Hypersomnia Foundation--Awareness and Education

The Hypersomnia Foundation (HF) attended the World Sleep Congress (WSC) in Prague this past October and hosted a nonprofit booth at the exihibit hall.  Board members Diane Powell and Catherine Page-Rye attended and represented the HF and the hypersomnia community.  "We believe it is important to take this opportunity to increase awareness of IH at this important global meeting of sleep professionals," said Diane Powell, Chairwoman of the HF's Board of DIrectors.  The WSC is well attended by world clinical and scientific sleep medicine experts. 

 

At the HF's exhibition booth printed materials about the work of the Hypersomnia Foundation, information about the hypersomnia specific registry at CoRDS, and more was handed out.  Also, the HF's developing grants program that will financially support innovative research applications that are most likely to positively impact the hypersomnia community was discussed with many visitors.

Why did the Hypersomnia Foundation attending the WSC?

“This historic meeting in Prague brings together for the first time the best of sleep medicine with individuals from remote and populated parts of the world and members of major sleep societies.” (Dr. Richard Allen)

Part of the Hypersomnia Foundation’s mission is to build greater awareness of idiopathic hypersomnia by increasing awareness among clinical and basic science researchers. As a gathering of sleep medicine professionals from around the globe, this meeting was a fantastic opportunity for HF to focus on this part of the HF's mission.

Two physicians from the Hypersomnia Foundation’s medical and scientific advisory boards attended the WSC and participated in  a symposium: “Idiopathic hypersomnia: a neglected disorder.” This symposium comprehensively reviewed the latest advances in understanding, diagnosing and treating idiopathic hypersomnia, derived from large series of patients studied in tertiary referral centers.

Isabelle Arnulf, MD, member of the HF Medical Advisory Board (MAB) chaired this symposium and David Rye, MD, PhD, Chair of the HF Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), presented "New Insights into the Mechanisims of Hypersomnia."