Sleep Advocacy Hill Day & Congressional Briefing 2023

On March 15, 2023, the Sleep Research Society (SRS) and Project Sleep visited Capitol Hill together for the 6th annual sleep advocacy hill day to urge Congress to support critical sleep research and awareness efforts. At lunchtime, the SRS hosted a Congressional Briefing on “Recent Advancement and Emerging Opportunities in Sleep, Circadian, and Sleep Disorders Research.”

The Congressional Briefing took place in the Dirksen Senate Building —bringing together Congressional staff, renowned sleep researchers, patient advocates, and additional sleep community leaders.

Sleep Congressional Briefing Featured Speakers:

• Dr. Marishka Brown, Director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, NHLBI
• Dr. Janet He, Program Director in the Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster, NINDS
• Dr. Ruth Benca, Chair, Sleep Research Society Advocacy Taskforce
• Dr. Beth Malow, Member, Sleep Research Society Advocacy Taskforce
• Dr. Kali Cyrus, Project Sleep Patient Advocate

Hill Day Activities

Throughout the day, sleep researchers and patient advocates conducted dozens of meetings with federal lawmakers in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The sleep community spoke to lawmakers about sleep loss, sleep equity, and sleep disorders, and advocated for sleep and sleep disorders research at the National Institutes of Health, the Veterans Administration, and the Department of Defense. Further, the sleep community educated Congress about the critical health and safety considerations favoring Permanent Standard Time (as opposed to Permanent Daylight Savings Time).

2023 Distinguished Public Service Awards

While on Capitol Hill, the sleep community awarded 2023 Distinguished Public Service Awards to Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina for their efforts championing sleep community priorities.

Special Thanks

A huge thank you to the Sleep Research Society for this wonderful partnership for the sleep advocacy hill day over the past six years. Special thanks to the enthusiastic patient advocates and researchers who dedicated their limited time and energy to participate. Together, we are building incredible momentum.

Sleep Advocacy Hill Day 2023 Photo Album:

Your Voice Matters

You do NOT need to be in Washington, D.C. to make a meaningful impact. Your support from across the country is absolutely essential to overcome the challenges facing the sleep community. Please sign up to receive timely “action alerts” at project-sleep.com/advocacy.