Dr. John Remmers
 Professor, Faculty of Medicine
University of Calgary
Millions of people the world over are enjoying safer sleep and better quality of life thanks to technologies developed in Alberta by Dr. John Remmers.
One of the most highly regarded respiratory physiologists and physicians in North America, Dr. Remmers has focused on translating medical discoveries into novel technologies that benefit victims of sleep apnea. People with this condition stop breathing while sleeping, sometimes hundreds of times a night and often for a minute or longer. The disorder afflicts an estimated 40 million people in North America and Europe alone.
Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure, memory impairment, weight gain and other health problems. It also causes daytime drowsiness, which can contribute to motor vehicle and workplace accidents. The condition is widely underdiagnosed – an estimated one out of every five persons suffers from at least mild sleep apnea.
Dr. Remmers has been described as a “Renaissance Man” for his unique ability to combine the roles of basic scientist, inventor, clinician, entrepreneur and marketer. In 1985, he invented the first electronically monitored continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, which is now the world standard for treatment of sleep apnea. CPAP involves placing a mask that forms a tight seal over the patient’s nose and applying a fixed amount of air pressure.
A later invention by Dr. Remmers, the REMstar Auto CPAP, improves treatment by automatically adjusting in response to changes in body position and stage of sleep. A third breakthrough, the Remmers Sleep Recorder, is a portable home monitor that provides faster, more cost-effective diagnosis by eliminating the need for in-hospital testing.
Dr. Remmers’ inventions have resulted in eight U.S. and five Canadian patents and generated more than $10 million in licensing royalties for the University of Calgary. Dr. Remmers started his own company, Saga Tech Inc., in Alberta to manufacture the Remmers Sleep Recorder, which has received FDA approval for sale in the U.S. He has also mentored other scientists and helped them successfully commercialize their inventions.
Dr. Remmers’ contributions to respiratory technology and science have earned him numerous awards and honours, including the American Thoracic Society Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishment and the Julius H. Comroe, Jr. Distinguished Lecturer award from the American Physiology Society. Dr. Remmers has held an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) Medical Scientist award – given only to individuals who are internationally recognized leaders in their field – since 1984.
Barry Glassman, DMD, DAACP, DAAPM, FICCMO, FDI 
Dr. Glassman is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain, a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management, and a Fellow of the International College of Craniomandibular Orthopedics where he serves as a member of the Board of Regents.
He is the immediate past-president of the Pennsylvania Craniomandibular Society. He has been named a Fellow of Federation of Dentistry International. He is on the staff of the Chronic Pain Team at the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital and serves as part of a multidisciplinary unit on post trauma patients with cervical and facial injuries.
Today his practice (www.AllentownPainCenter.com) is nearly exclusively related to acute facial pain, chronic pain and craniomandibular disorders, as well as the treatment of obstructive sleep disorders. He is Board Certified in Dental Sleep Medicine and is a Diplomate of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. He teaches a concentrated course on Dental Sleep Medicine, as well as in-house courses on pain management and TMJ dysfunction.
He is on the staff of the Sacred Heart Hospital Sleep Center and serves as dental consultant to the three other sleep centers in the Lehigh Valley. He teaches courses for BioRESEARCH, the ABC's of TMD course with Dr. Jim Boyd, and a on-hands injection course in Costa Rica.
He is a frequent presenter at the TMD oriented meetings and teaches one day courses for general dentists in sleep and pain throughout the country.
Dr. Bruce B. Baird 
Dr. Bruce B. Baird is the founder and co-director for the Dental Organization for Sleep Apnea.
He owns a private practice in Granbury, Texas where he specializes in cosmetic makeovers, full-mouth rehabs and dental implants. Dr. Baird also teaches at both the University of Texas Dental School in San Antonio and Baylor Dental School.
He has pioneered the development of new technology for restorative dentistry and lectures throughout the United States and internationally on dental technology, cosmetic dentistry, dental implants and reconstruction as well as communication skills.
Dr. Baird is a member of the American Dental Association, an honored fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, a diplomat of the International Congress of Oral Implantology and a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry.
Dr. B Kent Smith
Kent Smith is the co-director for the Dental Organization for Sleep Apnea.
