Dr. William Charles Dement will be the keynote speaker at Sleep & Wellness 2014: A Conference for Professionals. The conference will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, on May 1-3, 2014. The conference will be sponsored by The American Sleep & Breathing Academy (ASBA) in collaboration with the American Association for Respiratory Care.

Dement is commonly known as the father of sleep medicine. He is completing his 56th year of sleep research, which has been instrumental in defining and developing the clinical discipline of sleep medicine. He has written textbooks, is the author or co-author of over 500 scientific publications, and is public policy leader in applying sleep knowledge to families, workplaces, and safer transportation throughout America. Dement also teaches undergraduates, medical students and primary care physicians. He is affiliated with the Lowell W. and Josephine Q. Berry Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and he is the Director Emeritus of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Center. Dement was appointed in 1990 as Chairman of the National Commission on Sleep Disorders as federally mandated by the U.S. Congress. He was co-founder of the Sleep Research Society in 1961 and founded and led the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for its first twelve years (1975-1987). Dement’s “Sleep and Dreams” course at Stanford University is one of the most popular and largest classes offered.

In addition to Dement, other highly acclaimed professionals will speak at the Sleep & Wellness 2014 conference. This conference will be geared toward physicians, dentists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, nurses, technologists, and technicians. There will also be a wellness section that will be recorded and released to general population as a public sleep health broadcast. For more information about Sleep & Wellness 2014, visit http://www.sleep-conference.com.

About the American Sleep & Breathing Academy 
The American Sleep & Breathing Academy is an educational institution for sleep disorders. The organization serves the community at large and educates sleep technicians and other medical professionals in the field of sleep disorders. In addition to organizing and hosting wellness events such as the 2014 conference, the Academy publishes a quarterly publication, Sleep & Wellness Magazine, which can be ordered through the company website, http://www.sleepandwellness.net. The February edition will explore dreaming.

About the American Association for Respiratory Care 
Since 1947, the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) has been committed to enhancing the professionalism of its members as respiratory care practitioners, improving their performance on the job, and helping them broaden the scope of knowledge essential to their success. With more than 50,000 members worldwide, the AARC is the only professional society for respiratory therapists. Further information can be viewed athttp://www.aarc.org.