CORE-BD is proud to connect students and early-career researchers from around the world who are advancing our understanding of bipolar disorder. In this spotlight, we are delighted to introduce Julianne Armijo, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan School of Nursing in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Julianne is also a board-certified family nurse practitioner with more than 15 years of clinical experience in bedside nursing and primary care.
Her research focuses on circadian rhythms, quality of life, and employment among adults living with bipolar disorder. A special area of interest is the experiences of nurses diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As a nurse and researcher living with bipolar disorder, she has publicly shared her experiences to combat stigma and challenge misconceptions about bipolar disorder often portrayed in the media.
Julianne’s scholarly publications span bipolar disorder, occupational health, sleep, and worker well-being, including research on nurses with bipolar disorder, workplace support, and relationships among shift work, sleep, fatigue, stress, and mental health. Her manuscripts under review examine chronotype and occupational outcomes and religion’s influence on nurses with bipolar disorder. Beyond academic journals, she has shared her research and lived experience through a TED-style talk, artistic photography published in MiSciWriters, blog posts, interviews for the non-profit Metabolic Mind, and a National Geographic interview about using a medical ketogenic diet to manage bipolar disorder. She is also a member of the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, which recognizes graduate scholars for excellence, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students traditionally underrepresented in higher education.
She became involved in CORE-BD through a providential email from researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, who were seeking to establish an international network of student researchers investigating bipolar disorder. She now serves as secretary of the CORE-BD Student Network, which creates a space for students to meet peers and experts, exchange ideas, and actively engage in bipolar disorder research. Through regular virtual meetings, the network brings together students from around the world for member-led seminars with invited experts, discussions of research directions, successes, and challenges, and collaborative paper planning and writing. In her role as secretary, she helps support the network’s activities and its growing international community of student researchers. She also contributes to the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Women’s Initiative, supporting its efforts to promote gender equity in clinical and academic career development, strengthen the presence of women bipolar disorder researchers, and advance equitable care for people living with bipolar disorder.
By sharing both her research and lived experience, Julianne hopes to foster greater kindness and understanding toward colleagues living with diagnosed or undiagnosed bipolar disorder, especially in the workplace. She also hopes to lay the groundwork for supportive and circadian-friendly work environments that provide meaningful accommodations for people with bipolar disorder, improving quality of life and promoting sustained employment.
Julianne is available on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/julianne-armijo
“Cranberries and Vampires: Shift Work, Bipolar Disorder, and the Circadian Rhythm” Metabolic Mind
Night Shift/Day Shift MiSciWriters photographic piece