2026 Sleep and Health Benefit
We are pleased to announce that the 25th Annual Sleep and Health Benefit Dinner will be held jointly at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Simmons University in Boston, MA on September 28th, 2026.
Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., Professor for Neurology, Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Rochester will be awarded the 2026 Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine Prize for her contributions to the field of Sleep Medicine.
Dr. Maiken Nedergaard is a physician-scientist that is Co-Director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the University of Copenhagen.
Dr. Nedergaard's research has transformed our understanding of the interactions between glial cells, cerebral blood flow, sleep, and neurological disease. She is best known for the discovery of the glymphatic system, a brain-wide fluid transport pathway that facilitates the clearance of metabolic waste from the central nervous system. Her work has established a fundamental link between sleep and brain clearance and has opened new avenues for understanding neurodegenerative disorders, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and aging.
SCHEDULE
| 10:30am – 11:45am ET | HMS DSM Faculty Meeting for HMS Affiliate Faculty only; Deland Board Room 15 Francis St, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 |
| 10:30am – 11:45am ET | Introductory Meeting and Brunch with HMS DSM Trainees and Maiken Nedergaard M.D., D.M.Sc. for HMS DSM Trainees only; Carrie Hall 15 Francis St, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 |
| 12pm – 1:30pm ET | Sleep Grand Rounds Annual Lecture Opening Remarks | Charles A. Czeisler, Ph.D., M.D. Abstract: Sleep is essential for brain health, yet the biological functions served by sleep remain incompletely understood. Over the past decade, the discovery of the glymphatic system has revealed a fundamental link between sleep and brain waste clearance. The glymphatic system is a brain-wide network that facilitates the exchange of cerebrospinal fluid and interstitial fluid, promoting the removal of metabolic waste products, including aggregation-prone proteins associated with neurodegenerative disease. This lecture will review the evidence that glymphatic transport is enhanced during sleep and suppressed during wakefulness. I will discuss the neural and vascular mechanisms that couple sleep states to fluid transport, including the role of neuromodulators, infraslow vascular dynamics, and changes in extracellular space volume. Recent findings suggest that coordinated oscillations in neuromodulatory signaling during non-REM sleep drive vasomotion and cerebrospinal fluid movement, thereby optimizing brain clearance. Finally, I will explore the implications of sleep-dependent brain clearance for aging, neurodegenerative disorders, traumatic brain injury, and other neurological diseases. Together, these observations suggest that one fundamental function of sleep is to support the maintenance and long-term health of the brain by facilitating the efficient removal of waste products and inflammatory mediators. |
| 2:00pm – 5:00pm ET | HMS DSM Annual Poster Session & Reception Helen G. Drinian Hall, Simmons University, 300 Fenway, Boston, MA, 02115 |
| 3:30pm – 5:00pm ET | HMS DSM Group Pictures Helen G. Drinian Hall, Simmons University, 300 Fenway, Boston, MA, 02115 |
| 5:15pm – 8:00pm ET | HMS DSM Sleep and Health Benefit Dinner Linda K. Paresky Conference Center, Simmons University, 300 Fenway, Boston, MA, 02115 Welcome and Opening Remarks | Charles A. Czeisler, Ph.D., M.D. Award Presentation | 2026 Annual Prize in Sleep Medicine to Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc. |
Please register and support us through our GoFundMe. We are counting on your continued generous support in order to maintain this spectacular annual event for years to come. We look forward to seeing you this year in-person on September 28th!
The 2026 Sleep and Health Benefit is generously supported by the following individuals and organizations:
Platinum Benefactor:
Gold Benefactor:
Apnimed
Jazz Pharmaceuticals
Synchrony Group
Silver Benefactor:
Bronze Benefactor:
Harmony Biosciences
Idorsia
Sponsors:
Cadwell Industries
Charles Czeisler, Ph.D., M.D.
Elizabeth B. Klerman, M.D., Ph.D.
Maria Marmarinos, Catalyst Group
Frank A.J.L. Scheer, Ph.D.
Start School Later
Supporters:
Radhika Basheer, Ph.D.
Lawrence Epstein, M.D.
Richard A. Ferber, M.D.
Jonathan Lipton, M.D., Ph.D.
Paul George Mathew, M.D.
Stuart F. Quan, M.D.
Susan Redline, M.D., MPH
Clifford B. Saper, M.D., Ph.D.
Other Donors:
Daniel Gottlieb, M.D.
Edward Franz Pace-Schott, Ph.D.
Leela Maski
Support for the 2025-2026 Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine Sleep Grand Rounds Program was generously provided by the following organizations:
Gold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Bronze Sponsors:
Since 1998, support for the Harvard Medical School Training Program in Sleep, Circadian and Respiratory Neurobiology, administered by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has been provided by a training grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Supplemental support in 2022 was provided by NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) for the Sleep Grand Round Series and the Retreat on Behavioral, Environmental, and Social Determinants of Sleep and Circadian Health and their Relationship to Sleep Health Disparities.
Directions
Parking at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Main Campus
- Parking Office Phone Number: (617) 732-5877
- For Visitors: Visitors may park in the 80 Francis Street Garage.
- Hours of Operation: 7 days a week. 24 hours a day.
- 0-1 Hours - $8.00; 1-2 Hours - $10.00; 2-3 Hours - $11.00; 3-4 Hours - $12.00; 4-5 Hours - $13.00; 5-6 Hours - $15.00; 6-7 Hours - $36.00; 7-24 Hours - $40.00
Directions to BWH Zinner Board Room
- Coming from 75 Francis, on the Pike, walk over Bridge into Shapiro Building, take the escalators or elevators to first floor, walk towards the back of building and take a right through the double glass doors. The entrance to room is straightaway.
- From the 70 Francis St. street level entrance, through the revolving door, walk towards the back of building and take a right through the double glass doors. The entrance to room is straightaway.
Directions to BWH Bornstein Family Amphitheater
- The Bornstein Family Amphitheater is located on the 2nd Floor "Pike" in Brigham and Women's Hospital. Directions to this conference room:
- From main lobby on the 1st floor at 75 Francis Street, walk down the "lower pike" corridor to the Connors Ctr for Women's Health elevators.
- Take the elevator up one level.
- Turn left into the main corridor.
- Find the entrance to this room on your left, between exits 5 and 6.