Durmer is a systems neuroscientist, neurologist and sleep medicine physician with particular expertise in technology enabled sleep-health delivery systems. He is the Chief Medical Officer of Absolute Rest, where he oversees the development of innovative technology-enabled precision medical and behavioral programs designed to enhance human health, longevity, and performance. Currently, he is the telemedicine PI for the Sleep SMART clinical trial, the largest sleep apnea and stroke study funded by the NIH. His past research spans from uncovering the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological substrates of subcortical visual systems involved in blind sight, to developing the first standardized clinical interview tool for pediatric Restless Legs Syndrome. He served nearly ten years on the RLS Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, joined the Board of Directors in 2019, and became Chairman of the Board in 2024.

Oberland is a retired corporate executive with a broad legal/business background and extensive experience on non-profit boards. He was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. He worked at Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for 36 years, starting as an attorney and then moving to the business side and held a variety of executive leadership roles in the areas of Product Line Management, Operations, Technology and Sales. He retired as company president in 2018. He has over 25 years of experience on non-profit boards in the Milwaukee area, including serving as President of the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation, American Red Cross of Southeastern Wisconsin, Milwaukee Repertory Theater and is currently the vice-chair of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. He has also served as a past board member and past campaign co-chair of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County. Oberland has had RLS for about 40 years and is committed to helping educate and assist others he encounters who have this life-altering disease.

Loskutoff is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Cell Biology at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. He grew up in San Francisco and earned his BS degree from The University of California, Berkeley, and his PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He did post-doctoral work at Rockefeller University in New York City and, in 1975, accepted a faculty position at Scripps Research. He remained there for over 30 years and, in 1993, was appointed Chair of the newly formed Department of Vascular Biology. His research employed a variety of animal and cell culture models as well as biochemical and genetic probes to investigate the cells, proteins and genes that promote vascular disease. This work was supported continuously by grants from the NIH.

Although he was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Scripps Sleep Center for several years, he did not begin to show interest in RLS until years later, when he was first diagnosed with this disorder. This is the first time he has been a national board member. He looks forward to working with other RLS Board members and the Scientific and Medical Board members to improve the lives of RLS patients through the development of innovative educational and quality of care policies and the support of cutting-edge scientific studies, all while maintaining fiscal responsibility. He is retired and lives in Solana Beach, CA.

Agarwal received his Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience with honors from Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at Western Michigan University School of Medicine/Michigan State University, and a fellowship in Sleep Medicine at Henry Ford Hospital. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine; and a member of the Obesity Medical Association.

Agarwal has been named a “Top Doctor” by Delaware Today Magazine for 2017, 2018 (featured on cover), 2019, 2020, and 2021, SRQ Magazine in 2023, and Sarasota Magazine in 2024. He has presented international lectures and media interviews, published peer-reviewed articles, and enjoys educating colleagues and the public.

As a practicing physician, he is committed to advocating for RLS patients and educating providers and patients more about the disease and its management. In addition to treating both adult and pediatric sleep medicine patients, Agarwal is a physician of excellence with Inspire therapy for obstructive sleep apnea and is experienced with remedē therapy for central sleep apnea.

In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and eating good food.

With over 28 years of experience in Neurology, Dr. Avinash Aggarwal is a distinguished physician specializing in Neuromuscular and Sleep disorders. She completed her Neurology residency at West Virginia University and fellowships in EEG, EMG, and Neuromuscular Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. Aggarwal is board-certified in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and Sleep Medicine.

Her clinical interests include the treatment of RLS, Sleep, and Neuromuscular disorders, as well as using Botox for headaches and other neurological conditions.

As the founder and director of the Restless Leg Syndrome Quality Care Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Aggarwal is dedicated to providing exceptional care for patients with RLS and other related conditions. She strives to be a valuable resource for community physicians, neurologists, and sleep specialists in managing complex, difficult-to-treat, and treatment-resistant RLS patients. Her patients come not only from Western and Eastern Pennsylvania but also from surrounding states.

Aggarwal emphasizes guideline-based management, patient education, and research, ensuring that her practice stays at the forefront of medical advancements and delivers the highest standard of care.

Ball received her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education/Speech from Westminster College and her Master's Degree in Early Childhood/Special Education from George Washington University. Ball spent her career as an elementary school teacher, taking on major projects such as redesigning and executing a New Resource Room at a Palo Alto, California elementary school. Although teaching will always be her passion, she began volunteering after motherhood and has been a dedicated volunteer since—actively giving back to the Illinois community where she resides. In recognition of her work, she has been the recipient of several outstanding volunteer awards, including the Junior League of Detroit's Adult Well-Being Award, for her extraordinary service to the senior community.

