Prof. Wai Sze CHAN

EDUCATION

• BSocSc City University of Hong Kong
• MPhil City University of Hong Kong
• PhD in Clinical Psychology. Indiana University Bloomington

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

• 2019–present: Assistant Professor. Department of Psychology. University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
• 2022: Visiting Professor. Center for Digital Health. ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• 2017–2018: Assistant Professor. Department of Psychiatry. Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, NH US

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Sleep and disordered eating
• Treatment of Insomnia and Disordered Eating
• Digital Mental Health
• AI-Interventions

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

For a full publication list, please see google scholar.

*denotes student under my supervision

1. Cheng, W. Y.*, & Chan, W. S. (2025). A narrative review on sleep and eating behavior. Current Diabetes Reports, 25(1), 50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-025-01611-4
2. Chan, W.S. & Cheng, W.Y.* (2025). Study protocol for a parallel-group, randomized controlled trial of enhanced cue exposure therapy for negative emotional eating. Contemporary Clinical Trials, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2025.107955
3. Ng, A. S. *, & Chan, W. S. (2025). Sleep and arousal in adults who recall chronic childhood trauma. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: Official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 21(8), 1487–1490. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.11684
4. Chan, W. S., Po, S. K.*, & Ng, A. S. Y. * (2024). Stigma of binge-eating disorder in Hong Kong Chinese adults: Effects of weight status, diagnostic labeling, and etiological explanations. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 0, 1-13. http://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24251
5. Chan, W. S.,Cheng, W. Y. *, Lok, S. H. C. *, Cheah, A. K. M. *, Lee, A. K. W., Ng, A. S. Y. *, & Kowatsch, T. (2024). Assessing the short-term efficacy of digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia with different types of coaching: Randomized controlled comparative trial. JMIR Mental Health, 11(1), e51716. http://doi.org/10.2196/51716
6. Chan, W. S.(2024). Effects of sleep deprivation on food-related Pavlovian-instrumental transfer: A randomized crossover experiment. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 10029. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60223-2
7. Chung, H. K. S.*, Louie, K. *, & Chan, W. S. (2024). Development and evaluation of a Chinese short-form of the sleep-related behaviors questionnaire in Hong Kong Chinese adults using item response theory. Journal of Health Psychology, 29(4), 255-265. http://doi.org/10.1177/13591053231195518. Scale
8. Chan, W. S., & Lai, T. T.* (2023). Pavlovian-instrumental transfer effects in individuals with binge eating. Journal of Eating disorders, 11(1), 113.
   https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-023-00824-w
9. Chan, W. S., McCrae, C. S., & Ng, A. S.* (2023). Is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia effective for improving sleep duration in individuals with insomnia? A Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 57(6), 428–441. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaac061
10. Chan, W. S., Dautovich, N. D., McNamara, J. P. H., Stripling, A., Dzierzewski , J.M., McCoy, K., & McCrae, C.S. (2020). Sleep discrepancy in a randomized controlled trial of brief behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia in older adults. Behavioral Sleep Medicine,10, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/15402002.2020.1726750
11. Chan, W. S., Levsen, M.P., & McCrae, C.S. (2018). A meta-analysis of associations of insomnia diagnosis and insomnia symptoms with obesity. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 40, 170-182.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2017.12.004
12. Chan, W. S.(2018). Daily associations between objective sleep and consumption of highly palatable food in free-living conditions. Obesity Science & Practice, 4(4), 379-386. https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.281
13. Chan, W. S., Levsen, J., Svyatoslav, P., Robinson, M.E., Staud, R., Berry, R.B., & McCrae, C.S. (2018). Sleep Discrepancy in patients with comorbid fibromyalgia and insomnia: Demographic, behavioral, and clinical correlates. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 14(11), 1911-1919. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.7492
14. Chan, W. S.,Williams, J., Dautovich, N. D., McNamara, J. P. H., Stripling, A., Berry, R. B., Dzierzewski , J.M., McCoy, K., & McCrae, C.S. (2017). Night-to-night sleep variability in older adults with chronic insomnia: Mediators and moderators in a randomized controlled trial of brief behavioral therapy (BBT-I). Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 13(11):1243-1254.
    https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6790
15. Chan, W. S. (2016). Delay discounting and response disinhibition moderate associations between actigraphically-measured sleep parameters and body mass index. Journal of Sleep Research, 26(1), 21-29.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12437
16. Chan, T.W.S., Ahn, W.-Y., Bates, J.E., Busemeyer, J.R., Guillaume, S., Redgrave, G.R., Danner, U., & Courtet, P. (2014). Differential impairments underlying decision making in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: A cognitive modeling analysis. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 47(2), 157-67.
    https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22223

RESEARCH LABORATORY

Professor Chan directs the Eating and Sleep Translational (EAST) Research Laboratory (formerly known as the Eating, Sleep, Self-regulation and Health Research Laboratory), where her research program investigates the dynamic interplay between eating and sleeping—two essential daily behaviors whose disruption can significantly impact mental and physical health. Her team employs experimental, observational, and longitudinal study designs to elucidate the motivational, emotional, and cognitive mechanisms underlying the relationship between sleep and dysregulated eating.

In addition, Prof. Chan conducts clinical trials to evaluate adaptations of evidence-based psychological and behavioral interventions for disordered eating and sleep disturbances. By leveraging innovative technologies such as mobile devices, passive sensing, and ecological momentary assessments, her team aims to develop scalable interventions for diverse populations.

Her current studies are externally funded by the General Research Fund and Health and Medical and Research Fund (see list).

RESEARCH INTERNSHIP (2024-2025)