Brett Messman

Dr. Messman is a behavioral health scientist interested in investigating the biobehavioral and psychosocial determinants of healthy aging across adult development. He completed a Ph.D. in behavioral science at the University of North Texas in 2024 and was a NIA T32 postdoctoral fellow in the Pathways Program at the Pennsylvania State University, Center for Healthy Aging.  Dr. Messman is the director of the Ambulatory Healthy Aging (AHA Lab). The long-term research goals of the AHA Lab are to: 1) investigate how modifiable health behaviors (e.g., sleep) change in response to daily challenges (e.g., stress, negative emotions) across the lifespan; 2) identify the extent to which changes in health behavior responsiveness to daily challenges influence age-affiliated health trajectories (e.g., immunosenescence, accelerated biological aging, cognitive decline); and 3) evaluate potential mechanisms underlying these associations (e.g., inflammation). To investigate related research questions, we use ecological momentary assessment, ambulatory psychophysiological assessments (e.g., actigraphy, EEG, cardiovascular monitoring), biological assays (e.g., inflammation, viral load), longitudinal data analysis, and secondary data analysis/harmonization studies.

 

Student Admission: Dr. Messman will be taking new students for the Fall 2026 admission cycle.