About Us

Consultant Neuropsychiatrist in Sleep Medicine

Colin Shapiro graduated as a medical doctor in South Africa and developed his interest in Sleep Medicine and Research whilst a medical student.

He was a pioneer in Sleep Research and his work on thermoregulation during sleep, the nature of blood flow in the hypothalamus during sleep and the impact of exercise on sleep has contributed in no small way to our current understanding of sleep physiology.

Colin completed a PhD in Edinburgh where he obtained further specialist training as a Psychiatrist and his Membership of The Royal College of Psychiatrists. During his stint in the UK, he continued to develop the academic, clinical and professional aspects of Sleep Medicine and co-Founded The British Sleep Society (with Professor Sir Neil Douglas). He was the Founding President of the International Neuropsychiatry Association. He opened the first Sleep Clinic & Sleep Research Laboratory in Africa at The University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in the late 1980’s and in 2010 was instrumental in the formation of the South African Society of Sleep Medicine (SASSM).

He was appointed Professor of Psychiatry in Toronto, Canada and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in 1990. He has held senior academic and administrative positions at The University of Toronto, and has trained more than 50 psychiatrists, Sleep Research Fellows and PhD candidates.

Colin was the editor of the very first book on sleep for family physicians (The ABC of Sleep Medicine – with the British Medical Journal) and co-edited, the first book on Forensic Aspects of Sleep.
He has published over 300 journal scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, more than 30 books (including 3 Children’s books) and has more than 500 other publications. He holds several editorial and board positions on International peer-reviewed journals.

He has coined the name of three novel Sleep Disorders. He has developed questionnaires to help understand sleep disorders and sleep symptoms. These questionnaires have been translated into many languages and include STOP BANG (considered the definitive questionnaire for Sleep Apnoea assessment) and ZOGIMA, the Alertness evaluation scale. He has edited two books on measurement in Sleep and Psychological assessment.

He is a member or fellow of: The American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Neuropsychiatric Association, Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, American Psychosomatic Society, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, British Sleep Society (co-founder), Canadian Sleep Society, Council of Biology Editors Inc., European Sleep Research Society, International Academy of Sex Research, International Neuropsychiatry Association, Society for Light Therapy and Biological Rhythms, The New York Academy of Sciences,

He has given invited lectures, research seminars at numerous high-impact International Conferences.

He collects Art and occasionally writes reviews in the press on art and film.

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