11/16/06

Respironics Sleep and Respiratory Research Foundation has created a new fellowship program in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Named for Respironics’ founder and chairman, the Gerald E. McGinnis Fellowship in Sleep Medicine was announced at a company event that marked its 30th year of developing devices that help people sleep and breathe easier.

The foundation pledged a total of $325,000, which will be paid in equal installments of $65,000 over the next five years to fund the program in the university’s school of medicine, world-renowned for medical education. “This program pays homage to the tireless contributions of our founder in advancing education and research in the field of sleep medicine” said John Miclot, Respironics president and CEO.
 
“This gift comes at a crucial time as we develop and grow our program,” said Charles W. Atwood Jr, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the sleep medicine fellowship program in the school’s division of pulmonary, allergy, and critical care medicine. “Every day, we are finding out new things about the importance of sleep and the role of sleep in maintaining health.”
 
Offered in the school’s division of pulmonary, allergy, and critical care medicine, the 1-year clinical training experience emphasizes a comprehensive approach to sleep medicine and the patient with a sleep disorder. The clinical faculty is drawn from multiple disciplines—pulmonary medicine, psychiatry, neurology, pediatrics and psychology—and commits to excellence in clinical management of patients, teaching of sleep medicine fellows, and research in sleep disorders. Fellows will be selected based on prior achievement and the potential for making a significant contribution to the field of sleep medicine.