The American College of Chest Physicians and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation advance sleep research in 2023 through partnership grant
Gonzalo Labarca, MD, is the 2022 recipient of the CHEST Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation Research Grant in Sleep Medicine
March 7, 2023
GLENVIEW, IL –
In early 2023, Gonzalo Labarca, MD, will begin research using the funds
awarded for the CHEST Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Foundation Research Grant in Sleep Medicine.
The grant, jointly supported by the foundations run by the American College
of Chest Physicians and by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Foundation (AASM Foundation), funds research that addresses topics that
advance sleep medicine and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes, which
will have a positive impact on the lung and/or sleep health of a community.
Dr. Labarca’s research, “Phenotyping Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Latin
American Women: The Latin American Sleep Network,” seeks to use the sleep
apnea-specific hypoxic burden to identify a phenotype for obstructive sleep
apnea (OSA) among Latin American women with an increased risk of adherence
and specific comorbidities.
“The significance of this research is that it will provide downstream
markers of disease severity that link more directly with clinical
consequences and treatment responsiveness,” says Dr. Labarca. “The research
will help to identify patients at high risk for adverse outcomes,
potentially inform enrollment criteria for future randomized controlled
trials, and has the potential to reduce health care costs by avoiding
administering a treatment that is unnecessary or ineffective. This new
approach has the potential to advance the field of OSA tremendously.”
“The AASM Foundation is excited to collaborate again with the CHEST
Foundation on this research grant,” says Anita V. Shelgikar, MD, MHPE,
President of the AASM Foundation. “Dr. Labarca’s project will characterize
novel OSA metrics across women from Latin America to predict clinically
important outcomes and treatment responsiveness. This work will contribute
to our understanding of how OSA phenotype recognition can help optimize
treatment selection and response for each person.”
This is the second grant awarded as part of our multi-year partnership. The
previous grant recipient was mid-career physician, Marta Kaminska, MD, for
her project, “Long-term non-invasive ventilation in COPD – impact on
health-care utilization.”
“Joint grants like this are exemplary of our continued alignment with our
sister societies to improve patient care,” says Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, MD,
FCCP, President of the American College of Chest Physicians. “Providing
excellent care is by far the utmost goal for all in the medical profession,
and our collaborations make us that much more effective. I look forward to
a prosperous future between our organizations to benefit sleep medicine and
those who practice it.”
The 2023 grant cycle is currently open for applications. To be eligible for
the CHEST Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation
Research Grant in Sleep Medicine, applicants must be a member of either
CHEST or the AASM. Qualified applicants for this and other available grants
should visit www.chestnet.org/grants or
https://foundation.aasm.org/award-programs/
to apply.
About the American College of Chest Physicians
and the CHEST Foundation
The American College of Chest Physicians® (CHEST) is the global
leader in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases. Its
mission is to champion advanced clinical practice, education, communication
and research in chest medicine. It serves as an essential connection to
clinical knowledge and resources for its 19,000+ members from around the
world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical care and sleep
medicine. For information about the American College of Chest Physicians,
and its flagship journal CHEST®, visit chestnet.org.
The CHEST Foundation, the charitable foundation of the American College of
Chest Physicians, champions lung health by supporting clinical research,
community service and patient education. Through CHEST Foundation-supported
programs, CHEST’s 19,000+ members engage in advancing the lung health of
millions of patients in local communities around the world. More than 95
cents of every dollar raised goes toward advancing the foundation’s
mission-based programming. Since its inception, the foundation has provided
more than $10 million in funding for clinical research and community
service, with a reach that spans more than 60 countries. For more
information about the CHEST Foundation, visit chestfoundation.org.
About the AASM Foundation
Founded in 1998, the AASM Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3)
charitable and scientific organization that was established by the
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The AASM Foundation has invested in the future of sleep medicine by
supporting more than 300 grants totaling $23.6 million in funding. The AASM
Foundation’s portfolio includes research awards for all career stages,
community awards and training awards. For more information, please visit
foundation.aasm.org.
Contact:
American College of Chest Physicians
Laura DiMasi
ldimasi@chestnet.org
AASM Foundation
Sydney Preston
spreston@aasm.org