The SRS regrets to announce the passing of longtime SRS member and sleep medicine pioneer Christian Guilleminault, MD. As reported by the World Sleep Society, Dr. Guilleminault died at the age of 80 on July 9, 2019, from complications due to metastatic prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife, Priscilla Grevert, and his two sons, Eric and Damian Guilleminault.As both a clinician and scientist, Dr. Guilleminault played a foundational role in the establishment and development of the field of sleep medicine. In 1970 he opened one of the world’s first sleep disorders centers in Paris, and in the early 1970s he helped establish the first full-service sleep disorders clinic in the U.S. at Stanford University, as described in the History of the Development of Sleep Medicine in the United States.
In 1976 Dr. Guilleminault was appointed to a joint Nosology Committee of the AASM and the Sleep Research Society to develop a diagnostic system for clinical sleep disorders. The committee published its Diagnostic Classification of Sleep and Arousal Disorders in September 1979. Their efforts laid the groundwork for the publication in 1990 of The International Classification of Sleep Disorders.
In the late 1970s, Dr. Guilleminault and Dr. Dement became the founding editors of the journal SLEEP. After serving as co-editor from 1978 to 1992, Dr. Guilleminault began a five-year term as editor-in-chief in 1993, completing his service in 1997.
A renowned sleep researcher, Dr. Guilleminault made significant contributions to the understanding of the physiological and endocrinological changes that occur during sleep. His extensive body of research also included studies of obstructive sleep apnea, pediatric sleep disorders, and narcolepsy.
You can learn about the impact of his work and hear Dr. Guilleminault reflect on his career in this 2018 tribute video.
