After working for several years as a general pediatrician, I pursued specialized training in both pediatric sleep medicine and pediatric pulmonology. Experience in these three areas helps me understand how the entire body, particularly the respiratory system, is affected by a child’s sleep. I enjoy practicing pediatric sleep medicine because treating sleep disorders helps a child function better during the day and improves quality of life for the entire family.
As director of Columbia's Pediatric Sleep Disorders Center, I evaluate and treat children of all ages with sleep issues, which include trouble breathing in sleep, difficulties falling or staying asleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, and unusual behaviors in sleep. My particular interest is medically complex patients with sleep-related breathing disorders. Many of my patients have had sleep problems for months or even years before they come to medical attention.
When I first see a sleep patient, I try to learn as much as possible about the child’s sleep patterns and what might be interfering with their ability to get enough good quality sleep. I also want to understand how the sleep problem is affecting the child’s daytime behavior, functioning, and mood. Many of my patients undergo a sleep study, which often uncovers the cause of the sleep issue. In the sleep lab, we use state-of-the-art equipment and try to make the patient and parent experience as comfortable as possible. We collaborate with pediatric providers from many specialties at Columbia—such as ENT, craniofacial, neurology, obesity, and cardiology—to optimize each child’s treatment plan.In addition to my clinical work with patients, I write and lecture extensively on children’s sleep disorders. I served on several committees for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, including the Standards of Practice Committee, where I helped develop severalguidelines for the practice of sleep medicine. My research has focused on identifying risk factors for sleep problems and evaluating methods to improve sleep in children.