After having RLS for over 30 years and seeking care from a knowledgeable healthcare provider when it was untreated for at least 10 years, Ball was particularly drawn to the Foundation's mission to educate the medical community and the general population on RLS. She plans to use the lessons she has learned from teaching and volunteering to serve the RLS community.

Flaniken is a retired senior executive within the food sector and has a broad array of experience in the areas of business strategy and strategic planning, marketing and brand management, process reengineering, budget administration and cost control. He has held executive leadership positions in Marketing, Operations, Research & Development, Innovation, and Information Technology, spending the majority of his career in the restaurant industry serving as Senior Vice President of marketing with Steak ‘n Shake Enterprises. Flaniken received his Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Davidson College and his Master's Degree in Business from Indiana University.

Flaniken has RLS, and the Foundation has served as a “lifeline” of invaluable information and support for helping him manage the disease. He was attracted to the Foundation and its mission to help improve the lives of those with RLS, and he has a passion for increasing awareness and expanding the Foundation's role in helping others who are trying to cope with this disease.

Donnie Kee is retired after more than 30 years in the telecommunications industry with Consolidated Communications where he held positions of Central Office Engineer, Separations Traffic Engineer, Rates and Cost Supervisor, Manager-Financial Analyst, and Product Manager. He also spent 9 years in the insurance industry with Farmers Insurance, where he managed a successful agency and provided securities investing for his clients. Kee received his Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science degree in Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Kee's passion is in giving back to his community. He was appointed by the governor of the State of Texas to the Angelina Neches River Authority Board of Directors, where he served for six years on the Angelina Appraisal Review Board. He also served on the Doches District Telco Credit Union Board and is currently an active member of the Lufkin TX Host Lions Club where he has served as president of the Z&OO Railroad. Kee is most proud of serving as an Area Chief for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Hunter Education program for 27 years, where he was inducted into the Texas Hunter Education Hall of Fame for excellence in teaching many children and adults how to be safe with a firearm.

Kee lives with RLS and joined the foundation many years ago. After seeing the benefits the foundation provided to those seeking help, he knew he wanted to be part of this organization so that he could help others in some way.

Phelps is a strategic public relations consultant with Sitrick and Company, a Los Angeles-based firm that specializes in handling crisis situations. He has worked on behalf of an international clientele of corporate clients in the transportation, energy, finance, manufacturing, and service industries and an array of non-profit organizations. Previously, he was head of the public relations function for the nation's second-largest electric utility and for two major U.S. rail transportation companies. Early in his career he was a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal for 10 years. He served in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam.

Phelps has extensive non-profit board experience, having served as Chair and Chair Emeritus on the RLS Foundation board. He has chaired United Way campaigns in two cities, co-founded an anti-litter organization in Roanoke, Virginia, was on the board and executive committee of the California Science Center for 15 years, and has served as chair of the board of Pasadena Heritage, one of the nation's leading local historic preservation organizations.

Vicary is a former senior executive within the advancing technology, financial and software services spaces with companies that included Digital Equipment Corporation, Fiserv Inc., Unisys and Burroughs Corp. He was also founder and CEO of Mr. Golf, Inc. based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl forming strong ties with the golfing community. He holds an Economics and Business degree from the University of Western Ontario.

Vicary is a highly sought motivational speaker and senior management consultant within the financial services and technology sectors. He has previously contributed to numerous for-profit and nonprofit organizations as an independent director over the years.

Vicary is also an avid golfer, club fitter and instructor. He brings considerable business experience, leadership skills and board expertise which will prove invaluable to the RLS Foundation. He and his wife Susan currently reside in The Villages, Fl.

Wendt currently manages a small group supporting construction (estimates, change orders and financial analysis) of a large semiconductor company. Wendt grew up in central Illinois and attended the University of Illinois in Champaign. Upon graduation he was hired by Intel Corporation and moved with his family to Portland Oregon. He spent the next 35 years working in the wafer fabs at Intel. He enjoys hiking and camping across Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.

Wendt has suffered with RLS since his teenage years and credits the Foundation with helping him find a doctor who correctly diagnosed him suffering augmentation. Wendt currently leads the RLS Virtual Support Group meetings.

