Contact: Lisa Brunette
(608) 263-5830
Madison, Wisconsin – For the first time, Madison will host nearly 200 researchers who specialize in the study of sleep and breathing – one of the fastest-growing areas of scientific inquiry and progress.
The 2017 15th Sleep and Breathing Symposium will be held at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center from July 16 to July 19. Experts from around the globe – including Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Europe and the U.S. – will share new scientific findings and insights from laboratory research to clinical trials for treatment of sleep disorders.
UW-Madison research teams will present new findings on, among other things, a study of sleep problems and falls; EEG imaging of local sleep changes in obstructive sleep apnea; airway responsiveness in chronic lack of oxygen; effects of low oxygen level on risk of breast cancer; and the use of stem-cell therapy for ALS, a fatal neuromuscular disease where patients succumb to respiratory failure.
Conference organizer Dr. Mihaela Teodorescu, associate professor of medicine at UW School of Medicine and Public Health, says this 15th symposium is especially dedicated to helping junior scientists early in their careers. Sunday afternoon will feature a half-day workshop for early-stage investigators, including a “speed dating” session in which senior investigators will provide information about funding, publishing and mentoring.
“We are finally recognizing that sleep disorders are very prevalent and that these problems impact our performance and health in many different realms,” said Teodorescu. “The field is exploding with discovery, but we still need to know a whole lot more about the biology of sleep and its effects on health.”
