Marietta Bibbs: Black History Month Sleep Leaders Part 5

Meet Marietta Bibbs!

Marietta Bibbs, RPSGT is a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist, a certified Clinical Sleep Educator, and long-standing leader in the sleep disorders technology field. She is the System Manager of Sleep Disorders and Clinical Research Coordinator for BayCare Health System in Clearwater, FL. Over her over expansive career, she has trained and mentored countless sleep technologists, as well as sleep fellows and young physicians from around the world.

Bibbs began her career at Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Houston, TX. (Bibbs is a US Air Force Veteran herself.) During her 25+ years there, she worked intimately with clinical sleep research pioneers who were instrumental in publishing much of the data, like normal sleep values, that professionals still use today. In 2009, she joined BayCare, where she used her rich research experience to bring its sleep center its first clinical trial.

Bibbs has dedicated herself to inspiring other sleep technicians to see sleep technology as not merely a job but as a career. She emphasizes training and continued education—and her influence is far-reaching.

She started one of the first certified sleep technician training programs in Florida and the first regional educational meeting for sleep technologists (The SE/SW Regional Meeting). She’s presented on sleep technology and education worldwide and published over 170 publications and presentations on sleep disorders. She served as President of the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) and 2 terms as Director-at-Large of the American Association of Sleep Technologists (AAST). She also coordinates the annual Southern Sleep Society conference.

Bibbs was only the 29th person and the first Black technologist to achieve credentials in sleep technology. Since the first credentialing exam in 1979, there have been over 22,000 RPSGTs in the US, Canada, and 32 countries abroad. Bibbs continues to see the field grow, predicting an even bigger need for technology—from telemedicine to greater footprints on social media platforms—in sleep disorder patient care.

I am hopeful that patients will become more engaged in their care and realize that sleep is as important as eating and exercising in prevention of disease,” she told the AASM here.