Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board (SDRAB) Meeting - June 24, 2021

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

Dr. Marishka Brown, NHLBI, Executive Secretary
Dr. Gabriel Haddad, Chair
Dr. Si Baker-Goodwin
Dr. Mariana Figueiro
Dr. Judette Louis
Dr. Wendy Troxel

AD HOC PARTICIPANTS PRESENT

Dr. Jeffrey Durmer, The Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine & Technology
Dr. Erik Herzog, Washington University in St. Louis
Ms. Ebony Lay, Project Sleep
Dr. Alberto Ramos, University of Miami
Ms. Alexandra Wharton, Circadian Sleep Disorders Network

AD HOC MEMBERS ABSENT

Dr. Esra Tasali

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS PRESENT

Dr. Marishka Brown, NHLBI, Executive Secretary
Dr. Karen Lee, NICHD, NIH

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Dr. Lawrence Baizer, NHLBI, NIH
Dr. Shilpy Dixit, NHLBI, NIH
Mr. Peyvand Ghofrani, NHLBI, NIH
Dr. Chandra Jackson, NIEHS, NIH
Dr. Shailesh Kumar, NIAAA, NIH
Dr. Aaron Laposky, NHLBI, NIH
Ms. Rhonise Simpson, NHLBI, NIH
Dr. Gail Weinmann, NHLBI, NIH
Dr. Dan Xi, NCI, NIH
Mr. Ivan Zhorzh, NHLBI, NIH

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Dr. Sara Abbaspour, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Candice Alfano, University of Houston
Ms. Priyanka Bushana, Washington State University
Dr. Christopher Michael Depner, University of Colorado Boulder
Dr. Jeanne Duffy, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Karyn Esser, University of Florida
Ms. Vanessa Gonzalez, AASM Foundation
Dr. Monika Haack, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Elissa Hoopes, University of Delaware
Dr. Felicia Jefferson, Fort Valley State University
Mr. John-Sebastian De Jesus, Health and Medicine Council of Washington
Dr. Bruce Kristal, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Peter Mansbach, Circadian Sleep Disorders Network
Dr. Marge Moline, Neurology Business Group
Dr. Heather Montague, American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
Dr. Susan Malone, NYU
Mr. John Noel, Sleep Research Society
Dr. Sue Peters, Rutgers University
Dr. Louis Ptacek, UCSF
Dr. Clifford Saper, Harvard University
Dr. Thomas Scammell, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Dr. Paula Schweitzer, St. Luke's Hospital
Dr. Patrick Strollo, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Sherene Thomas, American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Dr. Michael Twery
Dr. Ken Wright, University of Colorado

CALL TO ORDER, Dr. Marishka Brown

• The meeting was called into session at 12:00 PM ET as announced in the Federal Register on June 1st, 2021 [FR Doc. 2021–11477]. This meeting was fully open to the public according to provisions of US code and Federal Advisory Committee Act as amended. The Chair, Dr. Haddad introduced members of the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board (SDRAB) and the Ex Officio members.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER ON SLEEP DISORDERS RESEARCH, Dr. Marishka Brown

• Reviewed legislation and charter that has established the NCSDR, past sleep research plans, and the current sleep research plan and the process for its development.
• Description of the Sleep research plan was given: there will be 5 overall strategic goals that will integrate with NIH cross-cutting goals and priorities.
• Announced that in the next two SDRAB meetings, the director of National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the director of National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) will present the perspectives of their Institutes and Centers and will be available for discussions with the SDRAB and members of the public.
• NCSDR Director described the opportunities for obtaining the feedback from various stakeholders in order to update and maintain the research plan as a dynamic document.

DISCUSSION OF THE 2021 NIH SLEEP RESEARCH PLAN

• The NCSDR director discussed strategic goals, critical opportunities, emerging opportunities (COVID-19), and major themes across the plan.
• NCSDR hosted an Ideascale campaign and various stakeholders from foundations, societies, federal agencies, and small businesses responded with ideas, comments, and proposed edits to the research plan. These comments and feedback were presented for consideration and discussion by SDRAB.
• Topics discussed by SDRAB included sleep efficiency, insufficient sleep, circadian misalignment, primary prevention, health equity, identification of sleep and circadian biomarkers, chronotherapeutic approaches, continued integration of sleep and circadian biology within general medicine education and training, measurements and data standardizations and data science, evolution of disparities research at NIH, maternal fetal and neonatal research, and public-private partnerships. Additional topic raised at the meeting was role of traumatic stress (including adverse childhood experiences) in the etiology of sleep disorders.

IDENTIFYING RESEARCH DIRECTION IN SLEEP, CIRCADIAN BIOLOGY, AND COVID-19

• Research questions around post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) were presented to the board for comment. SDRAB asked clarifying questions and provided comments and recommendations for the new plan.

IDEASCALE CAMPAIGN, Dr. Shilpy Dixit

• Instances for tightening language in the plan, based on comments received, were demonstrated for the board.
• Major themes  in the plan included diversity, equity, and inclusion; sex and/or gender influences; sleep across the lifespan; precision medicine. SDRAB commented that language surrounding  fetal life and the perinatal period should be strengthened and clarified in the research plan.

RECOVER, POST-ACUTE SEQUELAE OF SARS-COV-2 INFECTION (PASC), Dr. Gail Weinmann

• Several areas of the research program were described including reasons for studying post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), prominence of sleep disturbances for many suffering from PASC, goals of NIH PASC research, dimensions of the Recovery Cohort; RECOVER research approach; PASC characterization strategy: Recovery Clinical Study, Clinical Characterization, Phenotyping, Recovery Cohort; and RECOVER Initiative Components.
• RECOVER collaborative efforts comprising community/patient/stakeholder involvement at all levels, mobile health and digital technologies, longitudinal follow-up, adaptation and innovation, and informing clinical trials were discussed.
• SDRAB stressed the importance of the sleep and recommended its continued  consideration in the PASC discussion.