Dr. Sarah Sperry
@drsarahsperry.bsky.social
Richard Tam Early Career Professor in Translational Bipolar Research @UMich | Bipolar disorder | Emotion | Impulsivity | EtOH | Sleep | Digital Phenotyping |
EmoTe Lab: https://sperry.lab.medicine.umich.edu/
EmoTe Lab: https://sperry.lab.medicine.umich.edu/
Love my lab! A great dinner at SRP!
September 27, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Love my lab! A great dinner at SRP!
Check out the final paper from my @bbrfoundation.bsky.social Young Investigator Award, now published in Nature Mental Health!
rdcu.be/eHxQr
rdcu.be/eHxQr
Modeling and predicting mood instability in a longitudinal cohort of bipolar disorder
Nature Mental Health - Sperry et al. used machine learning approaches to investigate profiles of mood instability and create a prediction model for clinical and functioning outcomes using data from...
rdcu.be
September 22, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Check out the final paper from my @bbrfoundation.bsky.social Young Investigator Award, now published in Nature Mental Health!
rdcu.be/eHxQr
rdcu.be/eHxQr
Heading home after 10 days in Japan full of travel and conference fun! Thrilled my symposium went well - thank you to Maria Faurholt-Jensen, Kathleen Merikangas, and Benito Frey for standing beside me and talking all things mood instability in bipolar disorder!
September 19, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Heading home after 10 days in Japan full of travel and conference fun! Thrilled my symposium went well - thank you to Maria Faurholt-Jensen, Kathleen Merikangas, and Benito Frey for standing beside me and talking all things mood instability in bipolar disorder!
Off to Japan for ISBD!!!!
September 10, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Off to Japan for ISBD!!!!
Join the Prechter Program and the U-M Addiction Center for our webinar, "Mind Matters: The Intersections of Substance Use, Suicidality & Bipolar Disorder," on 10/7 from 6:30-8:30 PM ET. I’ll be speaking along with Dr. Mark Ilgen. Register here: michmed.org/dYkRq
September 2, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Join the Prechter Program and the U-M Addiction Center for our webinar, "Mind Matters: The Intersections of Substance Use, Suicidality & Bipolar Disorder," on 10/7 from 6:30-8:30 PM ET. I’ll be speaking along with Dr. Mark Ilgen. Register here: michmed.org/dYkRq
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Sperry
I will be reviewing applications for the University of Michigan Clinical Psychology doctoral program this fall. If you are interested in applying, here’s some info I prepared for applicants: sites.lsa.umich.edu/aidangcw-lab...
2026 Applicants – Personality Processes and Outcomes Laboratory
sites.lsa.umich.edu
August 12, 2025 at 1:44 PM
I will be reviewing applications for the University of Michigan Clinical Psychology doctoral program this fall. If you are interested in applying, here’s some info I prepared for applicants: sites.lsa.umich.edu/aidangcw-lab...
It was so wonderful working with Fleur during her Fulbright Scholarship here at UofM! So excited to see this work available!
New preprint out now!
We studied how momentary affect and daily life behaviors interact in real time in adults with and without familial risk for mood disorders.
🚶🏻♀️📱😁☹️
We studied how momentary affect and daily life behaviors interact in real time in adults with and without familial risk for mood disorders.
🚶🏻♀️📱😁☹️
Temporal Dynamics of Affect, Smartphone Use, and Physical Activity in Individuals at Risk for Mood Disorders: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/74fhk_v1
August 5, 2025 at 5:20 PM
It was so wonderful working with Fleur during her Fulbright Scholarship here at UofM! So excited to see this work available!
Check out our new Seminar on bipolar disorder in @thelancet.com! Was wonderful to work with these co-authors, led by Balwinder Singh.
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lTurV-4XS...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lTurV-4XS...
authors.elsevier.com
July 23, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Check out our new Seminar on bipolar disorder in @thelancet.com! Was wonderful to work with these co-authors, led by Balwinder Singh.
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lTurV-4XS...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lTurV-4XS...
It was so fun to collaborate with Alyson Dodd (UK) and Tamsyn Van Rheenen (AUS)! We created a short, more psychometrically valid, measure of appraisals of internal states based on the Integrated Cognitive Model of Bipolar Disorder:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Development and validation of a short version of the Hypomanic Attitudes and Positive Predictive Inventory (HAPPI): Measuring extreme appraisals of internal states and bipolar risk
Mood instability is often experienced by those with and at risk for bipolar disorders (BD). The Integrative Cognitive Model proposes that mood instabi…
www.sciencedirect.com
July 18, 2025 at 1:36 PM
It was so fun to collaborate with Alyson Dodd (UK) and Tamsyn Van Rheenen (AUS)! We created a short, more psychometrically valid, measure of appraisals of internal states based on the Integrated Cognitive Model of Bipolar Disorder:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Sperry
Addiction destroys lives.
