Dr. Girardin Jean Louis

Dr. Girardin Jean Louis

(Board Advisor )

Girardin Jean-Louis is an American academic who is a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. He serves as Director of the Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences Program and the “Program to Increase Diversity among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research” (PRIDE BSM) Institute. Dr. Jean-Louis’ translational behavioral sleep and circadian research was recently featured in Science and NPR. In 2020, he was named ‘Pioneer in Minority Health and Health Disparities’ and one of the Community of Scholars’ most inspiring Black scientists in America. In 2021, he received the Mary A. Carskadon Outstanding Educator Award from the Sleep Research Society, and in 2022 the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Award from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Jean-Louis studies the sociocultural and environmental determinants of health.[4]His research considers sleep medicine and health equity, an in particular, how low-income and minority communities are impacted by insufficient sleep.[5] He is particularly interested in why sleep apnea is under-diagnosed in African-Americans. In 2008, he showed that less than 40% of African-American patients with sleep apnea agreed to having a diagnostic test.[5] In an effort to understand the sleep behavior of minority groups, Jean-Louis has led several outreach initiatives. These include programs in churches, barber shops and health salons.[1] Jean-Louis was awarded an National Institute on Aging (NIA) Leadership Career Award in 2018.[6] In 2020, he was selected as one of The Community of Scholars’ most inspiring Black scientists in America.[7]Alongside his academic research, Jean-Louis has launched several initiatives to support underrepresented minority groups in science and medicine. As the satisfaction and medical outcomes of communities of color are impacted by the racial/ethnic heritage of the physician, Jean-Louis believes there is an urgent need for more diverse medical practitioners.[8]