Ashley Mason, PhD

Assoc Professor In Residence

Psychiatry

+1 415 514-6820

Ashley Mason, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF. She is core research faculty at the UCSF Osher Center and a clinical psychologist leading behavioral sleep medicine treatment in the UCSF Osher Center Clinic. She is Director of the UCSF Sleep, Affect, and Eating (SEA) Lab. She is the Co-Director of the UCSF Center for Obesity Assessment, Study, and Treatment (COAST). 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

Publications:

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

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

Schmidt JM, Epel ES, Jacobs LM, Mason AE, Parrett B, Comfort A, 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 JG, Pandya LS, Fox LM, Busch M, Giordano C, Mercado BK, Song J, Jaimes R, Baum BS, Telfer BA, Philipson CW, Collins PP, Rao AA, Wang EJ, Bandi RH, Choe BJ, Epel ES, Epstein SK, Krasnoff JB, Lee MB, Lee SW, Lopez GM, Mehta A, Melville LD, Moon TS, Mujica-Parodi LR, Noel KM, Orosco MA, Rideout JM, Robishaw JD, Rodriguez RM, Shah KH, Siegal JH, Gupta A, Altintas I, Smarr BL

Author Correction: Feasibility of continuous fever monitoring using wearable devices.

Scientific reports

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

Metrics from Wearable Devices as Candidate Predictors of Antibody Response Following Vaccination against COVID-19: Data from the Second TemPredict Study.

Vaccines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Carmen M, Safer DL, Saslow LR, Kalayjian T, Mason AE, Westman EC, Sethi Dalai 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

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

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.

Kirstin Aschbacher, Ashley E. Mason

Correction to: Lipid findings from the Diabetes Education to Lower Insulin, Sugars, and Hunger (DELISH) Study.

Nutrition & metabolism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.)

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

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

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

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

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

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, Allister-Price C, Sigala DM, Greenwood MRC, Astrup A, Krauss RM

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

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.)

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

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

Mason AE, Jhaveri K, Cohn M, Brewer JA

Improving Assessment of the Spectrum of Reward-Related Eating: The RED-13.

Frontiers in psychology

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

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

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.)

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

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

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

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

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

Mason AE, Lustig RH, Brown RR, Acree M, Bacchetti P, Moran PJ, Dallman M, Laraia B, Adler N, Hecht FM, Daubenmier J, Epel ES

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

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