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| Contact: Christine Hill 612-873-5719 |
06/14/07 |
Mark W. Mahowald, MD, and Carlos H. Schenck, MD, renowned experts on parasomnias, were recently named the recipients of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's (AASM) William C. Dement Award for 2007. Drs. Mahowald and Schenck are colleagues at the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center at Hennepin County Medical Center, where they have studied sleep disorders since 1982.
"Mark Mahowald and Carlos Schenck are both tremendous assets to the field of sleep medicine. They have accomplished a great deal in the 25 years they have worked together, including the identification and naming of numerous parasomnias, as well as research into the sleep disorders that fall under this category," said Alejandro D. Chediak, MD, new AASM president. "The William Dement Award recognizes the leadership that Drs. Mahowald and Schenck have demonstrated throughout their decorated careers in sleep medicine. I congratulate them on this accomplishment and thank them for their ongoing contributions to the field of sleep medicine."
Drs. Mahowald and Schenck were presented with the award at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS), held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Dr. Mahowald also delivered the keynote speech for SLEEP 2007 entitled, "Listening to a Tinkering God - Opportunities for Sleep Medicine" to open the 4-day international scientific conference with more than 5,000 attendees.
Dr. Mahowald is medical director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center, and is also a professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota.
Carlos H. Schenck, MD, is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, and a senior staff psychiatrist at the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center who recently wrote and published Sleep: The Mysteries, The Problems, and The Solutions. His first book, Sleep Runners: The Stories Behind Everyday Parasomnias, was published in 2005. Dr. Schenck co-produced and participated in a documentary film on parasomnias entitled Sleep Runners: The Stories Behind Everyday Parasomnias.
Drs. Mahowald and Schenck identified and named REM sleep behavior disorder, status dissociatus, parasomnia overlap disorder, sleep-related eating disorder and sleep-related dissociative disorders. In addition, they described parasomnia pseudo-suicide and parasomnia with state-dependent danger as a non-insane automatism, as well as formulated the first classification of sleep disorders and abnormal sexual behaviors and experiences, which appeared in the June 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.
Established in 1994, the William C. Dement Academic Achievement Award recognizes members of the sleep field who have displayed exceptional initiative and progress in the areas of sleep education and academic research.
AASM is a professional membership organization dedicated to the advancement of sleep medicine and sleep-related research. The Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center at Hennepin County Medical Center is a fully accredited, full-service sleep disorders center, offering an experienced, objective, and systematic approach to all sleep problems.
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