Invited Lecturers
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Plenary Keynote Speaker
Carlos Schenck, MD
Monday, June 15 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
I-01: REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: 40 Year Perspective
Join Carlos Schenck, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School and senior clinician at the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center, for a plenary keynote examining REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: A 40-Year Perspective. This session will review the evolution of clinical understanding of RBD, its strong association with alpha-synuclein neurodegeneration, the foundational basic science that informs current practice, and emerging research directions shaping the future of diagnosis and management.
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Distinguished Scientist Award Recipient
H. Craig Heller, PhD
Monday, June 15 | 2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
I-05: The Roles of Circadian Rhythms and Sleep in the Cognitive Disabilities Associated with Down Syndrome
The Roles of Circadian Rhythms and Sleep in the Cognitive Disabilities Associated with Down Syndrome will be presented by H. Craig Heller, PhD, Lorry Lokey/Businesswire Professor of Biology and Human Biology at Stanford University and Distinguished Scientist Award recipient.
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Tom Roth Lecture of Excellence
Janet Mullington, PhD
Tuesday, June 16 | 2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
I-08: Sleep for Healthspan
Sleep for Healthspan will be delivered by Janet Mullington, PhD, Professor of Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.
Danny Eckert, PhD
Monday, June 15 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
I-02: OSA Endotyping and Translation into Targeted Care
Join Danny Eckert, PhD, Matthew Flinders Professor at Flinders University and affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, for OSA Endotyping and Translation into Targeted Care. This session will define the key anatomical and non-anatomical pathophysiological mechanisms underlying obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), review emerging targeted non-CPAP therapies—including pharmacologic and combination approaches—and explore how physiologic endotyping can guide more personalized treatment selection for patients with OSA.
Alfredo Kirkwood, PhD
Monday, June 15 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
I-03: Daily Reconfiguration of Inhibitory Circuits
Join Alfredo Kirkwood, PhD, Professor at Johns Hopkins University, for Daily Reconfiguration of Inhibitory Circuits. This session will explore how cortical and subcortical inhibitory networks dynamically reorganize across the day, highlighting emerging insights into the mechanisms that regulate circuit plasticity and stability. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how time-of-day–dependent changes in inhibition shape neural processing and behavior, with implications for sleep, cognition, and neuropsychiatric function.
Suzanne Bertisch, MD, MPH
Monday, June 15 | 2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
I-04: Advancing Women’s Sleep Health in Midlife: A Call to Action
Advancing Women’s Sleep Health in Midlife: A Call to Action, presented by Suzanne Bertisch, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, will examine the current state of the science on women’s sleep health, with a particular focus on midlife transitions. The session will address persistent barriers to equitable sleep care, highlight gaps in research and policy, and outline practical strategies for interdisciplinary collaboration to move the field forward and improve outcomes for women.
Carol Lynn Rosen, MD
Tuesday, June 16 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
I-06: From Niche to Necessity: The Transformation and Future of Pediatric Sleep Medicine
In From Niche to Necessity: The Transformation and Future of Pediatric Sleep Medicine, Carol Lynn Rosen, MD, Professor Emerita in the Department of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, examines the evolution of pediatric sleep medicine from its early foundations to its current role in mainstream clinical care. The session will review defining historical milestones, explore persistent challenges in practice, research, and training, and discuss emerging innovations that are likely to shape the field’s future direction.
Adam Spira, PhD
Tuesday, June 16 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
I-07: Is Sleep the Key to Healthy Aging? An Update for 2026
Is Sleep the Key to Healthy Aging? An Update for 2026 will be presented by Adam Spira, PhD, Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This session will examine the evolving evidence linking disturbed sleep to critical aging-related health outcomes, including cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease, functional decline, and biological aging, with a focus on sleep as a potential modifiable risk factor for poor health outcomes in aging. Attendees will gain an updated overview of findings shaping the field, along with key questions guiding future research at the intersection of sleep, aging, and health.
Diego Mazzotti, PhD
Wednesday, June 17 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
I-09: Bridging Informatics, Data Science, and Sleep Medicine towards Addressing OSA Heterogeneity
Bridging Informatics, Data Science, and Sleep Medicine toward Addressing OSA Heterogeneity will be presented by Diego Mazzotti, PhD, Associate Professor and Division Director of Medical Informatics at the University of Kansas Medical Center. This session will explore the diverse sources of clinical heterogeneity in obstructive sleep apnea and examine how informatics and data science methods can refine phenotyping and risk stratification. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of real-world evidence and causal inference approaches to translate large-scale epidemiologic data into more precise, individualized clinical care.
Colleen McClung, PhD
Wednesday, June 17 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
I-10: Circadian Rhythms in Psychiatric Disorders
Colleen McClung, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, will explore the role of circadian biology in mental health in Circadian Rhythms in Psychiatric Disorders. The presentation will review evidence of circadian disruption in mood disorders, outline observed alterations in circadian gene expression in the human brain, and consider how interventions aimed at restoring circadian stability may offer therapeutic benefit in psychiatric illness.