NeuroLeadership: Inside Perspectives From Newly Elected AASM President Fariha Abbasi-Feiberg, MD, FAASM, FAAN

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the leading professional organization for advancing sleep medicine, recently installed its new president on June 15, 2026, during SLEEP 2026, the 40th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Baltimore. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, MD, FAASM, FAAN, assumed the role at a pivotal moment for the field, as sleep medicine navigates a rapidly evolving therapeutic landscape, ongoing workforce pressures, and growing recognition of sleep's role across virtually every area of medicine. She takes the helm representing more than 9500 AASM members spanning physicians, scientists, and other health care professionals.

Abbasi-Feinberg brings more than two decades of clinical experience to the presidency, with a background that spans both neurology and sleep medicine. She serves as medical director of sleep medicine at Millennium Physician Group in Fort Myers, Florida, and has been deeply involved with the AASM since 2019, including roles chairing the Coding and Compliance Committee and the Alternative Payment Models Task Force. Her practical, non-academic clinical perspective is central to how she approaches leadership in the specialty.

In a Q&A with Abbasi-Feinberg, she outlined her top clinical and policy priorities as president, discussed which emerging developments in hypersomnia, sleep apnea, and digital health she believes will most impact practice, and addressed the workforce and reimbursement challenges facing sleep clinicians today. In addition, she also shared her perspective on the evolving relationship between sleep medicine and neurology, and what she hopes the field will accomplish during her term.

NeurologyLive: As you begin your term as AASM president, what do you see as the most pressing clinical and policy priorities facing the field of sleep medicine over the next year?

Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, MD, FAASM, FAAN: My priorities are advancing patient-centered, evidence-based sleep care while ensuring that health care policy supports the clinicians who deliver it. That includes advocating for fair reimbursement, reducing administrative burden, expanding access to high-quality sleep care, and promoting practical solutions that enable sleep clinicians across all practice settings to thrive.

Sleep medicine has seen significant advances in areas such as hypersomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and digital health. Which emerging developments do you believe will have the greatest impact on clinical practice?

It is an exciting time for the sleep field. Emerging technologies are transforming how and where we evaluate patients.At the same time, we are on the cusp of a new pharmacological era with potential oral therapies showing promise for obstructive sleep apnea, and a remarkable pipeline of new agents is reshaping how we treat hypersomnia disorders. Perhaps most significantly, we are witnessing a shift from one-treatment-fits-all to truly personalized sleep care. We will have more options than ever before. But with that comes responsibility. Sleep practices will need clear guidance on how to match the right treatment to the right patient at the right time, and that is exactly where our field must step up.

Many sleep clinicians continue to face challenges related to reimbursement, workforce shortages, and access to care. How does the AASM plan to address these issues while supporting high-quality, evidence-based care?

The AASM will continue advocating for reimbursement models that appropriately recognize the value of sleep medicine, while working to reduce administrative barriers that delay care. We are also committed to supporting the workforce through education, advocacy, leadership development, and resources that help clinicians deliver high-quality, evidence-based care in a rapidly evolving health care environment.

As both a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist, how do you see collaboration between sleep medicine and neurology evolving, particularly in the management of neurodegenerative disease, epilepsy, and other neurologic disorders?

Sleep medicine and neurology are increasingly interconnected. Growing evidence demonstrates that sleep disorders influence the diagnosis, progression, and management of conditions such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Understanding the link between stroke and obstructive sleep apnea is an important area for us to tackle together.Continued collaboration across specialties will be essential to improving patient outcomes and advancing research in brain health.

Looking ahead, what would you most like AASM members to accomplish during your presidency, and how do you hope to advance the field for both clinicians and patients?

I hope our members continue leading the field through innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to evidence-based care. By working together, we can strengthen the specialty, improve access to high-quality sleep care, and further establish sleep and circadian health as essential components of comprehensive patient care.