Michael V. Vitiello, PhD
Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences 

University of Washington (Box 356560)

Seattle, WA 98195-6560
Phone: 206-616-3444
Fax: 206-543-9520
E-mail: vitiello@u.washington.edu

 

 

 

 

 

Training and current positions:
Dr. Michael V. Vitiello is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Adjunct Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, University of Washington. He received his Bachelor’s in Psychology from Columbia University in 1973 and his Doctorate in Physiological Psychology from the University of Washington in 1980. Following post-doctoral training in Gerontology and in Clinical Psychology, he joined the faculty of the University of Washington’s School of Medicine in 1983.  

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Research:
Dr. Vitiello is an internationally recognized expert in sleep and sleep disorders in aging. His research interests are in the clinical neuroscience and neuroendocrinology of aging, specifically; understanding the causes, consequences and treatments of age-related disturbances in sleep, circadian rhythms and cognitive function. 

Funded primarily by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), he received two Independent Scientist Research Career Awards (K02s) from the NIMH.  He has been an active researcher in the area of sleep and aging for nearly 30 years and is the author of over 340 scientific publications.

He is currently principal investigator of the Somatotophics Memory and Aging Research Trial (SMART Study) and the up-coming Lifestyles in Osteoarthritis Study, co-investigator on three other major research projects, and sponsor of two K-23 awardees.

The NIA-funded SMART Study is a randomized controlled trail assessing the ability of five months of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) to improve cognitive function in healthy older adults and in patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Link here to read about “Memory and aging: What's normal, what's not, and what you can do about it.”

The NIA-funded Lifestyles in Osteoarthritis Study is a randomized controlled trail examining whether an intervention that targets both pain and co-morbid sleep disturbance yields substantially improved pain, sleep and functional outcomes relative to both an intervention targeting pain alone and an attention-control in older adults with co-morbid painful osteoarthritis and insomnia who are members of the Group Health Cooperative (GHC). The impact of treatment on GHC healthcare utilization will also be studied.

Dr. Vitiello is also a co-investigator on the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center-based Men's Shift Worker Study, which is assessing whether working night shifts changes the levels of melatonin, cortisol and male reproductive hormones in healthy men of reproductive age, and the School of Nursing-based studies; Behavioral Treatment of Nocturnal Disturbances in AD, a randomized controlled trail randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of light exposure, walking , and a combination behavioral treatment relative to an attention control to reduce nocturnal disturbances in AD patients, and Gut Function in Menstruating Women, which examines the sleep characteristics and autonomic nervous system balance of irritable bowel syndrome symptom and severity subtypes.

 

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Administration:
Dr. Vitiello is Associate Director of the Northwest Geriatric Educational Center (NWGEC). Established in 1985 and funded by the Health Services Resource Administration (HRSA), the NWGEC is an interdisciplinary center at the University of Washington dedicated to improving health outcomes and quality of life for older adults through geriatric healthcare education to students, fellows, faculty and community practitioners.

Dr. Vitiello is a member of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ Advisory Board and chairs the department’s UWMC Space Committee.

 

Dr. Vitiello served as Assistant Vice-Provost for Research (2002-2005), Special Assistant to the Vice-Provost for Research (1998-2002), and Director of the Grant and Contract Initiative (GCI, 1999-2004) in the Office of Research. As GCI Director he supervised a full-time staff of six and coordinated a large resource group in a multi-million dollar project that developed the Researcher’s Guide and SAGE, a web-based research proposal application development, routing and approval system.

 

Dr. Vitiello chaired the Faculty Senate’s Faculty Council on Research (1996-1999). He also served on the President’s Research Advisory Board (1996-1999), the Faculty Senate (1992-1994, 1996-1999, 2003-2006) and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (1996-1999, 2005-2006).

Among his numerous other administrative duties, he chaired the Independent Study in Medical Science (ISMS) Committee, now called the Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) Committee and was a member of the Admissions Committee of the School of Medicine.

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Scientific Societies:

Dr. Vitiello is the President of the Sleep Research Society (SRS). He previously serviced the SRS as a member of the Board of Directors, as the Section Head for Circadian Rhythms, and as Chair of both the International Outreach Program Task Force and International Outreach Program Committee. 

 

Dr. Vitiello serves the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) as a member of the Circadian Rhythms Section Steering Committee. He previously served the AASM as a member of the Research Committee, the International Affairs Committee, the AASM Sleep Scoring Manual Revision Aging and Digital Task Forces, and the AASM Circadian Rhythms Sleep Disorders Task Force. 

 

Dr. Vitiello served the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) as Chair of the Scientific Program Committee, responsible for organizing the scientific program for the Sleep Research Society’s and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s combined annual meeting.

 

Dr. Vitiello is a Fellow (Health Sciences) of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), and a founding member of the International College of Geriatric Psychopharmacology (ICGP).

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Editorships:
Dr. Vitiello is founding Co-Editor and Editor-in-Chief for the Americas of Sleep Medicine Reviews (SMR). SMR articles review the clinical information published in peer-reviewed journals devoted to the many disciplines involved in sleep medicine and provide International coverage of sleep disorders, their etiology, diagnosis, treatment and implications for related conditions at an individual and public health level. 

He is a current Editorial Board member of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Sleep Medicine, and the European Journal of General Medicine. 

Dr. Vitiello has previously served as an Editorial Board member of Sleep, the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Research and Practice in Alzheimer’s Disease.

