Sleep medicine pioneer Christian Guilleminault, MD, died July 9, 2019, at the age of 80 of metastatic prostate cancer complications, reports the World Sleep Society. He played a key role in getting the sleep medicine subspecialty to where it is today and was beloved by many.

His accomplishments and accolades are too numerous to name here in full, but a small sampling includes:

  • Helped develop first exam in clinical polysomnography (late 1970s)
  • Nathanial Kleitman Award, Association of Sleep Disorders Centers (1986)
  • Co-founding editor and co-editor of journal Sleep (with William Dement, MD, PhD from the late 1970s to 1992, then editor-in-chief through 1997)
  • Sleep Science Award, American Academy of Neurology (2000)
  • National Sleep Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
  • Attribution of the Christian Guilleminault Award for Research in Sleep Medicine, World Association of Sleep Medicine (2005)
  • Distinguished Scientist Award, Sleep Research Society (2005)
  • President, World Association Sleep Medicine (2009-2011)
  • President, International Pediatric Sleep Association (2016-19)
  • Until his death, he was professor in the Stanford department of psychiatry and behavior sciences and by courtesy, in the department of neurology, Stanford University Medical School, and professor with tenure in the Stanford University Sleep Medicine Division.
  • Continuing to publish in peer-reviewed journals through 2019 (many of his papers are available on PubMed)

In 2018, CSource Media released a tribute video to Guilleminault.

Donations may be made in his honor via a GoFundMe page or directly to the American Sleep Apnea Association.

You are welcome to leave remembrances in the comments section here.