PHILADELPHIA - Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania clinicians and researchers will be presenting compelling data and giving talks about emerging issues in the field of sleep medicine during SLEEP 2013, in Baltimore, MD, June 2 – 5, 2013.

In addition to their own presentations, Penn experts are available for interviews and outside comment in the following areas:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Allan Pack, MBChB, PhD – Chief, Division of Sleep Medicine and Director, Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology

Dr. Pack’s clinical expertise is in sleep disorders with a particular focus on diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnea. His research focuses on the genetics/genomics of sleep and its disorders. His laboratory is conducting studies in Drosophila and mice and translating these findings to humans. A particular focus of Dr. Pack’s work is to evaluate the genetic determinants of sleep homeostasis.

Chronobiology and Sleep Loss/Deprivation

David F. Dinges, PhD - Professor and Chief, Division of Sleep and Chronobiology in the Department of Psychiatry

Dr. Dinges’ laboratory is dedicated to scientific discovery of the physiological, cognitive and functional changes resulting from sleep loss and behavioral stressors in humans, and to evaluating behavioral, pharmacological and technological countermeasures to these effects. His research has involved extensive laboratory, simulator and field studies on the consequences of sleep loss and circadian misalignment from both lifestyle and medical disorders; effects of sleep disorders; recovery potential of naps; nature of sleep inertia; impact of cumulative sleep debt; differential vulnerability to the neurobehavioral effects of sleep loss; and development of technologies for monitoring human neurobehavioral capability.

Sleep and General Health

Michael Grandner, PhD – Instructor, Department of Psychiatry and Member, Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program

Dr. Grandner’s research focuses on how sleep and sleep-related behaviors are related to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, neurobehavioral functioning, mental health, and longevity.

Another area of his work involves examining sleep and health at the community and population levels. This work aims to understand how sleep is experienced on a societal level, and how this plays a role in the bigger picture of health. Some of these studies in this area have explored relationships among sleep and age, sex, income, marital status, eployment, diet, race/ethnicity, depression and other social and health-related factors.

Insomnia

Michael Perlis, PhD - Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director, Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program Dr. Perlis’ areas of expertise include sleep in psychiatric disorders and neurocognitive phenomena in insomnia, the cognitive and behavioral mechanisms of action of sedative hypnotics and placebos, and the development of alternative treatments for insomnia.

Philip Gehrman, PhD, CBSM – Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, and Member, Penn Sleep Center and Philadelphia VA Medical Center

Dr. Gehrman’s clinical work focuses on the delivery of cognitive behavioral and chronotherapeutic interventions for insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, and other sleep disorders. At the Philadelphia VA he has an active telehealth program where he delivers insomnia treatment to Veterans at other VA facilities using videoconferencing technology. Dr. Gehrman’s research focuses on uncovering the mechanisms of insomnia as well as expanding treatment options.

Neuroscience and Genetics of Sleep

Amita Sehgal, PhD - Professor of Neuroscience

Dr. Sehgal studies the molecular and genetic components of sleep and circadian rhythms. Using the fruit fly, she and others have characterized a molecular clock present in flies and humans. Her lab has also developed the fly as a model system for studying sleep, showing that the rest phase in flies is a sleeplike state, helping to answer important questions about the essential need for sleep.

To arrange interviews with any of these presenters, please call 215-796-4829, or email[email protected].

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