Research and Scholarship

Ali A. El Solh, MD, performs research.

Ali El Solh, MD, welcomes fellows into his lab to study a variety of subjects including health care associated pneumonia and sleep disordered breathing in cardiovascular disease.

Research skills are a key component of a successful clinical practice and academic career. To help you maximize these skills, we encourage research and include ample time throughout the fellowship for you to engage in meaningful and productive research.

In our program, you can collaborate with world-class faculty on research projects investigating the development, treatment and prevention of sleep disorders. Our faculty will support your interests in the full spectrum of approaches to sleep medicine research: translational research, clinical studies and clinical trials.

We will provide you with an introduction to research opportunities during orientation. Thereafter, you have the option to research a topic applicable to the diagnosis or treatment of sleep disorders. Moreover, we encourage you to participate in scholarly activities outside of the time you dedicate to research.

Our faculty, who have ongoing sleep research projects, offer plentiful research opportunities in areas including:

  • neurocognitive effects of sleep disorders
  • predictive models of sleep apnea
  • the role of inflammation in OSA
  • immunologic aspects of sleep apnea
  • the role of sleep disorders in certain chronic disease states, such as multiple sclerosis

We are attentive to your ideas; we urge you to propose research interests of your own.

We encourage you to publish your work in peer-reviewed journals. You research mentor will guide you as you embark on the process of writing an abstract, delivering oral or poster presentations and preparing for publication. We will provide you with support to ensure that you are equipped to attend national meetings.

Most of our fellows' research has culminated in an abstract, presentation at a national meeting or publication.

Additional Scholarly Activities

Outside of your research, you can stay engaged in scholarly activity when you assist with selecting and presenting articles to be discussed at our journal and research club. We expect you to direct your own learning by regularly searching electronic resources, such as PubMed, and by frequently studying and reviewing the up-to-date clinical and technical texts we provide.

We will also encourage you become a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which provides additional educational opportunities, connects you to a network of sleep professionals and helps you stay updated on the latest sleep medicine news.

Alternatives to Research

If you decide not to participate in optional research, you can engage in additional clinical activities during the time you would otherwise dedicate to research.