And the current administration is dedicated to destroying the careers of scientists who seek to alleviate the pain and suffering of Americans with addiction. I cannot think of a more certain way to do this than by defunding training grants for early career scientists.
And the current administration is dedicated to destroying the careers of scientists who seek to alleviate the pain and suffering of Americans with addiction. I cannot think of a more certain way to do this than by defunding training grants for early career scientists.
Today our @unm.edu @casaa.bsky.social T32 training grant is no longer funded. We are waiting for our renewal that is pending. I spent most of yesterday crying with worry about how I will support our amazing trainees. Today I celebrate them and the joy of seeing them present at CPDD and RSA. 🧵
July 1, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Addiction destroys lives.
And the current administration is dedicated to destroying the careers of scientists who seek to alleviate the pain and suffering of Americans with addiction. I cannot think of a more certain way to do this than by defunding training grants for early career scientists.
And the current administration is dedicated to destroying the careers of scientists who seek to alleviate the pain and suffering of Americans with addiction. I cannot think of a more certain way to do this than by defunding training grants for early career scientists.
Yesterday was @julialsmith.bsky.social’s last day in the lab 😭 In addition to being a wonderful human and trainee, she single handedly ran my K23 and finished 4 years of recruitment in 2. It’s so bittersweet. She is off to IUI to do her PhD in Clinical Psych with Melissa Cyders and I’m so proud!
June 28, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Yesterday was @julialsmith.bsky.social’s last day in the lab 😭 In addition to being a wonderful human and trainee, she single handedly ran my K23 and finished 4 years of recruitment in 2. It’s so bittersweet. She is off to IUI to do her PhD in Clinical Psych with Melissa Cyders and I’m so proud!
Check out our new paper on the relationship between the Late Positive Potential (LPP) and negative urgency! Led by my collaborator (& internship buddy) Brian Albanese's PhD student David Johnson!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The association of negative urgency and sustained attention: Evidence from the late positive potential
Urgency reflects the tendency to act rashly in the face of intense emotion and has been associated with a host of maladaptive outcomes spanning psycho…
www.sciencedirect.com
June 23, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Check out our new paper on the relationship between the Late Positive Potential (LPP) and negative urgency! Led by my collaborator (& internship buddy) Brian Albanese's PhD student David Johnson!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
We are excited to welcome Gjulia Camaj to the EmoTe Lab! Gjulia graduated from the UM with High Honors Distinction in Psychology & completing her thesis in Dr. Luke Hydes MIND lab. Gjulia will be the new study coordinator for EBI-BD (K23)!
sperry.lab.medicine.umich.edu/news-media/n...
sperry.lab.medicine.umich.edu/news-media/n...
June 20, 2025 at 2:08 PM
We are excited to welcome Gjulia Camaj to the EmoTe Lab! Gjulia graduated from the UM with High Honors Distinction in Psychology & completing her thesis in Dr. Luke Hydes MIND lab. Gjulia will be the new study coordinator for EBI-BD (K23)!
sperry.lab.medicine.umich.edu/news-media/n...
sperry.lab.medicine.umich.edu/news-media/n...
When your preliminary results support Aim 1 of your K23 😅
a white cat is standing on its hind legs and giving a fist bump
ALT: a white cat is standing on its hind legs and giving a fist bump
media.tenor.com
May 23, 2025 at 12:24 AM
When your preliminary results support Aim 1 of your K23 😅
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Sperry
Very proud of Janan’s work on this project! Beyond the concept of urgency, I believe it has important implications for how we think about “reactivity” indices in EMA. Should we rely so much on within-person covariance? Should we look more to cooccurrence of more well defined states? Time will tell.
Just published in JoPACS!
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40323898/
What is urgency and how should we best assess it in the moment? A thread 🧵 1/n
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40323898/
What is urgency and how should we best assess it in the moment? A thread 🧵 1/n
Uncovering urgency in daily life: Testing a novel method for assessing emotion-impulsivity co-occurrence in momentary data - PubMed
Impulsivity is a personality trait with broad health implications. Urgency is a facet of impulsivity defined as the tendency to engage in rash action when experiencing strong emotions. Thus, as define...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
May 14, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Very proud of Janan’s work on this project! Beyond the concept of urgency, I believe it has important implications for how we think about “reactivity” indices in EMA. Should we rely so much on within-person covariance? Should we look more to cooccurrence of more well defined states? Time will tell.
After a morning of writing various letters of recommendation for medical school and social work programs I am hopeful. These young scholars are amazing. How lucky we are to get to be a part of their story. We've got to keep them engaged and supported so they can thrive during these times...
May 14, 2025 at 4:59 PM
After a morning of writing various letters of recommendation for medical school and social work programs I am hopeful. These young scholars are amazing. How lucky we are to get to be a part of their story. We've got to keep them engaged and supported so they can thrive during these times...
