Recipients of 2020 Sleep Research Society awards announced

The Sleep Research Society (SRS) has selected three outstanding sleep and circadian scientists as recipients of the 2020 Sleep Research Society awards, which recognize excellence in sleep and circadian research.

The Sleep Research Society awards recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to sleep and circadian science. I extend congratulations to each of the award recipients and acknowledge their impact on helping advance the mission of the SRS."

Andrew D. Krystal, MD, SRS President

SRS members were invited to nominate colleagues for the awards. The 2020 SRS award recipients, who were selected by the SRS board of directors, are:

Phyllis C. Zee, MD, PhD

Distinguished Scientist Award for significant, original and sustained scientific contributions of a basic, clinical or theoretical nature to the sleep and circadian research field, made over an entire career

Phyllis C. Zee, MD, PhD, is the Benjamin and Virginia T. Boshes Professor of Neurology and professor of neurobiology at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. She is also the director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine (CCSM) and chief of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Zee is the founder of the first circadian medicine clinic in the U.S., where innovative treatments are available for patients with circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders. She is a fellow of both the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and American Academy of Neurology, and she is a member of the American Neurological Association. She is the recipient of the 2014 American Academy of Sleep Medicine William C. Dement Academic Achievement Award.

Richard P. Allen, PhD

Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award for novel and seminal discoveries of a basic, clinical or theoretical nature that have made a significant impact on the sleep field

Dr. Allen is a professor in the department of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He founded and co-directed the Sleep Disorders Center and the Center for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) at Johns Hopkins. He also served as chair of the medical advisory board for the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, chair of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group, and president of the World Association of Sleep Medicine (now World Sleep Society). He had a central role in defining the current diagnostic standards for RLS and the new standards for iron treatments of RLS and scoring periodic limb movements (PLM). He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles on sleep disorders including pioneering work on RLS augmentation, dopamine and intravenous iron RLS treatments.

Allan I. Pack, MBChB, PhD

Mary A. Carskadon Outstanding Educator Award for excellence in education related to the sleep and circadian research field

Dr. Pack is the John Miclot Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was the founding director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology and the Division of Sleep Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. These are the first multidisciplinary, independent sleep research and clinical sleep medicine programs to be established at any medical school in the United States. Dr. Pack's current area of focus is on functional genomic approaches to sleep and its disorders. A major component of his research relates to the pathogenesis and consequences of the common disorder, obstructive sleep apnea. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in this area and has been listed in the Best Doctor's in the United States and in the Philadelphia region (Philadelphia Magazine). Dr. Pack currently directs three T32 grants from NIH to support research training.