 Having built a very successful and well-known dental practice (21st Century Dental), Dr. Smith has mentored many dentists for the last 10 years in building their dream. His efforts have led to profiles in the Wall Street Journal, The Early Show with Bryant Gumbel, local television and many dental and non-dental publications.
Frequently published, he is often asked to speak on topics such as web site development, snoring/sleep apnea and inter-office communication. He is also the creator and babysitter for www.FindCE.com as well as www.Find-Speaker.com.
An active member of the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration, he is also the Executive Vice President for Health Management Systems, a dental consulting firm.
Married to Diana for 23 years, they have 4 beautiful daughters, and enjoy scuba diving as a family. His other passion is Dallas Mavericks basketball.
John S. Viviano B.Sc. DDS
 John S. Viviano B.Sc. DDS obtained his credentials from the University of Toronto and has maintained a private practice of General, Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in Ontario, Canada since 1983.
He maintains a special interest in the conservative treatment of Sleep-Disordered Breathing.
A member of various sleep organizations, he is Credentialed by the Certifying Board of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, and has lectured internationally on the treatment of Sleep-Disordered Breathing and the use of Acoustic Reflection. He has authored articles reviewing Acoustic Reflection and establishing protocols for its utility in assessing Airway Normalization.
Currently, Dr. Viviano is conducting original research evaluating the Clinical Utility of Airway Acoustics in the Practice of Airway Orthotic Therapy.
Dr. Chris J. Hansen
 Dr. Hansen has been in private practice in Manitowoc and Green Bay since 1985. A native of Milwaukee, WI, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University-Milwaukee.
In 1983, he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Marquette University School of Dentistry. Dr. Hansen’s practice is directed toward comprehensive restorative dental treatment, as well as conservative care of patients who suffer from temporomandibular-related disorders.
An interest in sleep disorders led him to become a founding member of the Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorder Dentistry, an organization of dentists involved with the dental management of airway related sleep disorders. In addition to being certified through the ACSDD, he is a member of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and has a fellowship through the Academy of General Dentistry.
Dr. Hansen is an avid golfer, photographer and fan of youth sports. He and his wife, Ann, have three children, Curtis, Alex and Greta.
Daniel E Taché, DMD, FAGD
A native of Salem, Massachusetts, Dr. Taché has practiced dentistry since 1975. He received his undergraduate degree from St. Anselm’s College in Manchester, NH and then when on to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts where he received his D.M.D. degree.
Dr. Taché then continued his education completing a general practice residency at The Veterans Administration and The University of Texas, Dental Branch in Houston, Texas. Dr. Taché maintained a private practice in Houston for 24 years and the last 16 years were essentially limited to the diagnosis and treatment of orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders. During those 16 years, Dr. Taché lectured extensively at The University of Texas Dental branch to both undergraduate and graduate (GPR) students on the subject of orofacial pain diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Taché and family moved to Wisconsin in 1999 where he currently resides.
Dr. Taché has expanded his interest to treating patients suffering with Sleep Disordered Breathing and devotes a large part of his professional time to helping patients manage obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Taché is a Diplomate with the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and currently holds two committee positions with this national organization committed to helping patients with obstructive sleep apnea. He works closely with sleep specialists in assisting patients who have obstructive sleep apnea but are CPAP-intolerant.
Dr. Taché resides in Appleton, Wisconsin with his wife Kathlyn and has four children, Rachel, Matthew, Jacob, and Benjamin. He plays classical guitar, enjoys wood carving and has been a long-time referee for youth soccer organizations.
Laurence I Barsh, DMD 
Laurence I. Barsh, DMD graduated from Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 1961. After an internship in oral surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital he served as Captain in the United States Air Force. During his 38 years of clinical practice he was Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, authored a textbook entitled Dental Treatment Planning for the Adult Patient, authored numerous scientific papers, and lectured nationally and internationally on operative dentistry, treatment planning and oral appliance therapy for snoring and sleep apnea.