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Sperry
Co-occurring and covarying are different things. Nice to see others taking up this position. Super cool proof-of-concept with emotional impulsivity from @jananmost.bsky.social, @drsarahsperry.bsky.social, @kevinmking.bsky.social, and @aidangcw.bsky.social.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40323898/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40323898/
Uncovering urgency in daily life: Testing a novel method for assessing emotion-impulsivity co-occurrence in momentary data - PubMed
Impulsivity is a personality trait with broad health implications. Urgency is a facet of impulsivity defined as the tendency to engage in rash action when experiencing strong emotions. Thus, as define...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
May 9, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Co-occurring and covarying are different things. Nice to see others taking up this position. Super cool proof-of-concept with emotional impulsivity from @jananmost.bsky.social, @drsarahsperry.bsky.social, @kevinmking.bsky.social, and @aidangcw.bsky.social.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40323898/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40323898/
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Sperry
Uncovering urgency in daily life: Testing a novel method for assessing emotion–impulsivity co-occurrence in momentary data. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-... @drsarahsperry.bsky.social @aidangcw.bsky.social
APA PsycNet
psycnet.apa.org
May 8, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Uncovering urgency in daily life: Testing a novel method for assessing emotion–impulsivity co-occurrence in momentary data. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-... @drsarahsperry.bsky.social @aidangcw.bsky.social
Congratulations to my undergraduate RAs Natalie Neubecker, Malina Maxham, and Alana Colvin, for presenting their posters at the UROP Research Symposium and to @julialsmith.bsky.social for being such an amazing mentor to them! Excited that all are staying in the lab!
April 24, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Congratulations to my undergraduate RAs Natalie Neubecker, Malina Maxham, and Alana Colvin, for presenting their posters at the UROP Research Symposium and to @julialsmith.bsky.social for being such an amazing mentor to them! Excited that all are staying in the lab!
‼️ Check out our "Michigan Medicine Presents..." podcast exploring the meaning of wellness for those with bipolar disorder...Check it out here or on Apple podcasts, spotify, or acast:
www.michiganmedicine.org/michigan-med...
www.michiganmedicine.org/michigan-med...
April 23, 2025 at 1:54 PM
‼️ Check out our "Michigan Medicine Presents..." podcast exploring the meaning of wellness for those with bipolar disorder...Check it out here or on Apple podcasts, spotify, or acast:
www.michiganmedicine.org/michigan-med...
www.michiganmedicine.org/michigan-med...
Thanks for the highlight of my postdoc Hanjoo Kim’s work!!! Glad it’s getting downloads and hopefully that = reads!
Coming in at #5 is: "Longitudinal dynamics between anxiety and depression in bipolar spectrum disorders." By Hanjoo Kim, Melvin McInnis, and @drsarahsperry.bsky.social
Congrats to the authors!
psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-...
3/
Congrats to the authors!
psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-...
3/
APA PsycNet
psycnet.apa.org
April 21, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Thanks for the highlight of my postdoc Hanjoo Kim’s work!!! Glad it’s getting downloads and hopefully that = reads!
Check out this new review on mechanisms, assessment, and treatment of co-occurring bipolar disorder and substance use I did with the lovely Beth Lippard for the APA's FOCUS Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry
psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...
psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...
Co-Occurring Bipolar and Substance Use Disorders: A Review of Impacts, Biopsychosocial Mechanisms, Assessment, and Treatment | Focus
Individuals with bipolar disorder are at significant risk for having a co-occurring substance use disorder—particularly, alcohol and cannabis use disorders. Having a co-occurring substance use disorde...
psychiatryonline.org
April 15, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Check out this new review on mechanisms, assessment, and treatment of co-occurring bipolar disorder and substance use I did with the lovely Beth Lippard for the APA's FOCUS Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry
psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...
psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...
Honored to be nominated as a NAMI Michigan clinical professional of the year. Thank you to my nominator @ahvinson.bsky.social and to the Bipolar Disorder Learning Community for attending with me! ☺️
April 13, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Honored to be nominated as a NAMI Michigan clinical professional of the year. Thank you to my nominator @ahvinson.bsky.social and to the Bipolar Disorder Learning Community for attending with me! ☺️
Reposted by Dr. Sarah Sperry
Congratulations to BD² grantees Hilary Blumberg, MD and @drsarahsperry.bsky.social, who received DBSA Gerald L. Klerman Awards, the organization’s highest honor for scientific contributions to depression and bipolar disorder. We’re proud to have them in our network.
🔗Read more: tinyurl.com/229bhawe
🔗Read more: tinyurl.com/229bhawe
April 10, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Congratulations to BD² grantees Hilary Blumberg, MD and @drsarahsperry.bsky.social, who received DBSA Gerald L. Klerman Awards, the organization’s highest honor for scientific contributions to depression and bipolar disorder. We’re proud to have them in our network.
🔗Read more: tinyurl.com/229bhawe
🔗Read more: tinyurl.com/229bhawe