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| Charles Czeisler (left) accepts the Farrell Prize in Sleep Medicine from Clifford Saper. |
Charles Czeisler, MD, PhD, FRCP, FAPS, chief of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, received the Stanford Medical School Alumni Association’s J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Achievement Award in Medicine and was awarded Harvard Medical School’s (HMS) Farrell Prize in Sleep Medicine for his outstanding contributions.
Named in memory of former Stanford University President J.E. Wallace Sterling, PhD, this award is presented annually to a distinguished alumnus for exceptional lifetime achievement in medicine. Czeisler was honored by Stanford during a ceremony on Nov. 7.
The Farrell Prize in Sleep Medicine, awarded by HMS’ Division of Sleep Medicine, honors Czeisler for his groundbreaking discoveries and outstanding contributions to the field of human sleep and circadian rhythms. This award is named in honor of Peter C. Farrell, PhD, and recognizes faculty who exemplify his lifelong commitment to the field of sleep medicine. As the Farrell Prize honoree, Czeisler, who also serves as director of the division, presented his lecture, “A Brief Journey through Circadian Time,” during Sleep Grand Rounds at the Brigham in October.
In his research, Czeisler discovered the resetting effects of light on the human circadian clock. He focuses on the neurobiology of circadian rhythms — a person’s 24-hour sleep and wake cycle — and how circadian and homeostatic processes interact to regulate sleep. Czeisler and his research team are investigating the effects of melatonin as well as the physiological mechanisms involved in the resetting of the circadian rhythm and the photoreceptors responsible for circadian vision.
Czeisler has also examined the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain, exercise on the circadian pacemaker, the influence of chronic sleep restriction on human performance, and the influence of space flight and aging on sleep and circadian rhythms.
The Stanford Medicine Alumni Association aims to inspire, serve and engage Stanford alumni and to support all of Stanford Medicine by promoting and celebrating excellence, diversity, collegiality and alumni involvement. The HMS Division of Sleep Medicine is home to advanced programs in clinical care and patient-oriented research in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.
