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Lauren Tobias, MD

Assistant Professor; Medical Director, Sleep Program, VA Connecticut Healthcare System; Program Director, Sleep Medicine Fellowship

Contact Information

Lauren Tobias, MD

Appointments

Biography

Lauren Tobias MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Tobias is Program Director for the Sleep Medicine Fellowship at Yale. She also serves as Medical Director of the Sleep Program for the Connecticut Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which serves a large population of veterans with sleep apnea, insomnia, and other sleep disorders. She also has a clinical practice at Yale Centers for Sleep Medicine and attends in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Yale New Haven Hospital. Dr. Tobias is a clinical educator with a commitment to education in sleep medicine for medical trainees and practicing physicians.

She is currently Chair of the Respiratory-Related Sleep Disorders Network for the American College of Chest Physicians and a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's Sleep Medicine Fellowship Directors Council. From 2015-2021, she served as Course Director for the weekly Yale Sleep Seminar and as Course Director for the sleep medicine elective for residents and fellows. She directed the 2019 Yale Sleep Symposium “Sleep and the Heart.” She has organized sessions and given invited lectures both locally and nationally and has authored book chapters and articles. She has served on the Young Physicians Presidential Committee for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and on the Planning Committee for the Connecticut Pulmonary Society’s annual meeting, sponsored by the American Lung Association. Dr. Tobias’s primary clinical interests include the overlap of obstructive lung disease and sleep disorders, peri-operative evaluation and management of patients with sleep disorders; particularly in the bariatric surgery population; sleep disorders in older adults; sleep disorders in women; sleep in underserved populations; and improving sleep education for patients and trainees.

Education & Training

  • Fellow, Sleep Medicine
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (2015)
  • Fellow/Chief Fellow
    Yale School of Medicine (2014)
  • Chief Resident, Internal Medicine
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (2011)
  • Resident, Internal Medicine
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (2010)
  • MD
    Albany Medical College (2007)
  • BS
    Swarthmore College (2002)

Activities

  • Help your patients use CPAP! High-yield tips & tricks to improve adherence.
    New Orleans, LA, United States 2019
    American College of Chest Physicians annual CHEST conference, New Orleans.
  • In-Hospital Sleep Program: Challenges and Success Stories
    Orlando, FL, United States 2019
    “In-Hospital Sleep Program: Challenges and Success Stories”
  • Cases in sleep medicine that keep you up at night
    Ledyard, CT, United States 2019
    “Cases in sleep medicine that keep you up at night”
  • Beyond OSA: Other important sleep disorders in psychiatric patients
    New Haven, CT, United States 2019
    “Beyond OSA: Other important sleep disorders in psychiatric patients”
  • Strategies for diagnosing and managing sleep apnea in psychiatric patients
    New Haven, CT, United States 2019
    “Strategies for diagnosing and managing sleep apnea in psychiatric patients”
  • The Obesity Epidemic: Implications for pulmonologists (Session Chair)
    New Orleans, LA, United States 2019
    The Obesity Epidemic: Implications for pulmonologists (Session Chair)
  • Risk Factors for Sleep Disorders in Underserved and Minority Populations
    New Orleans, LA, United States 2019
    Risk Factors for Sleep Disorders in Underserved and Minority Populations.
  • When and How to Work Up Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients With Complex Comorbidities in the Hospital
    San Antonio, TX, United States 2018
    Oct 2018 Invited speaker, “When and How to Work Up Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients With Complex Comorbidities in the Hospital”
  • Sleep Disorders in Pregnancy
    Ledyard, CT, United States 2018
    “Sleep Disorders in Pregnancy”
  • Sleepy at the Wheel: Approaching drowsy driving in patients with sleep apnea and hypersomnolence (Session Chair)
    San Antonio, TX, United States 2018
    Sleepy at the Wheel: Approaching drowsy driving in patients with sleep apnea and hypersomnolence (Session Chair))
  • Obesity and Sleep: From Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome to Bariatric Surgery
    Ledyard, CT, United States 2017
    “Obesity and Sleep: From Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome to Bariatric Surgery”
  • Shift Work and Circadian Disruption are Risk Factors for Lung Cancer
    Los Angeles, CA, United States 2016
    “Shift Work and Circadian Disruption are Risk Factors for Lung Cancer”
  • Sleep Deprivation
    Ledyard, CT, United States 2016
    “Sleep Deprivation”
  • Diagnosing and Treating Sleep Apnea in Patients with Acute Cererovascular Disease: The Sleep Tight Study.
    Denver, CO, United States 2016
    Diagnosing and Treating Sleep Apnea in Patients with Acute Cererovascular Disease: The Sleep Tight Study.
  • REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and Other Parasomnias
    Ledyard, CT, United States 2015
    “REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and Other Parasomnias”
  • Narcolepsy and Influenza Vaccination: A Case of Narcolepsy Diagnosis following Administration of an Adjuvanted H5N1 Influenza Vaccine
    Minneapolis, MN, United States 2014
    Narcolepsy and Influenza Vaccination: A Case of Narcolepsy Diagnosis following Administration of an Adjuvanted H5N1 Influenza Vaccine
  • The Complementary Role of CD68 Immunostaining in Diagnosing Sarcoidosis by Endobronchial Ultrasound
    Honolulu, HI, United States 2011
    The Complementary Role of CD68 Immunostaining in Diagnosing Sarcoidosis by Endobronchial Ultrasound

