In addition to meeting with legislators on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, April 17, AASM leaders participated in a series of events this week to promote sleep and circadian research at the federal level and to aid the career development of promising young investigators.
FDA Workshop, April 16
On Monday, April 16, AASM President Dr. Ilene Rosen and President-Elect Dr. Douglas Kirsch participated in an all-day workshop on the campus of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland. The workshop, “Study Design Considerations for Devices Including Digital Health Technologies for Sleep Disordered Breathing in Adults,” brought together sleep experts from across the country to discuss clinical trials for SDB devices. Dr. Rosen participated on the panel, “SDB Diagnosis and Monitoring: Role of Polysomnography vs. Home Sleep Apnea Testing (HSAT),” and Dr. Kirsch gave the presentation, “Discussion of Current SDB Digital Health Technologies and Future Trends.”
A webcast archive of the workshop is available on the FDA website, and a paper describing the workshop proceedings is in development.
NIH Symposium, April 18
Together with the Sleep Research Society, the AASM organized a “Sleep 101” symposium that was held on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland, on Wednesday, April 18. The symposium educated NIH program officers about hot topics in sleep medicine research and described the importance of including sleep and circadian research in their institute’s scientific programs by highlighting how sleep is relevant to their institute’s mission. Attendees included representatives from:
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
- HHS Office on Women’s Health
Lectures were presented to attendees by Dr. Beth Malow, professor of neurology and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy, medical director of the Center for Sleep Disorders at the University of Arizona; and Dr. Sigrid Veasey, professor of medicine with tenure at the University of Pennsylvania.
Young Investigators Research Forum, April 18-20
The 10th annual AASM Young Investigators Research Forum (YIRF) was held April 18-20 in Bethesda, Maryland. The forum aids the career development of promising young investigators in clinical and translational sleep medicine research.
Nearly 30 young investigators received guidance and learned tactics and strategies for a successful career in clinical sleep research. Attendees enjoyed didactic presentations, workshops, small group sessions, a mock review, and opportunities to network with senior investigators and NIH scientific and program officers. The 2018 forum chair was Dr. Lynn Marie Trotti, and the vice-chair was Dr. Alberto Ramos.
Applications for the 2019 forum will be accepted starting in the fall of 2018.
