As we get ready to bid farewell to 2024 and welcome the arrival of a new year, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine is also preparing to celebrate a significant milestone in 2025: This year we recognize the AASM 50th anniversary! Considering how our field has changed dramatically in just the last few years, it is astounding to think of how much progress has been achieved since the AASM was organized in 1975.
We are indebted to all those sleep medicine professionals who came before us. They had the vision, passion, and persistence to create a new medical specialty, one that would benefit millions of patients around the world. Sleep medicine pioneers like Dr. William Dement also recognized the need for a new professional home, and in 1975 they established the American Association of Sleep Disorder Centers, which eventually became the AASM.
The AASM 50th Anniversary Task Force has been hard at work developing content, planning events, and curating resources for this special commemorative year. The theme they have selected is, “Sleep and Dreams: 50 Years of Shaping the Future of Sleep Medicine.” I invite you to view the new AASM History webpage, which will be updated throughout the year with more historical information and video interviews. I look forward to learning more about the history of the AASM over the next 12 months, and I think this knowledge will only increase my gratitude for all those who paved the way for us to practice sleep medicine.
In addition to celebrating our past in 2025, the AASM will continue to implement our strategic plan and advance initiatives to support our members today, especially in the areas of sleep medicine awareness, practice success, and technology integration. I am grateful for our vibrant community of AASM members, volunteers, and leaders, and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together in the year ahead.
I thank you for supporting the AASM with your membership, and I wish you and your family a Happy New Year in 2025.
Warm regards,
Eric J. Olson, MD
AASM President
