Robert Leroy Sack (born March 14,

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

) is an American physician and researcher specializing in sleep medicine. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Sleep Disorders Medicine. On the faculty of the

Oregon Health & Science University Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon Medi ...

since 1977, he is the medical director of its Clinical Sleep Disorders Medicine Program which he developed parallel with his research on

circadian rhythm A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., Endogeny (biology), endogeno ...

s. For many years, Sack, together with

Alfred J. Lewy Alfred J. Lewy, a.k.a. "Sandy Lewy", is an American sleep researcher. Career He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1973 after studying Psychiatry, Pharmacology and Ophthalmology. He is a full professor and Vice-Chair of the department of ...

, has conducted research on sleep, light therapy and

melatonin Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle. In vertebrates ...

. Their work resulted in a U.S. patent in 2002. Dr. Sack is, as of February 2010, listed as author of 71 PubMed articles, of which 17 are reviews. He has authored chapters in books, for example "Therapy of Circadian Sleep Disorders" in ''Sleep Medicine Essentials.'' His discovery of the power of the hormone melatonin to entrain people with

circadian rhythm sleep disorder Circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSD), also known as circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders (CRSWD), are a family of sleep disorders which affect the timing of sleep. CRSDs arise from a persistent pattern of sleep/wake disturbances that can be ...

s has benefited many people, both blind and sighted, earning him credit in a ''New England Journal of Medicine'' editorial. Sack is the author of the two-part

American Academy of Sleep Medicine The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is a United States professional society for the medical subspecialty of sleep medicine which includes disorders of circadian rhythms. It was established in 1975. The organization's functions include t ...

review on circadian rhythm sleep disorders. He was the brother of

Bradley Sack Richard Bradley Sack (October 25, 1935 – April 24, 2017) was an American physician and researcher noted for his contributions to the treatment of cholera. Early years Sack was born in Le Sueur, Minnesota to Wilma Mary (Hyink) and Rev. Nobel V ...

of Johns Hopkins University.

References

1942 births Oregon Health & Science University faculty Living people American neurologists Sleep researchers {{US-physician-stub