Honors & Recognition

AwardAwarding OrganizationDate
2021 Distinguished CHEST Educator awardAmerican College of Chest Physicians2021
Selected to participate in “Clinical Teaching Development Course” Yale School of Medicine2019
Selected to participate in Educator Development Postgraduate CourseAmerican College of Chest Physicians CHEST 2019 annual conference, New Orleans2019
Kenneth M. Archibold Prize“for exemplifying the principles of obstetrical practice”Albany Medical College2019
Appointed to American Academy of Sleep Medicine Young Physicians Presidential Committee2018
Graduate, Advanced Emerging Leaders Program, Yale School of ManagementYale-New Haven Hospital2017
Graduate, Emerging Leaders Program,Yale School of ManagementYale-New Haven Hospital2016
Scholarship from Yale Department of Medicine to attend American Academy of Communication in Healthcare (AACH) annual ENRICH Course, Yale School of ManagementYale-New Haven Hospital2016
Stephen R. Shell Award “for possessing an uncompromising commitment to General Internal Medicine and the best interests of patients”Yale Traditional Internal Medicine Residency Program2010
Scholar, Yale-Johnson & Johnson Physicians in Global Health Program, Sukadana, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.2009
Samuel Kushlan Award, Yale Traditional Internal Medicine Residency Program, “for the PGY2 contributing most to patient care at Yale-New Haven Hospital”2009
Richard A. Barnett Award “for embodying characteristics ideal for the practice of internal medicine”Albany Medical College2007
Co-recipient, Elizabeth Karlin Campus Organizing Award as a leader in Medical Students For Choice, Albany Medical College chapter2005
Joel Dean Grant for Research in the Social SciencesSwarthmore College2001

Professional Service

OrganizationRoleDate
Thesis advisor to Jessica Hockla, Physician Associate candidate, class of 2020Mentor2019 - 2020
American College of Chest Physicians annual CHEST conference, New Orleans, LA.“Risk Factors for Sleep Disorders in Underserved and Minority Populations”2019 - Present
American College of Chest Physicians annual CHEST conference, New Orleans, LA.Session Chair, “The Obesity Epidemic: Implications for pulmonologists”2019 - Present
American Academy of Sleep Medicine Young Physicians Presidential CommitteeCommittee Member2018 - 2019
Committee for Status of Women in Medicine (SWIM)Liason for Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine2018 - Present
DynaMed Plus (EBSCO Health)Topic/Triage Editor, Sleep Medicine sections on OSA in pregnancy and OSA/COPD overlap syndrome2018 - Present
American College of Chest Physicians annual CHEST conference, San Antonio, TX.“Sleepy at the Wheel: Approaching drowsy driving in patients with sleep apnea and hypersomnolence”2018 - Present
Chair, Associated Professional Sleep Societies SLEEP National Meeting, Baltimore, MD.Oral Presentation Session: Impact of Cancer on Sleep.2018 - Present
ChestReviewer2018 - Present
Journal of Clinical Sleep MedicineReviewer2018 - Present
Mentor, Advisor, Coach (“MAC”) for Yale Internal Medicine housestaffMentor2016 - Present
American College of Chest Physicians Sleep Medicine NetWork Steering CommitteeCommittee Member2016 - Present
American Lung Association Connecticut Pulmonary Society Planning CommitteeCommittee Member2016 - Present
Internship Selection CommitteeMember2015 - 2017
Sleep Fellowship Program Evaluation CommitteeMember2015 - Present
Sleep Fellowship Selection CommitteeMember2015 - Present
Swarthmore CollegeInterviewer2011 - Present

Departments & Organizations