Christine Won, MD, associate professor of medicine in the section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine (Yale-PCCSM) at Yale School of Medicine, was elected president of the Society of Anesthesiology and Sleep Medicine during the society’s annual meeting on October 21.
Won, who is the medical director of the Yale Centers for Sleep Medicine, a Yale-PCCSM Center of Excellence, and director of the Women’s Sleep Health Program, brings to the position a background in sleep-disordered breathing of women and special populations. As president, she wants to bring attention to sleep disorders in women whether in the obstetrics population or post-menopausal population, and relate sex differences in sleep disorders to perioperative management.
“Women tend not to present with the ‘classic’ symptoms of sleep apnea, such as loud snoring and excessive sleepiness,” said Klar Yaggi, MD, MPH, professor of medicine (Yale-PCCSM) and director of the Yale Centers for Sleep Medicine. “Rather, they are much more likely to present with fatigue, depressed mood, and predominantly REM-related sleep apnea. This contributes to the underdiagnosis of sleep apnea in women. Dr. Won has made significant contributions to our understanding of the mechanisms of these sex differences, which will help to improve the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea among women,” Yaggi said.
Sleep-disordered Breathing of Women
“SASM is a unique society that melds together two different disciplines,” said Won. The mission of the Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine (SASM) is to solve problems at the intersection of anesthesiology and sleep medicine, including the improvement of perioperative outcomes in patients with sleep disorders.
“There's a correlation between having untreated sleep apnea and high morbidity in the perioperative setting, for example. The society consists of anesthesiologists and sleep specialists who appreciate the impact of these types of issues on their clinical practice,” she said. “SASM is dedicated to bringing awareness and improving the clinical care and outcomes of patients undergoing surgery or requiring pain management by addressing underlying sleep disorders,” she added.
Won’s leadership journey in the society began with contributions to clinical guidelines for the perioperative care of obstetrics patients with sleep disordered breathing and for the postoperative care of patients at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea. She served as program chair for the annual SASM meetings from 2020-2022. She was elected to serve on the board in 2019, then served in the positions of secretary and treasurer, and has been elected president for the term 2022-2023. The president position alternates between anesthesiologists and sleep medicine professionals, emphasizing the society’s dedication to representing both fields.
Sleep Medicine and Anesthesiology Working Together
Her first priority as president is to create new opportunities for the membership through year-long engagement with research, patient advocacy, and education. She wants to help create research funding opportunities especially for junior faculty or trainees in the area of anesthesia and sleep medicine. Already, SASM partners with the Journal of Anesthesia and Analgesia to highlight research conducted by its members. Additionally, she seeks to partner with patient advocacy groups to emphasize patient-centered outcomes. Finally, Won would like to enhance the society’s educational experience through webinars, podcasts, and other long-running platforms.
At Yale New Haven Hospital, Won was part of a health system-wide group that included anesthesiologists, nursing, and administrative leadership tasked to develop guidelines for the YNHH network to improve recognition, monitoring, and treatment of sleep apnea in surgical patients. Currently, she is collaborating with the orthopedic surgery section at Yale to develop clinical pathways for early detection, testing, and treatment of sleep apnea patients planned for orthopedic surgeries.
Won has collaborated with colleague Aymen Alian, MBChB, associate professor (anesthesiology) and division chief of obstetric and gynecological anesthesiology, in research of high-risk pregnant women having C-sections to assess risk for perioperative respiratory complications due to untreated sleep apnea. Won also collaborated with fellow SASM member Jamie Hyman, MD, associate professor (anesthesiology) and division chief of ambulatory anesthesiology on clinical guidelines for monitoring and treatment of high risk sleep apnea patients post-operatively. Won looks up to her colleagues, who have combined sleep medicine and anesthesiology in new and unique ways, she said.
Won is proud of the continuity between her work at Yale School of Medicine and SASM. “I've been seeing anesthesiologists apply for sleep medicine fellowships at Yale-PCCSM. This is exactly the kind of movement that the Society of Anesthesiology and Sleep Medicine is trying to promote,” said Won.
The Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine is one of the eleven sections within Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine. To learn more about Yale-PCCSM, visit PCCSM's website, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.