Habit to Break: A View From the Brain and Body.
  The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 2015 Tryon MS, Stanhope KL, Epel ES, Mason AE, Brown R, Medici V, Havel PJ, Laugero KD
• Sleep complaints predict increases in resting blood pressure following marital separation.
  Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association 2014 Krietsch KN, Mason AE, Sbarra DA
• The reward-based eating drive scale: a self-report index of reward-based eating.
  PloS one 2014 Epel ES, Tomiyama AJ, Mason AE, Laraia BA, Hartman W, Ready K, Acree M, Adam TC, St Jeor S, Kessler D
• Increases in Mindful Eating Predict Reductions in Consumption of Sweets and Desserts: Data from the Supporting Health by Integrating Nutrition and Exercise (SHINE) Clinical Trial.
  Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2014 Ashley E. Mason, Jennifer Daubenmier, Patricia J. Moran, Jean Kristeller, Mary Dallman, Robert H. Lustig, Michael Acree, Peter Bacchetti, Barbara Laraia, Elissa S. Epel, Frederick M. Hecht
• Prospective associations among approach coping, alcohol misuse and psychiatric symptoms among veterans receiving a brief alcohol intervention.
  Journal of substance abuse treatment 2014 Mason AE, Boden MT, Cucciare MA
• Expressive Writing Can Impede Emotional Recovery Following Marital Separation.
  Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science 2013 Sbarra DA, Boals A, Mason AE, Larson GM, Mehl MR
• The Dark Side of Divorce.
  2013 David A. Sbarra, Ashley E. Mason
• Romantic separation, loss, and health: A review of moderators.
  Health and social relationships: The good, the bad, and the complicated. 2013 Ashley E. Mason, David A. Sbarra
• Facing a breakup: Electromyographic responses moderate self-concept recovery following a romantic separation.
  Personal Relationships 2012 Mason AE, Law RW, Bryan AE, Portley RM, Sbarra DA
• Staying connected when coming apart: The psychological correlates of contact and sex with an ex-partner.
  Journal of social and clinical psychology 2012 Mason AE, Sbarra DA, Bryan AE, Lee LA
• Attachment Anxiety, Verbal Immediacy, and Blood Pressure: Results from a Laboratory-Analogue Study Following Marital Separation.
  Personal Relationships 2011 Lee LA, Sbarra DA, Mason AE, Law RW
• Thin-slicing divorce: thirty seconds of information predict changes in psychological adjustment over 90 days.
  Psychological science 2010 Mason AE, Sbarra DA, Mehl MR
• Marital dissolution and blood pressure reactivity: evidence for the specificity of emotional intrusion-hyperarousal and task-rated emotional difficulty.
  Psychosomatic medicine 2009 Sbarra DA, Law RW, Lee LA, Mason AE