Professor Robert Adams

Prof Adams is respiratory and sleep physician based at Flinders Medical Centre and Medical Director of the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health (AISH) at Flinders University. His multidisciplinary, translational research examines the impact of chronic conditions, particularly sleep apnea and insomnia, on health and effects of health services interventions. A current focus is examining the impact of novel technology for diagnosis and monitoring of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and insomnia and understanding how this can help with better matching the right treatment to the right patients.

With colleagues at AISH he is examining the effects of shiftwork on health and the effect of sleep and circadian disruption on health and daytime functioning. Other work examines how simple dietary changes can improve sleep.

He leads the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence National Centre for Sleep Health Services Research, which is conducting trials of new models of care for OSA and insomnia in primary care to enhance the ability of primary care to manage sleep health. He has extensive experience in clinical epidemiology and with large population based cohort studies. He is Principal Investigator of the MAILES Sleep Cohort Study, one of the largest community studies of sleep health worldwide, that has provided important insights into the relationships betwwen sleep apnea and health. He is Principal Investigator of the North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS), a longitudinal cohort study of 4060 adults with 20 years follow-up. Other work examines the effects of shiftwork on health and the effect of sleep and circadian disruption on health and daytime functioning.

He is the Deputy Chair of the Sleep Health Foundation (SHF) the leading advocacy group for sleep health in Australia. He Chairs the Healthy Sleep in Hospital Working Group, aimed at providing the most conducive environment for sleeping in hospitals.