The Sleep Research Society (SRS) has selected four sleep and circadian scientists as recipients of the 2021 Sleep Research Society awards, which recognize excellence in sleep and circadian research.

This year’s award winners will be recognized during the plenary session at Virtual SLEEP on Thursday, June 10, 2021.

“Congratulations to the remarkable 2021 award recipients for advancing the mission of the Sleep Research Society,” said SRS President Craig Heller, PhD. “These awards recognize leaders in the field of sleep and circadian science through contributions in research, education, and public service.”

SRS members were invited to nominate colleagues for the awards. The 2021 SRS award recipients, who were selected by the SRS board of directors, are:

Allison Harvey, PhD, CBSM, DBSM
Distinguished Scientist Award for significant, original and sustained scientific contributions of a basic, clinical or theoretical nature to the sleep and circadian research field, made over an entire career.

Allison Harvey, PhD, CBSM, DBSM, is a professor and licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Harvey has practiced as a cognitive behavioral therapist for more than 20 years.

She is a treatment development researcher who conducts experimental and intervention studies focused on understanding and treating sleep and circadian problems, severe mental illness and behavior change processes. More recently, she has expanded her focus to the science of dissemination and implementation.

Harvey has had the honor of participating in the Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (TIDIRH) hosted by the National Cancer Institute. She has published more than 250 peer reviewed papers and chapters and authored three books. Her team’s research is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Colin Sullivan, PhD
Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award for novel and seminal discoveries of a basic, clinical or theoretical nature that have made a significant impact on the sleep field.

Colin Sullivan, PhD, is a professor and chair of the research committee in the department of medicine at the University of Sydney, and a consultant physician with the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick. Beyond the identification of the significant influence of sleep on breathing, his major scientific achievements have included the characterization of the pathophysiology of adult sleep apnea; the invention of nasal CPAP in 1980, now the ‘gold standard’ treatment of sleep apnea; the development of non-invasive ventilation during sleep to manage respiratory failure; the recognition of the extent of upper airway obstruction in infantile apnea; the development of human fetal monitoring technology, and the discovery of the mechanism of sleep-induced worsening of blood pressure in pre-eclampsia.

Girardin Jean-Louis, PhD
Mary A. Carskadon Outstanding Educator Award for excellence in education related to the sleep and circadian research field.

Girardin Jean-Louis, PhD, is a professor of population health and psychiatry at NYU Langone Health. He is the director of the PRIDE Institute on Behavioral Medicine and Sleep Disorders Research and the Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences Program.

Jean-Louis has been involved in several important NIH-funded studies, which have led to 396 publications, primarily in sleep deficiency and cardio-metabolic diseases, circadian science, aging, and health equity. His research findings have appeared in 180 scientific conference proceedings and book chapters, and 216 peer-reviewed scientific journals.

The overarching goal of his research is to address multi-level barriers hindering adoption of healthful sleep practices in vulnerable communities. His research focuses on the application of agile behavioral models to enhance treatment adherence to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and brain injury.

Jean-Louis has also been involved in several university-based training programs designed to increase academic diversity focusing on mentees at the undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, and faculty levels.

James Walsh, PhD
The Public Service Award for significant and extraordinary contributions to the mission of SRS above and beyond research and educational activities.

James Walsh, PhD, earned his PhD in experimental psychology from St. Louis University. For more than 35 years he was recognized as a leader in the sleep medicine and research fields, authoring more than 250 professional manuscripts and lecturing nationally and internationally.

In 1981, he started the first sleep center in Missouri at Deaconess Hospital in St. Louis, and in 1993 he founded the Sleep Medicine and Research Center at St. Luke’s Hospital. Among many positions in scientific organizations, Walsh served as president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, president of the Sleep Research Society, and on the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board of the National Institute of Health.