He is a Past- President of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and is on the Editorial Board of the journal Sleep and Breathing. Dr. Barsh now is President of AdLIB DESIGN where he is chief Web site designer and photographer and President of Quietsleep.com, the web’s premier source of patient information on dentistry’s responsibility in the recognition and treatment of sleep disordered breathing. He has recently published several books on web site development in dentistry entitled Dental Web Sites That Work and Make It Easy for Me. Dr. Barsh lectures on web site development for the dental profession. He has also worked as a professional photographer at Court TV and for the Jane Pauley Show on NBC. His photographs have been published in People Magazine, Variety, Star, The New York Post and Rolling Stone.
Richard W. Moore, DDS 
Dr.Richard W. Moore, a general dentist from Vancouver, Washington is a 1977 graduate of Northwestern University Dental School. Dr. Moore has lectured widely throughout North America since 1993, on the topic of dentistry’s role in the management of the airway. An early member, he was elected to a three-year term (1996-1999) on the board of directors of the (ADSM) Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (www.dentalsleepmed.org), an international society dedicated to the dissemination of current information in this growing field of dentistry. He also served as the Chairman of the Corporate Relations Committee. Dr. Moore is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. Efforts of the ADSM have resulted in concurrent international meetings with the Association of Professional Sleep Societies annually in June. The ADSM has members on standing committees of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
As President and CEO of a commercial dental laboratory and dental manufacturing company (Comfort Acrylics, Inc. – www.comfortacrylics.com), Dr. Moore has participated in the research and development of appliances that hybridize mandibular repositioning with nasal and oral positive airway pressure. Comfort Acrylics, Inc. is a certified, ISO 9001 compliant, medical device manufacturer, in compliance with all provisions of the federal code regulating the fabrication of medical devices. Dr. Moore is the co-inventor and developer of Talon®, a thermoplastic methacrylate used by dental laboratories for removable dental orthotics and is distributed form from Halifax to Perth.
Dr. Moore has limited his dental practice to patients by referral from sleep disorders centers throughout Portland, Oregon and Southwest Washington.
W. Keith Thornton, D.D.S.
W. Keith Thornton, D.D.S. is a third generation dentist who practices general dentistry in Dallas, Texas. He studied science and engineering at Rice University and Southern Methodist University and he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1969. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Navy and spent the next year in a general practice residency at the Oaknoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, California.
After Dr. Thornton finished his residency he practiced dentistry for two years in the Philippines with the United States Navy. In 1972 he moved to Dallas, Texas and associated with his father in a general dental practice with a special interest in treating temporo-mandibular disorders (TMD). In 1994, Dr. Thornton invented the Thornton Adjustable Positioner® (TAP®), a device to treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. He also established a laboratory, Oral Appliance Technologies, to produce the devices. He now owns Airway Management Inc., a company that markets and distributes parts for the TAP® and other creative sleep solutions.
He has over 26 US and foreign patents for oral appliances and combination oral appliance and mask interface system for the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing, airway management during anesthesia, and TMD. He was recently named 2001inventor of the year by the Intellectual Property Bar Association of Dallas, Ft. Worth.
Several publications have been written about and by Dr. Thornton during his professional career. Articles and papers include those relating to sleep disordered breathing, such as snoring and sleep apnea.
Dr. Thornton is involved in additional professional activities and organizations that encompass faculty and consultant positions. For 25 years Dr. Thornton has taught appliance therapy for TMD at the L.D. Pankey Institute and Baylor College of Dentistry. He has also advised Presbyterian Sleep Medicine Institute in Dallas, Texas; Walter Reed Army Hospital, Department of Sleep Medicine and Department of Dentistry; Bethesda Naval Hospital, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; and University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Department of Otolaryngology. He is also on staff at Medical City, Dallas, Texas where he treats snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.
In addition, he is a member and has held executive responsibilities in nine different dental or sleep societies including the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, Sleep Disorders Dental Society, American Sleep Disorders Association and American Academy of Fixed Prosthedontics.
Dr. Thornton’s entrepreneurial interests extend beyond the dental or sleep disorders fields. Over the past years he has developed projects such as building a recreational waterslide in South Padre, Texas; owning three retail stores in Colorado; redeveloping commercial properties in Dallas, Texas; and owning a dental software company. He is the Chairman of the board of Dallas Dental Services Inc., the for-profit arm of the Dallas County Dental Society.
|
