Esra Tasali

Director of the UChicago Sleep Center, Esra Tasali, MD, is an expert in sleep medicine. Dr.Tasali’s seminal research demonstrated the role of sleep as an important regulator of energy metabolism and contributed to our understanding of mechanistic pathways linking insufficient sleep duration or quality to metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Over the past 15 years, she has led as the principal investigator interdisciplinary research projects on the impact of sleep and sleep apnea on metabolic outcomes funded by the National Institute of Health. Her current NIH-funded research program focuses on the role of sleep apnea in prediabetes. 

Dr. Tasali’s work has been recognized internationally and published in high-impact journals. Her most recent work in JAMA Internal Medicine showing sleep extension could be a viable intervention for the prevention or reversal of obesity has received great attention in the scientific community as well as the public around the world. She is the recipient of awards for her pioneering work and continues to serve on the National Institute of Health review panels. She is currently a member of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board at the National Institute of Health.