FACULTY PAGE
Michael J. Thorpy, MD (Chair)
Professor of Neurology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Montefiore Medical Center
Bronx, New York
Dr Thorpy is Professor of Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center, in the Bronx, New York. Dr Thorpy is the founder and past-director of the National Sleep Foundation (NSF)'s National Narcolepsy Registry, which was located at Montefiore. A native of New Zealand, Dr Thorpy earned a medical degree from the University of Otago and served as Clinical Assistant at National Hospital, Queen Square, London, UK, and as Neurology Clinical Assistant at Sir J.J. Group Hospitals, in Bombay, India. In the United States, he completed his residency in neurology at State University of New York, in Syracuse. Board certified in sleep disorders medicine, Dr Thorpy served as Chairman of the Sleep Section of the American Academy of Neurology and as Secretary of the NSF. In 1993, he received the Nathaniel Kleitman Award from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (formerly the American Sleep Disorders Association). Dr Thorpy has published extensively on narcolepsy, insomnia, and other sleep disorders. His numerous books include The Encyclopedia of Sleep and Sleep Disorders, as well as a comprehensive computerized textbook of sleep, SleepMultiMedia (on CD-ROM), the only one of its kind. Dr Thorpy has also authored 24 book chapters, and some 70 peer-reviewed articles, which have been published in journals such as New England Journal of Medicine and Neurology.
Diego Garcia Borreguero, MD
Vice President, Sleep Research Institute
University of Madrid
Madrid, Spain
Dr. García Borreguero is Director of the Sleep Research Institute in Madrid, Spain. Prior to 2005, he was Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Department of Neurology of the Fundación Jiménez Díaz (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). He received his medical degree from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, after which he completed fellowships in sleep medicine and sleep research at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, and residency training at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany. He completed his PhD at the University of Munich. Dr. García Borreguero’s main area of research is movement disorders in sleep, particularly restless legs syndrome (RLS). He has authored numerous publications on RLS and is considered one of the world´s leading experts in this area. He is currently Vice-President of the International Restless Legs Study Group and the European Restless Legs Study Group, as well as a member of the Medical Advisory Board of the Restless Legs Foundation. In addition, Dr. García Borreguero is Secretary of the European Sleep Research Society, Vice-President of the Spanish Sleep Society, and a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the Movement Disorders Society, and the Sleep Disorders Section of the Spanish Society of Neurology.
Christopher J. Earley MB, BCh, PhD, FRCPI
Associate Professor, Neurology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
Dr Earley is Associate Professor of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Dr Earley earned his medical degree from the National University of Ireland and completed residencies in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and neurology at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. He is a Fellow of the American Neurological Association, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and Royal College of Physicians, Ireland. Presently, he serves as Chair of the Medical Advisory Board for the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. Dr Earley has published widely on restless legs syndrome, with a particular concentration on the role of iron in the disorder. He is an active researcher who has investigated numerous aspects of RLS and its treatment.
Arthur Walters, MD
New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center
Edison, New Jersey
Dr Walters is Professor of Neuroscience, Seton Hall University School of Graduate Medical Education, and Director of the Center for Sleep Disorders Treatment, Research & Education at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, JFK Medical Center, Edison, New Jersey. From 1992 to 1998 he served as first Chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation (RLSF), a nationwide support group for RLS patients and their families. Subsequently, he was an active member of the board for a number of years. From 1992 to 2007 he served as the first Chair of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group, composed of more than 130 physicians and scientists from 17 countries who are dedicated to research on restless legs and periodic limb movements in sleep. In 2004 he was named Researcher of the Year in Medicine for Seton Hall University. He has been listed as one of America’s Top Physicians.
FACULTY DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
The “Conflict of Interest Disclosure Policy” of Albert Einstein College of Medicine requires that faculty participating in any CME activity disclose to the audience any relationship(s) with a pharmaceutical or equipment company. Any presenter whose disclosed relationships prove to create a conflict of interest with regard to their contribution to the activity will not be permitted to present.
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine also requires that faculty participating in any CME activity disclose to the audience when discussing any unlabeled or investigational use of any commercial product or device not yet approved for use in the United States.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, CCME staff, has no conflicts of interest with commercial interests related directly or indirectly to this educational activity.
DISCLAIMER
Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patients’ conditions and possible contraindications or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.