“Keep a routine, a solid routine,” Wells said. “We are getting up and going to bed around the same at night and in the morning. Keep that routine even on the weekend…Consistency is very helpful with keeping our bodies circadian rhythm in line.”

The addition brings the Department of Health Sciences up to eight unique divisions, each comprised of various programs, units and centers that span a breadth of health sciences fields and professions. Following a series of approval processes at the school and university levels, the seven existing division directors within the Department voted to finalize the NDSS program’s new division-level status earlier this summer.

The NDSS program is a two-year, hybrid, limited residency undergraduate program. Courses will be held both in-person and virtually, and graduates will receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Sciences.

Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science are two separate but related fields that fit neatly into the Health Sciences umbrella. Training in neurodiagnostics can include building knowledge and skills to measure patient nervous system function by recording electrical activity from the brain, spinal cord, nerves and nerve systems using various electroneurodiagnostic technologies and techniques. Sleep science, also known as polysomnography, involves the study of sleep disorders, stages of sleep, the biological clock, connections between sleep and health and more.

“The elevation of the Neurodiagnostic and Sleep Science Program to a Division of the Department of Health Sciences is a real testament to the hard work and dedication of Dr. Mary Ellen Wells and Dr. Sarah Hess in advancing the field and the unwavering support of Dr. Steve Hooper who valued how this program had changed lives for students and patients,” said Dr. Brad Vaughn, Professor of Sleep Medicine and Epilepsy in the Department of Neurology and one of the original founders of the NDSS program. “I am truly delighted that they are being recognized with this status.”

The first cohort of NDSS students at ������-Chapel Hill will begin classes in August 2024. With the program’s move to ������-Chapel Hill and subsequent status as a division within the Department of Health Sciences, there is opportunity for increased exposure to and enrollment of current ������-CH undergraduates who are interested in pursuing a health professions career that can lead them into patient care settings directly following graduation. The program also will continue to enroll students from state community colleges as well as those from around the country.

Dr. Stephen Hooper, Associate Dean of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Health Sciences, shared, “I couldn’t be more proud of the migration of this program to ������-Chapel Hill. It will provide yet another dimension to our department from an educational perspective, particularly with respect to providing student opportunities for jobs in the health professions, and it will be a strong contributor to our mission of workforce development in the state. I am excited to see this program launch and, ultimately, become a strong contributor to our education mission.”

As the Department of Health Sciences grows with the addition of the Division of Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science, it will continue to expand upon its mission to improve the health and wellbeing of all people of North Carolina, the nation, and globally through exemplary teaching and education, innovative research, and person-centered care.

The NDSS program is a two-year, hybrid, limited residency undergraduate program. Courses will be held both in-person and virtually, and graduates will receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Sciences. Enrollment will begin in fall 2024 and applications for internal, ������-Chapel Hill students are currently being accepted through May 1 for the fall 2024 cohort.

Previous cohorts of NDSS students have come from across the country to be a part of the unique program. In addition to students from outside ������-CH, the move to Chapel Hill offers an opportunity for increased exposure to and enrollment of current ������-CH undergraduates who are interested in pursuing a health professions career that can lead them into patient care settings directly following graduation.

Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science are two separate but related fields. Training in neurodiagnostics can include building knowledge and skills to measure patient nervous system function by recording electrical activity from the brain, spinal cord, nerves and nerve systems using various electroneurodiagnostic technologies and techniques. Sleep science, also known as polysomnography, involves the study of sleep disorders, stages of sleep, the biological clock, connections between sleep and health and more.

By recording and studying the electrical activity of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, neurodiagnostic and sleep science technologists better understand the roles of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and ultimately contribute to increasing our understanding of sleep processes as well as facilitate the health care of individuals struggling with sleep problems and concerns.

The NDSS program is funded in part by the generosity Smith Family Foundation. The Jo Allison and Edward C. Smith, Jr. Innovation Endowed Fund, Master’s Program Development Fund and Scholarship Fund in Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science are an extension of the family’s dedication to improving patient quality of life through sleep innovation and research.

The NDSS program and is one of a only a few nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of the commission on Accreditation for Polysomnographic Technologist Education.

The Department of Health Sciences is comprised of seven divisions and several other programs and units. It is housed within ������-Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine.

Mary Ellen Wells, PhD, is also an associate professor in the NDSS program. The program, housed in the Department of Allied Health Sciences, is a joint initiative with ������-Charlotte. 

NDSS aluman Debbie Chiou

Presentations by faculty and graduates:

• The Importance of Mentoring – NDSS Graduate, Tabitha Althoff, BS, R. EEG T., RPSGT, RST
• Can a Twelve Pound Dog be a True Service Animal? – Tabitha Althoff, BS, R. EEG T., RPSGT, RST
• Expanding “Clinicals” for Neurodiagnostic Programs – NDSS Program Directors Mary Ellen Wells, Ph.D., R. EEG T., R.NCS.T., RPSGT and Sarah Hess, D.E.L., R.EEG.T, RPSGT, RST and NDSS Medical Director Bradley Vaughn, MD

Presentation of ASET Foundation Scholarships – NDSS Adjunct Assistant Professor, Mark G. Ryland, Au.D., RNCST, CNCT, RPSGT, REPT

This year’s awardees are:

• Paul Geiger, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Women’s Mood Disorders through ������ Department of Psychiatry, will lead the study “Relationships among Estradiol Variability, Endocrine Circadian Rhythms, and Sleep Problems in the Menopause Transition (MT).” Geiger’s study will provide mechanistic insight into hormone-related changes in sleep quality for women in midlife. “Improving our understanding of mechanisms related to sleep problems in aging women is essential for future treatment development and intervention. As the number of women traversing this transition continues to grow due to an aging population, understanding the cause of sleep problems has tremendous significance to public health,” Geiger said.

