Samantha Bramich

Samantha Bramich is a Sleep Scientist, with her background in psychology fuelling further interest in sleep and dreaming.

Originally from the Central Coast NSW, she studied a Bachelor of Arts with majors in psychology and sociology, then a Bachelor of Psychological Science with Honours. This led her to complete a Master of Science in Sleep Medicine, and she is now pursuing her interest in sleep through a PhD with the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre. 

After first visiting Tasmania in 2000 with her parents, the family fell in love with the Apple Island and moved here the year after. Samantha has worked at the Launceston General Hospital as a sleep scientist for the past 10 years and hopes to use her skills in sleep science to continue researching the links between poor sleep and disease. 

“I feel so lucky to be involved in a community where people are so willing to give their time freely to research,” she said.

“I have had over 2700 people contribute to my research already and I am continually amazed at the enthusiasm our community has to help others. I don't think there are many other places in the world where we could do this kind of research at such a large level, and to be able to do it in the beauty of Tasmania is just incredible.”

A recipient of a 2023 Medical Research Grant from the Clifford Craig Foundation, Samantha is leading an Australian-first study aimed at identifying how many people in Tasmania have Isolated Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD). Previous research suggests that adults with this disorder have a 90% chance of developing dementia or other neurodegenerative diseases (ND), such as Parkinson’s disease, within 10 years from when they are first diagnosed.

This study will produce the first ever estimate of iRBD prevalence in Tasmania (and in Australia) contributing to the worldwide body of iRBD knowledge.

Samantha has always been interested in how the brain works, and is fascinated by how sleep plays a role in almost all bodily functions from brain development to cardiovascular functioning to gastrointestinal regulation. Any disruption to normal sleep patterns can have a dramatic impact on so many aspects of health.

Her work is also fuelled by a personal goal, with Samantha’s father recently diagnosed with Dementia. She hopes to find out more about the way in which changes in sleep contributes to the development of dementia and other diseases over time. 

“By identifying who has iRBD in Tasmania, we also have a great opportunity to study the features of this high-risk disorder, which will help us to understand why some people develop Parkinson's disease over dementia, or vice-versa,” she said.

“This in turn will assist in the development of future treatment options to reduce, or even prevent, the development of neurodegenerative disease in people with iRBD.”