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WSCN attends SLEEP 2026

Every year the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS)
convene a global conference on sleep. This year, the conference was hosted in Baltimore,
Maryland, USA.

Dr Anne Marie Morse (WSCN Board Chair), Tara O’Connor (Patient Advocate), Lola Broomhall (Program Manager), Meg Langley (COO), and Liz Johnson (Finance Director) at the WSCN booth.

What was our experience?

We sent three staff members and partnered with PWN4PWN to support nine patient advocates
at the event. Additionally, three of our board members participated in WSCN activities.
Our booth in the main exhibit hall was surrounded by leading organizations in sleep health,
technology, device manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, research, and advocacy.

Over the course of four days, our staff delegates engaged attendees in conversations about
WSCN’s work, key programs, and future goals. Our booth was a hub of activity—our swag,
including stickers, tattoos, brochures, CPAP assistance flyers, and pens, drew many repeat
visitors. Meanwhile, our COO, Meg Langley, attended important stakeholder meetings to raise
awareness of our organization and secure support for future operations.

Our patient advocates participated in roundtable discussions, representing individuals with
sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and sleep apnea. They engaged with clinicians and
researchers, sharing their lived experiences and helping to elevate the patient voice within
the medical community.

We connected with individuals from across the medical ecosystem, learning about the
challenges they and their patients encounter. We gathered valuable insights on healthcare
and knowledge gaps, and shared WSCN’s efforts to address sleep and circadian health issues.
This experience allowed us to identify key areas of importance and generate ideas to add
value and amplify our impact. More broadly, meeting in person enabled us to forge new
relationships within the sleep and circadian community, and we are excited about our new
partnerships in development for 2026 and beyond.

Lola Broomhall, Meg Langley, Tara O’Connor and Rachel Nesmith (Patient Advocate) at the WSCN booth.

Meg Langley and Kerly Bwoga (Patient Advocate) chat with a conference delegate.

Lola Broomhall explaining our research poster on Patient Leadership in Research (PLIR) to a conference delegate.

Lola Broomhall and Rachel Nesmith having fun creating social media content at the WSCN booth.

Important Insights

  • Clinicians are seeking patient educational materials to help them deliver better sleep medicine care.
  • Many clinicians reported cost and lack of insurance coverage as significant barriers preventing patients from accessing therapy.
  • Pediatric and adolescent sleep health and sleep hygiene are priority areas for the AASM and growing concerns for clinicians, parents, and educators.
  • There is considerable excitement surrounding a new class of drugs—orexin receptor agonists—which are showing significant benefits for people living with narcolepsy and other sleep-wake disorders.
  • Healthcare professionals are increasingly discussing both sleep and circadian rhythms, recognizing that sleep health extends beyond sleep alone.
  • We must continue advocating for patient voices to be represented throughout every stage of research and healthcare.

Key Takeaways

  • We learned that the WSCN CPAP Assistance Program is more important than ever, helping patients obtain their own CPAP machines for only $200. Seeing the direct impact of this program reinforced how meaningful our work can be.
  • There are many exciting advances in wearable sleep-tracking technology, consumer devices, and clinical testing, and we look forward to seeing how these innovations improve patient outcomes.
  • We repeatedly heard that gaps remain in both clinical training and patient education. Teenagers and young adults transitioning to independent living are particularly underserved. The AASM has identified this as a priority area, and WSCN intends to collaborate with partners to develop valuable educational resources.
  • Social determinants continue to influence sleep equity throughout the United States, creating challenges for clinicians striving to improve patient health. System-wide change is needed—from government policy and research priorities to individual beliefs and behaviors surrounding sleep health.
  • Patient voices remain essential for driving meaningful change across healthcare systems. WSCN is committed to strengthening patient advocacy through initiatives such as the Pathways to Vitality Scholars Network and the Patient Leadership in Research (PLIR) program.
  • The sleep medicine community is increasingly embracing the importance of addressing the entire 24-hour day and considering the whole person when treating sleep disorders. We are encouraged to see this shift in thinking and excited that WSCN’s message continues to gain momentum.

In Summary

We left SLEEP 2026 inspired, educated, challenged, and motivated to continue advancing our
mission. The conference reinforced the importance of our programs, strengthened our
partnerships, and empowered us to keep pushing forward in support of sleep and circadian
health around the world.

Anne Marie Morse, Tara O’Connor, Lola Broomhall, Meg Langley, Liz Johnson, and Solomon Briggs (patient and artist).