Clinical Divisions>
SLEEP DISORDERS CLINIC

The Sleep Disorders Division consists of a team of multi-disciplinary specialists designed to provide comprehensive patient care for adults and children having difficulty sleeping at night, having difficulty staying awake in the daytime, or experiencing unusual movements or behaviors in their sleep. Such disorders as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, sleep walking, possible nocturnal seizures or other sleep-related events, insomnia, and shift work disorders are evaluated and treated, as well as sleep difficulties associated with other illnesses, such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, and lung or heart disease.

SLEEP CLINICS AND PHYSICIAN INFORMATION

Physicians desiring to have their patients undergo overnight polysomnography should refer their patients with appropriate authorizations and medical records to the Sleep Clinic. This referral provides for a comprehensive evaluation by a sleep specialist for a variety of sleep disorders.

Vanderbilt’s Sleep Disorders Program is designed to maximize simplicity for the patient. With a single phone number, a patient can schedule a sleep evaluation in the most appropriate clinic. For patient appointments, or for more information about the program, call (615) 32-BRAIN.

Sleep physicians evaluate adult and pediatric patients in the Sleep Disorders Clinic, located in the Preston Research Building (adult neurology), the Vanderbilt Clinic (adult pulmonary), or the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital Doctor's Office Tower (pediatric neurology and pediatric pulmonary). If appropriate, overnight or daytime studies are performed in the Sleep Disorders Center, located in the Marriott Hotel at Vanderbilt University. If indicated, patients may be referred to appropriate specialists in neurology, pulmonology, pediatrics, otolaryngology, psychiatry, or other disciplines for further evaluation and treatment.

The Sleep Disorders Center is administered within the Department of Neurology. The director of the Program is Dr. Beth Malow, who is board certified in Neurology, Sleep Medicine, and Clinical Neurophysiology. The manager of the program is Jaime Bonilla. In addition to Dr. Malow, Drs. Kanika Bagai and Muhammad Al-Kaylani of Neurology and three sleep staff center physicians from Pulmonary Medicine, Dr. James Sheller, Dr. Lisa Lancaster, and Dr. Paula Watson, evaluate patients in the sleep clinic and interpret sleep studies. All are board-certified or board-eligible in Sleep Medicine. Dr. Ramon Cuevas and Dr. Beth Malow (Pediatric Neurology) and Dr. Mohammad Fazili (Pediatric Pulmonary) specialize in sleep problems in children. The Sleep Program also has a CPAP clinic where patients needing extra assistance getting comfortable with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for obstructive sleep apnea can be evaluated and treated.

Other providers participating in the Sleep Disorders Program include:

Consultants include:

  • Scott Boyd, DDS, PhD (Maxillo-Facial Surgery)
  • Shelagh Cofer, MD (Pediatric Otolaryngology)
  • Jay Werkhaven, MD (Pediatric Otolaryngology)
  • Steve Goudy, MD (Pediatric Otolaryngology)
  • Ken Watford, nurse practitioner ((Pediatric Otolaryngology)
  • Wendell Yarbrough, MD (Adult Otolaryngology)
  • Paul Russell, MD (Adult and Pediatric Otolaryngology)
  • Ronald Salomon, MD (Psychiatry)

Vanderbilt’s Sleep Disorders Program is designed to maximize simplicity for the patient. With a single phone number, a patient can schedule a sleep evaluation in the most appropriate clinic. For patient appointments, or for more information about the program, call (615) 32-BRAIN.

SLEEP DISORDERS CENTER (LABORATORY)

The Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center is conveniently located in the Marriott Hotel at Vanderbilt University. The ten-bed facility, accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, is equipped for comprehensive evaluation of any sleep disorder, and is staffed by physicians and technologists specializing in polysomnography (sleep studies). Approximately 30-40% of the patients evaluated are children.

The lab is fully equipped for patient evaluation and monitoring of a variety of disorders. A respiratory monitoring system is provided for sleep apnea, one of the most common sleep disorders, and advanced video and electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment, similar to that present in the Vanderbilt epilepsy monitoring unit, is also available. The sophisticated equipment and broad expertise ensure that patients with unusual behaviors or movements during sleep can be monitored in a comprehensive fashion. Another strength of the lab is the ability to evaluate patients with neurological, medical, or psychiatric conditions that may involve sleep disorders. Such patients include those with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, depression, or heart and lung disease.

SLEEP DISORDERS FELLOWSHIP

An ACGME-accredited fellowship in sleep medicine is available. For more details, click here.

SLEEP RESEARCH

A variety of sleep research protocols are actively recruiting patients. The Sleep Research Core at Vanderbilt University conducts research sleep studies within the General Clinical Research Center as well as other locations, such as the Medical Intensive Care Unit. For more details, click here.

  

A Closer Look

Sleep Clinic
Sleep Laboratory
Patient Information
Drive Directions
Sleep Resources
Sleep Research

Print Drive Directions

   
   
Vanderbilt University is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.