Following its relocation to UNC-Chapel Hill, the Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science (NDSS) program is now its own Division within the Department of Health Sciences, housed within UNC’s School of Medicine.
The addition brings the Department of Health Sciences up to eight unique divisions, each comprised of various programs, units and centers that span a breadth of health sciences fields and professions. Following a series of approval processes at the school and university levels, the seven existing division directors within the Department voted to finalize the NDSS program’s new division-level status earlier this summer.
The NDSS program is a two-year, hybrid, limited residency undergraduate program. Courses will be held both in-person and virtually, and graduates will receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Sciences.
Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science are two separate but related fields that fit neatly into the Health Sciences umbrella. Training in neurodiagnostics can include building knowledge and skills to measure patient nervous system function by recording electrical activity from the brain, spinal cord, nerves and nerve systems using various electroneurodiagnostic technologies and techniques. Sleep science, also known as polysomnography, involves the study of sleep disorders, stages of sleep, the biological clock, connections between sleep and health and more.
“The elevation of the Neurodiagnostic and Sleep Science Program to a Division of the Department of Health Sciences is a real testament to the hard work and dedication of Dr. Mary Ellen Wells and Dr. Sarah Hess in advancing the field and the unwavering support of Dr. Steve Hooper who valued how this program had changed lives for students and patients,” said Dr. Brad Vaughn, Professor of Sleep Medicine and Epilepsy in the Department of Neurology and one of the original founders of the NDSS program. “I am truly delighted that they are being recognized with this status.”
The first cohort of NDSS students at UNC-Chapel Hill will begin classes in August 2024. With the program’s move to UNC-Chapel Hill and subsequent status as a division within the Department of Health Sciences, there is opportunity for increased exposure to and enrollment of current UNC-CH undergraduates who are interested in pursuing a health professions career that can lead them into patient care settings directly following graduation. The program also will continue to enroll students from state community colleges as well as those from around the country.
Dr. Stephen Hooper, Associate Dean of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Health Sciences, shared, “I couldn’t be more proud of the migration of this program to UNC-Chapel Hill. It will provide yet another dimension to our department from an educational perspective, particularly with respect to providing student opportunities for jobs in the health professions, and it will be a strong contributor to our mission of workforce development in the state. I am excited to see this program launch and, ultimately, become a strong contributor to our education mission.”
As the Department of Health Sciences grows with the addition of the Division of Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science, it will continue to expand upon its mission to improve the health and wellbeing of all people of North Carolina, the nation, and globally through exemplary teaching and education, innovative research, and person-centered care.