DARIEN, IL – Five individuals have been selected as the 2026 American Academy of Sleep Medicine award recipients for their outstanding contributions to the field of sleep medicine. They will be recognized Monday, June 15, during the plenary session of the SLEEP 2026 annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Baltimore.
“I am proud to recognize this year’s award recipients for their exceptional contributions to the field of sleep medicine,” said AASM President Dr. Anita V. Shelgikar. “Through their leadership and accomplishments in research, education, advocacy, and clinical care, they embody our shared commitment to advancing sleep and circadian care as an essential part of health care. Their work has meaningful impact for patients today and inspires continued progress in sleep and circadian health for the future.”
The 2026 AASM award recipients were nominated by a colleague, recommended by the Awards Advisory Panel, and approved by the board of directors.
Dr. Susan Redline is the Farrell Professor of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and director of the programs in sleep and cardiovascular medicine and sleep medicine epidemiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Redline has led major epidemiologic studies and clinical trials examining sociodemographic, environmental, and genetic risk factors for sleep apnea and the impact of sleep interventions on health. Her research focuses on sleep apnea heterogeneity related to sex, gender, and social determinants of health as a lens for precision medicine. She founded and co-directs the National Sleep Research Resource, advancing accessible sleep data sharing, and she works with patient advocates to improve education and support.
Danny Eckert is the Matthew Flinders Professor at Flinders University, a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Leadership Fellow, and a lead investigator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He serves as director of the Flagship Sleep Health Program at Flinders University, where he leads a large multidisciplinary basic and translational research program in sleep health. Eckert has published approximately 250 publications in leading sleep, respiratory, and medical journals. He is internationally recognized for pioneering work in sleep apnea mechanistic endophenotyping, which has driven new precision medicine approaches, including novel pharmacotherapies. His broader sleep health research and advocacy efforts include leading the award-winning television series, “Australia’s Sleep Revolution with Dr. Michael Mosley.”
Dr. Douglas Kirsch is a board-certified sleep medicine physician and past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He serves as medical director of Atrium Health Sleep Medicine, overseeing the sleep medicine service line for a multi-state health system, and he is a professor of neurology at Wake Forest School of Medicine. An accomplished scholar and researcher, Kirsch was first author of a 2025 study validating PLATO, the patient-reported longitudinal assessment tool for obstructive sleep apnea. He is a prolific author and editor of several textbooks, most recently serving as lead editor of the second edition of “Sleep Medicine.” His national education leadership includes serving as program chair for the SLEEP annual meeting and chair of the AASM Sleep Medicine Trends course.
Dr. Beth Malow is a professor of neurology and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she holds the Burry Endowed Chair in Cognitive Childhood Development. She serves on the AASM Advocacy Committee and the Sleep Research Society Advocacy Task Force. Malow is committed to communicating science to the public and policymakers and completed a graduate certificate in science and health communication at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. Her advocacy efforts focus on year-round standard time, later school start times, and the effectiveness and safety of melatonin use in children with autism. She also works to bridge partisan divides as a Braver Angels workshop moderator and is a co-author of “Beyond the Politics of Contempt.”
Dr. Robert Stansbury is a professor in the division of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine at West Virginia University. He serves as director of the West Virginia Sleep Evaluation Center, the largest sleep center in the state, and founded West Virginia’s first sleep medicine fellowship, serving as its inaugural program director. Stansbury has chaired and served on multiple committees for the AASM and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. He is chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine Sleep Medicine Advisory Committee, overseeing physician certification in sleep medicine. His National Institutes of Health-funded work led to the West Virginia Obstructive Sleep Apnea Academic Mentoring Partnership, expanding access to evidence-based care for obstructive sleep apnea in rural communities.
More information about the AASM awards is available online.
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Photos are available upon request. For more information, please contact media@aasm.org .
About the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Established in 1975, the AASM is a medical association that advances sleep care and enhances sleep health to improve lives. The AASM membership includes more than 9,500 physicians, scientists, and other health care professionals who help people who have sleep disorders. The AASM also accredits 2,300 sleep centers that are providing the highest quality of sleep care across the country ( aasm.org ).