International Assembly

The International Ambassadors represent AASM members across the world. Ambassadors serve as liaisons for local members and the AASM with the intent to help advance the field of sleep medicine in local and regional territories.

Dimitrios Kantas, MD | Co-Chair
Region: Europe/South Europe

Dimitrios Kantas graduated from Medical School of Ioannina, Greece in 2011. He pursued a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at University Hospital of Ioannina and one year fellowship in pulmonary and sleep medicine at University Hospitals Birmingham, United Kingdom. He also possesses a MSc in sleep medicine from National University of Athens, Greece. Currently, Dr. Kantas is a board certified pulmonologist/intensivist-somnologist, research fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and PhD candidate with a thesis in racial differences OSA and cardiovascular risk. He is an active member of the European Respiratory Society sleep assembly 4 cooperation’s working group, member of the PAC advisory panel of AASM and associate editor of the REM section of JCSM. He is also a member of the European Sleep Research Society, Hellenic Sleep Research Society and British Sleep Society. His main goal will be to bridge sleep societies worldwide and increase the awareness of sleep disorders in the public.

Morenikeji Komolafe, MBBS, MD, FWACP | Ambassador
Region: Africa/Western Africa

Morenikeji Komolafe is a professor of neurology at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria. She graduated from the University of Ibadan in 1990 with an MBBS degree and became a fellow of the West African College of Physicians in 2000. She obtained the post graduate diploma in clinical neurology at the Institute of Neurology, University College London in 2009. She participated in the Mini-Fellowship Program of the AASM in 2011 and was at the Center of Circadian and Sleep Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. In her institution, she coordinates the multidisciplinary sleep research team, supervises postgraduate students, and manages sleep disorders in the Neurology Clinic. Her current research focuses on effects of sleep deprivation in adolescents and health professionals, as well as sleep disorders in stroke, epilepsy, and sickle cell disease. In recent years, she has focused on improving the awareness of sleep disorders among health professionals by coordinating update lectures during World Sleep Day annually in March and sleep awareness efforts for students and talks on sleep disorders in the media.

Pei-Lin Lee, MD, PhD | Co-Chair
Region: Asia/Eastern Asia

Pei-Lin Lee earned her M.D. from College of Medicine, China Medical University and Ph.D. from Graduate Institution of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University (NTU), College of Medicine. She received residency training in the Department of Internal Medicine and clinical fellow training in Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH). Her experience includes a role as a research fellow at Royal Infirmary Hospital, Edinburgh University, U.K. She also served as a member of the AASM International Member Task Force. Her current positions include clinical associate professor, NTU, College of Medicine; director, Center of Sleep Disorder; and attending physician, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, NTUH. Her academic positions include international ambassador, AASM International Assembly; committee member, Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine; and member, Taiwan Society of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Sleep Medicine Task Force. Also, she serves in editorial role for PLOS ONE; Sleep and Breathing; and Thoracic Medicine. Her research interests include clinical phenotyping, molecular mechanism, and therapeutic intervention of obstructive sleep apnea. Her other works include sleep-disordered breathing in pediatrics and pregnancy. Her current focus is new technology and big data in sleep medicine.

Yuenan Ni, PhD | Ambassador
Region: China (Asia/Eastern Asia)

Yuenan Ni is a respiratory therapist/RPSGT and Assistant Professor in the West China Hospital, Sichuan University. She received her Sleep Medicine Research Training at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Her research interests include personalized treatment for sleep apnea, especially the effect of acetazolamide in patients with high loop gain, advanced sleep data analytics, and the predictors for positive airway pressure efficacy. She serves sleep apnea patients who have mixed pathophysiology including chronic pulmonary disease.

Ajay Kevat, MBBS, MPH, MMed | Ambassador
Region: Australia (Oceanic)

Dr. Ajay Kevat is a Pediatric Respiratory and Sleep Physician based at Queensland Children’s Hospital, and he is affiliated with The University of Queensland. He is interested in the role of technology and innovation in healthcare. He believes transdisciplinary collaboration can improve the methods by which healthcare is delivered, and the outcomes of that care. His research and clinical interests include diagnosis and management of complex asthma and sleep apnea disorders in children.

Maya Ramagopal, MD | Ambassador
Region: US (Northern America)

Dr. Maya Ramagopal is board certified in Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine. She has been practicing pediatric sleep medicine for the past 14 years. She currently serves as an issue reviewer for “Healthier Sleep Magazine”, which is supported by the World Sleep Society,. She is a contributor to an India based online Diploma In Sleep Medicine course in collaboration with the School of Global Health at the University of Colorado. When not at work, she enjoys being with her family and dog.

Nasreen Akhtar, MD, PhD | Ambassador
Region: India (Asia/Southeastern Asia)

Dr. Nasreen Akhtar is Additional Professor at Department of Physiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. She has completed her MBBS, MD and PhD from Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi. She is actively engaged in research at Dr. Baldev Singh Sleep Research Laboratory. Her focus lies in investigating neurobiological models of chronic insomnia and randomized controlled trials in treatment of chronic insomnia. She is also working out the downstream inflammatory pathways in vascular endothelial cells in obstructive sleep apnea. She has a collaborative research project with University College London on ethnogeographic variations in sleep and brain morphometry. Dr. Akhtar is Associate Editor of the journal Sleep and Vigilance and has achieved certification from the World Sleep Society for International Sleep Disorder Specialist.

Alain Riveros-Rivera, MD, PhD | Ambassador
Region: Colombia (Latin America/Central & South America)

Alain Riveros-Rivera holds a medical degree and a master’s degree in physiology from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. His academic journey includes a Master’s in Neuroscience from Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Spain, and doctoral studies at the Institute of Physiology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. Currently, he serves as a Professor in Physiology and Neuroscience at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia. Dr. Riveros-Rivera is dedicated to researching the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and sleep, with a commitment to advancing developments in Translational Sleep Medicine. His passion extends to exploring cutting-edge technologies for evaluating and treating sleep and autonomic disorders. His clinical practice centers around Lifestyle Medicine, emphasizing the promotion of healthy habits within his community and disseminating the benefits of adopting such habits.

Sameh Farag, MBChB | Ambassador
Region: Kenya (Africa/Eastern Africa)

Valentina Gnoni, MD | Ambassador
Region: Italy (Europe/Southern Europe)