Berry chosen to help draft care standards

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recently appointed a University of Florida College of Medicine faculty member to a panel that will develop patient-care standards for the specialty.

Dr. Richard B. Berry, a professor of medicine in the pulmonary division, was selected from sleep experts nationwide to serve on the 10-member Standards of Practice Committee for the premier organization of sleep disorder specialists.

Berry, who directs the sleep laboratories at Shands at UF and the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center, is board-certified in internal, pulmonary and sleep medicine.

The more than seven dozen sleep-related disorders – including insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome – lower quality of life, diminish personal health and threaten public safety. Some sleep disorders can be life-threatening.