Dr. Lais F. Berro has a Ph.D. Degree in Psychobiology, Division of Sleep Medicine, from Universidade Federal de São, Brazil. She completed her postdoctoral studies at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, where she currently holds an Instructor position. Dr. Berro also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, in Brazil. She has a strong record of scholarly activity, having published over 50 peer-reviewed research papers, 5 book chapters, as well as multiple abstracts at national and international scientific meetings. Her long-term research interests involve the investigation of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between sleep and drug abuse. Specifically, her research goals are to (1) understand the mechanisms underlying the acute and chronic effects of drugs of abuse on sleep-wake cycles, (2) understand the effects of sleep-wake manipulations on the abuse-related behavioral effects of drugs of abuse, and (3) investigate the interactions between drugs of abuse (polydrug use) regarding their abuse- and sleep-related effects. A key component of her research program is a focus on translational drug discovery, with a long-standing goal of providing important information for discovery and development of safe and effective anti-addiction and sleep-aid medications.