William C. Dement, MD, PhD is the world's leading authority on sleep, sleep deprivation, and the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.
Biography
 

In 1970, he founded the world's first sleep disorders center at Stanford University. In 1975, he launched the American Sleep Disorders Association (now American Academy of Sleep Medicine) acting as President during its first twelve years. Dr. Dement is the founder of the American Board of Sleep Medicine which examines and certifies physicians who wish to specialize in sleep medicine. He is co-editor of the definitive sleep medicine textbook, “Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine,” and founding co-editor of the premier scientific journal, “Sleep.” Since 1971, Dr. Dement has taught the popular “Sleep and Dreams” course at Stanford University and has written the first undergraduate textbook on this topic. Dr. Dement also served as chairman of the congressionally mandated National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research whose study and recommendations led directly to the creation of a new agency within the National Institutes of Health, the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research.

In addition, to his scientific and academic achievements, Dr. Dement serves as Chief Scientific Advisor to SleepQuest and continues to research the effect early detection and comprehensive treatment of Sleep Apnea can have on lowering overall healthcare utilization and costs.

He lives with his family on the campus of Stanford University and is dedicated to supporting family physicians who annually screen patients about their sleep health.
Dr. Dement's Top Initiatives:
Create measurable progress toward public awareness concerning sleep. Create age appropriate curriculum and ensure mandatory inclusion in grade school, high school and college curriculums.
Require mandatory, in-depth training for the most common sleep disorders and their relationship to other co-morbidities and symptoms. Create measurable progress concerning how primary care physicians conduct medical appointments for their knowledge as well as behavior toward sleep disorders; to cause higher identification of afflicted patients.
Identify all very severe obstructive sleep apnea patients and assure that they are treated successfully.
Improve timely access for the diagnosis of sleep disorders by allowing the 80% of people who do not live near a sleep specialist, to be able to choose ambulatory sleep testing as a viable diagnostic tool.
Make the public aware that "drowsiness is red alert!" — so that each person becomes knowledgeable of their own fatigue limits.