~ Last name is pronounced dur-JHEV-ski ~

Director: SAGE Research Lab
Assistant Professor (tenure-track)
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Virginia

Ph.D. (2012), University of Florida

Doctoral Program Affiliation

Clinical Psychology

I received a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Florida. I completed clinical internship at the Bruce W. Carter Veterans Hospital in Miami, and subsequently completed an advanced fellowship in geriatrics at the VA Greater Los Angeles Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC). Prior to my arrival at VCU in 2016, I served as assistant professor in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and as a research scientist at the VA Greater Los Angeles GRECC.

My main research interests surround the correlates and consequences of both normal and disordered sleep in older adults. This research involves basic investigations into developmental sleep changes with age, as well as more applied investigations involving development and testing of interventions to improve sleep in older adults. I have a particular interest in the sleep-cognition relationship (i.e., increasing our understanding of the impact of sleep on late-life cognitive functioning, and intervening on sleep as a means to improve late-life cognitive functioning).

My clinical expertise mirrors my program of research. I have advanced training and provide care to older adults suffering from a range of psychological and physical ailments. I also have advanced training and provide care to adults across the lifespan who suffer from various sleep disorders. Clinical geropsychology and behavioral sleep medicine are the broad descriptors for my areas of clinical focus.

In addition to my role as director of the SAGE Research Lab, I am an avid sports fan. I am a shareholder of the Green Bay Packers, and have traveled great distances to watch them play in person. As VCU does not have a football team, I feel no guilt in continuing to root for my alma mater, the Florida Gators. I also enjoy good food and being outdoors.

The SAGE Research Lab is a very productive group. We are successful in obtaining grants and we disseminate large amounts of original research. Please visit our Publications page for a listing of recent publications from our lab. We enjoy our work, and like to work with others who share our passion for clinical science. If you think you might like to work with the SAGE Research Lab, please send me an email at dzierzewski@vcu.edu.

• Full curriculum vitae [PDF]