Research team: Paul Geiger, PhD; Susan Girdler, PhD, Department of Psychiatry; and Heidi Roth, MD, Department of Neurology and co-director of ������ Sleep Disorders Center.

• Michael Sidorov, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, will head “Quantifying Sleep Spindles from Overnight EEGs as an Angelman Syndrome Biomarker.” Previous research from the group found sleep spindles as a promising biomarker of Angelman syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with cognitive impairment, motor dysfunction, epilepsy, and severe sleep disruptions. Over 90 percent of individuals with AS have impaired sleep, and this is major burden for caregivers. Sidorov said the completion of their study aims to quantify a biomarker that is biologically based and linked to sleep dysfunction. “We anticipate that sleep spindles may be used as an outcome measure for upcoming clinical trials where sleep quality is a primary endpoint,” he said.

Research team: Michael Sidorov, PhD; Ben Philpot, PhD, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology; Zheng Fan, MD, Department of Neurology.

• Marcia Van Riper, with the ������ School of Nursing, will lead a study titled “Family Management of Sleep Problems in Children with Down Syndrome.” Using a mixed-methods approach, her research group will work to identify key modifiable sleep and family management variables to be incorporated into an intervention to strengthen caregiver and family capacity to address sleep problems among children with Down syndrome. “Children with Down syndrome (DS) have a high prevalence of sleep problems and these problems can have long-term negative consequences for not only the child, but other family members, especially the child’s primary caregiver,” Van Riper said. The group will study families of children with Down syndrome through examining relationships among the child’s health status, family resources, family environment, health care system, family management processes, and overall health, sleep problems, adaptive behavior and health-related quality of life.

Research team: Marcia Van Riper, PhD, RN, FAAN; Kathleen Knafl, PhD; George Knafl, PhD, and Louise Fleming, PhD, RN, all of whom represent the ������ School of Nursing; Mary Ellen Wells, PhD, and Clare Harrop, PhD, from the DAHS; and Heather Hazlett, PhD, Department of Psychiatry.

Continuing through 2021, the competitive award process will offer three grants annually to ������-CH investigators. For each round of funding, research teams will be funded up to a maximum of $10,000 for their one-year projects.

Grant reviewers brought wide-ranging expertise to the applicant pool of cross-disciplinary submissions. They included:

• Aysenil Belger, PhD, Department of Psychiatry
• Gabriel Dichter, PhD, Department of Psychiatry
• Bradley Vaughn, MD, Department of Neurology
• Amelia Drake, MD, FACS
• Linda Watson, EdD, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, DAHS

The 2020 application cycle begins in October 2019, with applications due in March 2020. The next round of pilot grant funding will coincide with the launch of a sleep science research symposium on October 14. This is an initiative alongside the Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science (NDSS) program, the Department of Neurology and the University’s Office of Research Development. The NDSS program is a joint initiative between the DAHS and ������-Charlotte.

“The consortium makes sense as the next logical step to bring the ������-CH sleep research community under the same tent,” said Stephen Hooper, associate dean and chair of the DAHS. “The pilot grants have served as a great way to promote collaboration for those on our campus with similar research interests.” There are more than 200 faculty at the University who have conducted sleep-related research.

The DAHS launched a quarterly series of sleep forums in 2018, with sessions featuring sleep labs and tools available to researchers on campus. In fall 2019, the sleep forums will continue with an interactive talk on pediatric sleep and cognition, and the way in which they are altered in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.

“Sleep science is a research field that impacts all populations and has major implications for quality of life,” said Brad Vaughn, medical director of the sleep science bachelor’s program. “The pilot grant program has been successful in bringing together cross-disciplinary researchers, some of whom have formed collaborations to seek larger-scale funding support. Our sleep consortium will strengthen the University’s sleep science research network by bringing researchers who already excel in their respective areas together to foster innovation. We are grateful to the Smith Family Foundation for their generous support.”

For more information, contact Elizabeth Crais, PhD and DAHS Associate Chair for Research, at betsy_crais@med.unc.edu.

Mary Ellen Wells, Ph.D, RPSGT, R. EEG T., R. NCS T. 

]]> /healthsciences/ndss/2019/05/neurodiagnostics-and-sleep-science-celebrates-the-class-of-2019/ Thu, 23 May 2019 17:05:20 +0000 /healthsciences/ndss/?p=2528 Read more]]> �ճ����Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science (NDSS) program, a joint initiative between the ������ and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, celebrated its graduating class on May 9, 2019 in Chapel Hill. Two NDSS graduates presented their capstone research projects titled “Does Everyone Dream?” and “Effectiveness and Compliance of Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” Scholarship donors and their recipients received recognition during the Chapel Hill celebration. A poster display demonstrated each graduate’s capstone research project culminating from their undergraduate course of study. Graduates received their Bachelor of Science degree at ������-Charlotte on May 10, 2019.

Graduates of class of 2019/Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science program.