Altered lifestyle behaviors (e.g. shift work, jet lag, delayed sleep and meal timing) disrupt sleep and impair circadian rhythms, resulting in dysregulation of important physiological and psychological parameters such as blood pressure, glucose, hormones, and vigilance, thereby contributing to increased chronic disease burden, and increasing the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive impairment/accelerated aging. However, there is a need to bridge sleep and circadian biology scientists to foster dialogues for advancing research in these fields. The goal of this conference is to bring together scientists studying the timing of lifestyle behaviors, including sleep, food intake, and exercise, on chronic disease risk to uncover important next steps for this research area. This conference will cover concepts related to sleep, circadian rhythms, and chronobiology. Concepts will not only cover the biology of sleep and circadian rhythms, such as genetic and hormonal controls, but also how behaviors alter sleep and circadian rhythms, and how these changes challenge our biological systems and impart negative consequences on health. Importantly, this conference will cover the bi-directional relation between lifestyle behaviors, health outcomes, and sleep and circadian rhythms. As a result, the field will be energized with new avenues for collaborations, research, and knowledge.

This new virtual meeting format came out of difficult circumstances, but your commitment to scientific progress is what inspired us to launch Keystone eSymposia. In these virtual meetings, we are capturing the same innovative essence of our in-person meetings that you've all created as a scientific community. Here, Debbie Johnson, our CEO, explains how we're going to do that.