WESTCHESTER, Ill. — Mary Susan Esther, MD, has been named president-elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), making her the second woman elected to the post. Dr. Esther will assume her new role at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).

As president-elect, Dr. Esther will play a vital role on the board of a professional association whose growing membership is composed of an international body of more than 6,000 sleep specialists and more than 1,100 accredited sleep centers nationwide.

A member of the AASM Board of Directors, Dr. Esther is also medical director of The Sleep Center at SouthPark, a part of Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Associates, P.A., one of the largest multi-specialty practices in the United States. She specializes in psychiatry, obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia.

She received a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Esther completed a residency in internal medicine and psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic, where she was also a psychiatry fellow.

Dr. Esther’s term as president-elect will expire in June 2008, at which time she will assume the office of president.

June M. Fry, MD, PhD, the first female AASM president, served from 1995-1996.

SLEEP 2007 is a four-day scientific meeting that will feature an international body of over 5,000 leading researchers and clinicians in the field of sleep medicine.

More than 1,000 research abstracts will be presented at SLEEP 2007, a joint venture of the AASM and the Sleep Research Society. SLEEP 2007 will bring to light new findings that enhance the understanding of the processes of sleep and aid the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea.

AASM is a professional membership organization dedicated to the advancement of sleep medicine and sleep-related research.

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