Department of Neurology

SLEEP DISORDERS CLINIC

The Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Program is administered within the Department of Neurology and consists of a team of multi-disciplinary specialists. Our program is 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. We evaluate and treat such disorders as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, sleep walking, possible nocturnal seizures or other sleep-related events, insomnia, and shift work disorders, as well as sleep difficulties associated with other illnesses including Parkinson’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, and lung or heart disease. We evaluate patients in initial consultation sessions and follow-up appointments in one the Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Clinics. Patients who require overnight or daytime monitoring of their sleep undergo a sleep study at one of our two hotel-based sleep laboratories. The director of the Program is Dr. Beth Malow, who is board certified in Neurology, Sleep Medicine, and Clinical Neurophysiology.

SLEEP CLINICS AND PHYSICIAN INFORMATION

Physicians desiring to have their patients undergo a Sleep Clinic evaluation and sleep study should refer their patients with appropriate authorizations and medical records. This referral provides for a comprehensive evaluation by a sleep specialist. If appropriate, overnight or daytime sleep studies are performed in one of our sleep laboratories, located in the Marriott Hotel at Vanderbilt University and the Hyatt Place Hotel in Franklin-Cool Springs. If indicated, patients may be referred to appropriate specialists in neurology, pulmonology, pediatrics, otolaryngology, psychiatry, or other disciplines for further evaluation and treatment.

Our Sleep Clinics are located either at one of several locations on the Vanderbilt Medical Center campus in Nashville or in Williamson County (Franklin). If you are scheduled for a clinic appointment in Nashville, you will receive instructions to the appropriate Medical Center location when the appointment is scheduled. If you are scheduled for an appointment in Franklin you will be seen in the Vanderbilt Medical Group Building. (For a map click here.)

Our center has emerged as a proven leader in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients with sleep-related health issues. With children comprising over a third of our patient population, we have made substantial investments in the equipment, training, and facilities needed for their optimal care. Our staff is committed to ensuring that every child visiting our facility feels well-prepared, safe, and comfortable during their sleep study. In addition, we work extensively with parents to provide superb patient education and ongoing support.

We also offer a CPAP clinic which provides patients one-on-one evaluations, education sessions and individualized treatment solutions for CPAP therapy. Click here for more information.

Vanderbilt’s Sleep Disorders Program is designed to maximize simplicity for the patient. A sleep evaluation will be scheduled in the most appropriate clinic with a single phone call. For patient appointments, or for more information about the program, call (615) 322-4000.

The providers participating in the Sleep Disorders Program include:

• Kanika Bagai, MD (Neurology)
• Judy Corfman, FNP (Neurology)
• Ramon Cuevas, MD (Child Neurology)
• Mohammad Fazili, MD (Pediatric Pulmonology)
• Suzanne Goldman, PhD, (Neurology)
• Lisa Lancaster, MD (Pulmonology)
• Beth Malow, MD, MS (Neurology)
• Althea A. Robinson, MD (Neurology)
• James Sheller, MD (Pulmonology)
• Arthur Walters, MD (Neurology)
• Paula Watson, MD (Pulmonology)

SLEEP DISORDERS CENTER (LABORATORY)

The Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. We have a 10 bed laboratory conveniently located in the Marriott Hotel at Vanderbilt University. Also, we offer a 6 bed facility at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Franklin-Cool Springs. Our laboratories are equipped for comprehensive evaluation of any sleep disorder, and are staffed by physicians and technologists specializing in polysomnography (sleep studies). Approximately 30-40% of the patients evaluated are children. The manager of our Sleep Disorders Center is Jaime Bonilla.

Thelab 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. We are experienced in evaluating patients with neurological, medical, or psychiatric conditions that are commonly associated with sleep disorders.

For more information about our Sleep Disorders Center, click here.

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.