Sleep Medicine Fellowship
Program Director and Section Head: Luisa Bazan, M.D.
Associate Program Director: Virginia Skiba, M.D.
For more information contact: Emilie Miller (313) 916-4988
The Section of Sleep Medicine offers a one year fellowship in Sleep Medicine, accredited by the American Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Our academic affiliation is with Wayne State University. The fellowship program is integrated with the Henry Ford training programs for Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Otolaryngology. For Pediatric Sleep Medicine training, there is an affiliation with Children's Hospital of Michigan, which is located nearby.
Where do our Fellows train?
Fellowship training is centered in our ambulatory Sleep Clinics. Each of the three Sleep fellows have ambulatory continuity clinics, where they conduct consultations and follow up care for patients assigned to their clinics. They benefit from being exposed to a large number of referred patients, who present with a wide range of sleep disorders. Since the Henry Ford Health Network has over one million outpatient visits a year and over 1,500 physicians in 27 specialties, with coverage of a very large segment of the Southwest Michigan population, consultations are plentiful. This large patient population provides an exceptional environment for learning the clinical and diagnostic skills required to practice high quality of Sleep Medicine.
Most of the clinic rotations take place at New Center One in Detroit. Fellows also rotate in the satellite clinics, at Henry Ford Medical Center - Columbus and Henry Ford Medical Center - Sterling Heights. Fellows are exposed to pediatric sleep medicine during their rotation at the nearby Children's Hospital of Michigan.
Fellows are also exposed to inpatient consultations at the Henry Ford Hospital, the flagship of the Henry Ford Health System.
Who is the faculty?
In this environment with faculty oversight, the fellows have the opportunity to evaluate complicated and unusual cases of sleep pathology and ask questions leading to new research projects and innovative therapies. Fellows will also be exposed to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, offered by our sleep psychologists.
The faculty is made up of board certified Sleep Medicine physicians from psychiatry, internal medicine, pulmonary/critical care, neurology and otolaryngology. For individuals applying to the program with residency training in Otolaryngology, the opportunity exists to participate in surgical procedures for the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Experience with drug induced sleep endoscopy, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, Trans Oral Robotic Surgery (TORS) for hypopharyngeal surgery, and hypoglossal nerve stimulator (Inspire therapy) will be part of the fellowship.
What are the didactics?
Case discussions and our weekly conferences expand the trainee's basic knowledge of sleep neurobiology and sleep medicine. Fellows also participate in American Academy of Sleep Medicine webinars. Early in the year, fellows attend sleep science lectures at Wayne State University run by our own world-renowned research experts. Daily reading of polysomnograms and other laboratory tests with attendings provide the technical expertise needed to establish and maintain a sleep laboratory.
What are the research opportunities?
All fellows are required to participate in on-going or original research projects to graduate from the program. The research faculty, as well as the physicians, serve as mentors for these projects. Presentations at national meetings and manuscript submissions are anticipated from these activities. All presenting fellows attend the annual American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS) meeting. Fellows also participate in Section Quality Assurance projects.
Our fellows are well prepared to practice on their own
Upon completion of our program, fellows are certified as having the knowledge base and clinical skills to independently practice Sleep Medicine. They will be well prepared to sit for the Sleep Boards!