Dr. Ben Julian Palanca is a tenured Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, with an affiliated faculty appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Washington University prior to completing his medical training at the same institution. He has maintained an active clinical practice as a cardiac anesthesiologist since 2010.

As a physician-scientist, he leads the Sleepy Brain Lab at investigating novel markers and interventions for neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Palanca’s research efforts focus on three areas: postoperative delirium, treatment-resistant depression, and the interface between anesthetized and sleep states. Markers and modulators of sleep are at the core of these efforts. The group leverages electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and cognitive assessments in human translational neuroscience investigations. He has been fortunate to receive prior support from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research and serves as the site-PI for the Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellowship. Dr. Palanca has been continuously NIH-funded since 2013. His collaborative efforts have disseminated in over 40 publications. Dr. Palanca serves on the editorial board for the recently launched journal, Delirium.