Research

The physician scientists of the Mount Sinai Health System are dedicated to studying and providing the most up to date therapies for patients with sleep disorders. Many of the advances in sleep medicine are made by the team from the Center for Integrative Sleep Medicine, led by David Rapoport, MD who along with his research and clinical team joined Mount Sinai in 2015. The team includes Indu Ayappa, PhD who holds a K24 award, Neomi Shah, MD who is a K23 funded investigator, and the neurologist Andrew Varga, MD

The goals of their research are to:

• Study sleep pathophysiology
• Study the effects that sleep and sleep disorders have on other organ systems
• Maximize the opportunities for training and support for young academic researchers in this area

Primarily the team is investigating sleep disordered breathing (SDB), the most frequent form of which is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Recognized since the 1970s, OSA is now considered an important risk for daytime sleepiness, cardiovascular complications, and memory problems. The most widely used treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) which consists of a nose or mouth mask connected to a simple blower.