Ralph Lydic

Dr. Ralph Lydic, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, holding dual appointments in Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Anesthesiology. He is renowned for co-founding and co-directing the university's comprehensive sleep class, which has educated over 1,000 students, including undergraduates, graduate students, and Sleep Medicine Fellows. His research, continuously funded since 1989 by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, focuses on the cellular and molecular neuroscience underlying states of consciousness influenced by sleep and anesthetics. Dr. Lydic's innovative work led to the development of the shared circuits hypothesis, which explores how neural networks responsible for sleep may also govern anesthesia.In addition to his academic contributions, Dr. Lydic has served as President of the Sleep Research Society and is a founding member of the Society for Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine. His excellence in research has been recognized with awards such as the Excellence in Research Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Through his course "Sleep: Neurobiology, Medicine, and Society," he continues to share his expertise with learners on Coursera, fostering a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between sleep, anesthesia, and arousal states.