The Sleep Research Society (SRS) has selected four sleep and circadian scientists as recipients of the 2024 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 SLEEP 2024 in Houston, TX.

Elizabeth Klerman, MD, PhD

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

Dr. Klerman is a Professor of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) in Boston MA, a Physician at The Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a member of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS). She received her undergraduate degree from MIT and her MD and PhD degrees from Harvard University. At MGH, BWH, and HMS, her areas of research are (i) the application of circadian and sleep research principles to normal and pathophysiologic states and (ii) mathematical analysis and modeling of human circadian rhythms and sleep.

Dr. Klerman was Team Lead for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI, affiliated with NASA) Human Factors and Performance Team. Her work has been funded by the NIH (continuously since 1995 as a PI, mPI, or Core Leader) and other US agencies (e.g., AFOSR, FAA), NSBRI, foundations, and private industry. Her mentees are now faculty at MGH, BWH, New York University, Northeastern University, Oregon Health Sciences University, and Monash University (Australia); a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University; and researchers in biotech and pharmaceutical firms.  They have received funding from NSF, NIH (F32, KL2, K01, K23, K99/R00, R21, R01 and U01 awards) and foundation awards (National Space Biomedical Research Institute, National Kidney Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation). She has successfully mentored women in science and engineering (who are considered under-represented by NSF) and others who are URIM/URIA. She is Director of Student Engagement in Clinical and Translational Research, Harvard Catalyst/HMS, and a research fellow in one of the HMS societies.

She graduated Phi Beta Kappa, is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics, and was a member of the International Space Station Flexible Lighting Team that won a NASA JSC Director’s Innovation Award. She also is active in teaching and mentoring in patient-oriented research for medical school students, fellows, and junior faculty.

David M. Raizen, MD, 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

Dr. Raizen is a professor of Neurology, Medicine, and Genetics as well as the Associate Director of the Chronobiology and Sleep Institute at the University Of Pennsylvania Perelman School Of Medicine. He received a BA degree in Biochemistry from University of Texas at Austin, and both an MD and PhD from the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas Texas. His dissertation work under the guidance of Dr. Leon Avery focused on excitable cell function. He did his post-doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania under the mentorship of Dr. Allan Pack and Dr. Meera Sundaram. His research activities center on the fundamental mechanisms regulating sleep and fatigue. His clinical work involves the evaluation and management of individuals with sleep disorders.

Michael L. Perlis, PhD

Mary A. Carskadon Outstanding Educator Award for excellence in education related to the sleep and circadian research field

Dr. Perlis is internationally known for his work in the area of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (BSM). He is a coauthor of the first text book in this field and he is the senior author of a published CBT‐I treatment manual and a larger text summarizing all BSM treatments. In addition, he conducts two annual CBT‐I training workshops per year (the basic workshop has been ongoing for the last 15 years and the advanced workshop was first offered in 2014), has available a video mock case vignette DVD, and offers mini‐fellowship BSM practica and supervision through his group at Penn. Note: The Basic CBT‐I workshop has also been provided, on request, in England, Sweden, South Africa, Israel, Qatar, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan and the CBT‐I manual has been translated into Spanish, Italian, Korean, and Mandarin Chinese. More than 3,000 clinicians and trainees have attended the Basic and CBT-I trainings.

Dr. Perlis serves on the editorial boards of Sleep, the Journal of Sleep Research, the journal of Sleep Medicine Research, and the journal of Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Dr. Perlis has also served as a member, or chair, of several committees and task forces of the Sleep Research Society and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and he was the assistant chair for the training program of the SRS for five years. Finally, Dr. Perlis was one of the five organizing and founding members of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (SBSM). He also served as the SBSM’s first president (2010‐2011).

Julie Flygare, JD

The Public Service Award for significant and extraordinary contributions to the mission of SRS above and beyond research and educational activities

Julie Flygare, JD, serves as President & CEO of Project Sleep. Flygare is an internationally recognized patient-perspective leader, an accomplished advocate, and the award-winning author of Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy. On March 22, 2022, she delivered the TEDx Talk, “What Can You Learn from a Professional Dreamer?”

Since receiving a diagnosis of narcolepsy with cataplexy in 2007, Flygare advanced her leadership in the sleep and healthcare space through speaking engagements, publications, earned media, collaborations, and advocacy and awareness initiatives. Prior to accepting her current role as President & CEO of Project Sleep, Flygare served as President of Project Sleep’s Board of Directors, while also gaining invaluable experience in marketing and philanthropy at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and City of Hope. Additionally, she served on the National Institutes of Health’s Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board from 2012 – 2015. Flygare received her B.A. from Brown University in 2005 and her J.D. from Boston College Law School in 2009, focusing on health law, policy, and rare disease drug development.