The coming weekend, the Board of Directors will meet in Chicago to discuss a broad range of issues that currently affect our Academy and have future implications for sleep medicine.  Over the coming weeks, I will share news and announcements from the meeting with you and also provide updates on continuing initiatives led by the Board of Directors.

Much of the efforts we undertake as an Academy and our achievements as a field are outgrowths of the collective efforts of the dedicated members who comprise the Board of Directors.  This edition of the Weekly Update includes our annual call for nominations.  We are looking for engaged, visionary and dedicated members to serve in this critical leadership capacity, and I encourage you to volunteer or submit a nomination on behalf of a colleague. 

The AASM is not only the leading organization for the profession of sleep medicine – we are also the public’s leading voice for education about sleep.  Our public relations initiative that I announced earlier this fall will launch in conjunction with the time change on November 4.  Part of the launch will be a revamped website where the public can read information about sleep disorders, watch accompanying videos and find a board certified sleep specialist that manages their disorder.  Look for an announcement next week about the new public education website.

Sam Fleishman, MD
AASM President