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Foundations:
Dr. Vitiello serves on the Board of Directors of the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). The NSF’s central mission is to alert the public, healthcare providers and policymakers of the importance of adequate sleep for health. It does this through; public education and awareness initiatives, government relations and advocacy efforts, support of research, and educational outreach to healthcare providers. Most recently he helped organize the NSF’s highly successful Young Investigators Conference.

Dr. Vitiello is actively involved in the efforts of the International Longevity Center (ILC) to promote a better understanding of the importance of sleep in healthy aging. The ILC is nonprofit, nonpartisan, international research, policy, and education organization with the goals of educating individuals on how to live longer and better, and advising society on how to maximize the benefits of today's age boom. Dr. Vitiello is a member of the ILC-sponsored National Coalition for Sleep Guidelines for Older People Taskforce. Previously Dr. Vitiello chaired the ILC Advisory Board on Sleep and Healthy Aging, served as Scientific Coordinator, ILC Consensus Conference: Sleep and Healthy Aging (2005), and was a  plenary speaker at the ILC Consensus Conference: Sleep and Chronic Disease in Older People (2006).

 

Dr. Vitiello serves on the Board of Advisors for the Insomnia Education Initiative of the Sleep Medicine Educational Institute (SMEI). The SMEI is a non-profit providing evidence-based sleep medicine education to healthcare practitioners. Dr. Vitiello also serves on the Speakers Bureau of the SMEI

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University Affiliations:
In addition to the various University affiliations mentioned above, Dr. Vitiello is actively involved in the University of Washington’s General Clinical Research Center (GCRC), Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI), Institute on Aging (IoA), Clinical Nutrition Research Unit (CNRU) and the de Tornyay Center on Healthy Aging.

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Recent Publications:

 

Vitiello, M.V., Moe, K.E., Merriam G.R., Mazzoni, G., Buchner, D.H. and Schwartz, R.S. GHRH Treatment Improves Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Adults. Neurobio Aging. 27(2): 318-323, 2006.

 

McCurry, S.M., Vitiello, M.V., Gibbons, L.E., Logsdon, R.G. and Teri, L. Factors associated with caregiver perceptions of sleep disturbances in persons with dementia. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 14 (2): 112-120, 2006.

 

Vitiello, M.V. Sleep in Normal Aging. Sleep Medicine Clinics. 1(2):171-176, 2006.

 

Littman, A.J., Vitiello, M.V., Foster-Schubert, K., Ulrich, C.M., Tworoger, S.S.,  Potter, J.D., Weigle, D.S., Cummings, D.E. and McTiernan, A. Sleep as a predictor of ghrelin, leptin, and changes in body weight during a 1-year moderate-intensity physical activity intervention. International Journal of Obesity 31(3):466-75, 2007.

 

McCurry, S.M., Logsdon, R.G., Teri, L. and Vitiello, M.V. Sleep disturbances in caregivers of persons with dementia: Contributing factors and treatment implications. Sleep Medicine Reviews 11(2):143-53, 2007.

 

Foley, D.J., Vitiello, M.V., Bliwise, D.L., Ancoli-Israel, S., Monjan, A.A. and Walsh, J.K. Frequent Napping is Associated with Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Depression, Pain and Nocturia in Older Adults. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 15:344–350, 2007.

 

McCurry, S.M., Logsdon, R.G., Teri, L. and Vitiello, M.V. Evidence-Based Psychological Treatments for Older Adult Sleep Disorders. Psychology and Aging 22(1);18-27, 2007.

 

Penzel, T., Hirskowitz, M., Harsh, J., Chervin, R.D., Butkov, N., Krieger, M., Malow, B., Vitiello, M.V., Silber, M.H., Kushida, C. E. and Chesson, A.L. Digital Analysis and Technical Specifications. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 3(2):109-120, 2007.

 

Taibi, D.M., Landis, C.A., Petry, H. and Vitiello, M.V. A Systematic Review of Valerian as a Sleep Aid: Safe but Not Effective. Sleep Medicine Reviews 10(3):209-230, 2007.

 

Watson, N.F. and Vitiello, M.V. Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Acromegaly. Sleep Medicine 8(5):539-40, 2007.

 

Sack, R.L., Auckley, D., Auger, R.R., Carskadon, M.A., Wyatt, J.K., Wright, K., Vitiello, M.V. and Zhdanova, I.V. Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders: Part I, Basic Principles, Shift Work and Jet Lag Disorders; An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Review. Sleep 30(11):1460-1483, 2007.

 

Sack, R.L., Auckley, D., Auger, R.R., Carskadon, M.A., Wyatt, J.K., Wright, K., Vitiello, M.V.  and Zhdanova, I.V. Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders: Part II, Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome, Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, Free-running Type, and Irregular Sleep Wake Rhythm; An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Review. Sleep 30(11):1484-1501, 2007.

 

Vitiello, M.V. Growing Old Should Not Mean Sleeping Poorly: Recognizing and Properly Treating Sleep Disorders in Older Adults (Guest Editorial) J Am Geri Soc. 55(11):1882-3, 2007.

 

Vitiello, M.V. & Krieger, J: Looking Back but Moving Forward. (Editorial) Sleep Med Rev. 11(6): 421-422, 2007.

 

McCurry, S.M., Pike, K.C., Vitiello, M.V., Logsdon, R.G. and Teri, L. Factors associated with concordance and variability of sleep quality in Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers. Sleep 31(5):741-748, 2008.

 

Taibi, D.M., Vitiello, M.V., Barsness, S., Anderson, G.D., Elmer, G.W. and Landis, C.A. A Randomized Clinical Trial of Valerian Fails to Improve Subjective and Objective Sleep Quality of Older Women with Insomnia. Sleep Medicine 2008 (in press). Available online 14 May, 2008.

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