Dr. Stephen H. Sheldon Receives National Sleep Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- National Sleep Foundation (NSF) announced Stephen Sheldon, DO, FAAP as the 2025 recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is NSF's highest honor, recognizing an individual who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in the field of sleep health. Dr. Sheldon has a longstanding connection to NSF's non-profit, public health mission through his extensive professional contributions to the sleep field and his commitment to the organization's ongoing leadership educating the public about the importance of sleep.

"NSF is honored to present Dr. Sheldon with our Lifetime Achievement Award. His work as a pediatric sleep specialist has been pivotal in the field, and we celebrate the many years he has helped inform NSF's approach to promoting the importance of sleep health for children and families," said Steven Lerman, MD, MPH, Board Chair of the National Sleep Foundation.

Dr. Sheldon is Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics (Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine), at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. He served for more than 30 years as Director of Sleep Medicine at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, where he taught and mentored many sleep fellows and was an early advocate for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders in children. Dr. Sheldon received the very first certificate of special qualification as a pediatric sleep medicine physician from the American Board of Pediatrics and also helped to establish the qualifications for the certification in pediatric sleep medicine. Dr. Sheldon previously served as a consultant on pediatric obstructive sleep apnea for the American Dental Association. He has also chaired the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation's Development Council.

Dr. Sheldon has authored or contributed to numerous publications and for the last 20 years, since the first edition was published in 2005, he has been an editor of Principles and Practice of Pediatric Sleep Medicine. He has also served as an associate editor for the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Dr. Sheldon served on NSF's board of directors from 2013 to 2020, chairing its Education and CME Committees. He also designed NSF's pediatric OSA anatomical model and was instrumental in the development of NSF's Adolescent Sleep Health Recommendations (currently pending publication).

Learn more about the National Sleep Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award.

About the National Sleep Foundation
There's only one National Sleep Foundation (NSF). NSF is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. Founded in 1990, the NSF is committed to advancing excellence in sleep health theory, research and practice. In its 35 years, NSF has promoted sleep health through expert recommendations, consensus guidelines, tech standards, and easy-to-use tips and tools to improve sleep. For more information about NSF, visit www.theNSF.org │ SleepHealthJournal.org

SOURCE National Sleep Foundation