Earley is a Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he is also co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Restless Legs, a certified RLS Quality Care Center. Earley is board-certified in internal medicine, neurology, and sleep medicine. Earley's research interests include RLS and sleep medicine, specifically the pathophysiology of RLS and revealing the value of various treatments. He is chair of the RLS Foundation's combined Scientific and Medical Advisory Board (SMAB) and an active member of the Foundation's Research Grant Committee and the Revised Treatment Consensus Committee.

Before receiving Board Certification in Sleep Medicine and Neurology, Berkowski earned his bachelor's degree in religious studies at Stanford University. Next, he returned to his home state of Michigan to study medicine, graduating from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He completed a transitional year internship at Henry Ford Hospital and neurology residency training at the Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University. Berkowski completed his fellowship training in sleep medicine at the Stanford University Medical Center. Berkowski is a sleep specialist at ReLACS Health, a direct specialty care clinic specializing in telemedicine care of RLS and complex sleep disorders, currently serving patients in Michigan, Ohio and Florida. Berkowski serves on the Foundation's Brain Bank Committee.

Buchfuhrer is a pulmonologist in Downey, California and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including PIH Health Hospital-Downey and Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital. He received his medical degree from University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years. Buchfuhrer serves on the Foundation's Medical Bulletin Committee, the Opiates Committee and the Revised Treatment Consensus Committee.

Chandrashekhar was born in Bengaluru, India, and has lived in the United States since childhood. He grew up on the East Coast before attending the University of Buffalo, where he received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. He worked at NASA in Houston, Texas, and Alcatel Telecom. Dr. Chandrashekhar then earned an M.S. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. Upon entering the field of medicine and completing his Internal Medicine Residency, he went straight into a competitive Sleep Medicine Fellowship at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at the JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. He was trained by international experts – Arthur Walters, MD, Sudhansu Chokroverty, MD FRCP, et al. His clinical interest is the link between sleep disorders and general internal medicine. Other research interests include obstructive sleep apnea, facial imaging for sleep apnea for airway analysis, hypersomnia and restless legs syndrome.

Clemens is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. His research focuses on investigating the neural networks in the spinal cord, especially their role in neurological disorders, like RLS. He studies the role of dopamine in the spinal cord, and how the interactions between its different receptor subtypes may play a role in augmentation. At the Foundation, Clemens chairs both the Brain Bank Committee and the Research Grant Committee.

Connor is a distinguished professor of neurosurgery, neural and behavioral sciences and pediatrics at The Pennsylvania College of Medicine. He also serves as the vice chair of neurosurgery research at the university, as well as the director for the Center for Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases. His primary areas of research focus on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which cells regulate their iron status. Connor is an active member of the Research Grant Committee.

DelRosso is a sleep physician and professor at University of California, San Francisco. Her research focuses on restless sleep and RLS. She leads an international task force to establish the diagnostic criteria for restless sleep disorder. DelRosso is the lead author of “Pediatric Sleep Pearls” and editor of “Sleep Neurology: A comprehensive guide to basic and clinical aspects.” Active in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the World Sleep Society, DelRosso is the Director of World Sleep Academy and co-chair of World Sleep Day.

Ferré is chief of the Integrative Neurobiology Section at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, IRP, NIH. He is an RLS Foundation research grant recipient where he researched cortico-striatal transmission in iron-deficient rats as a model for the screening of drugs potentially useful in the treatment of RLS. Ferré's research interests focus on the role of neurotransmitter receptor heteromers as targets for drug development in neuropsychiatric disorders, including substance use disorders. At the Foundation, he serves as a member of the Research Grant Committee.

Hensley is a certified nurse-midwife and women's health nurse practitioner. She built her clinical scholarship on restless legs syndrome during pregnancy and sleep disorders in women across the lifespan. Hensley is an active member of the RLS Foundation's Quality Care Certification and Medical Bulletin Committees.

Jones is a professor of genetics, genomics, and informatics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, where he also serves as a member of the university's Neuroscience Institute. At Pennsylvania State University, Jones is a Professor Emeritus in behavioral health. His research interests include:

• Response to chronic and acute stress in adaptation and alcohol consumption
• Toxiogenetics of pesticides and neurotoxins
• Genetics of metal regulation in the brain (copper, iron and zinc)

At the RLS Foundation, Jones is an active member of the Research Grant Committee.

Karroum is board-certified in Neurology and is an Assistant Professor at The University of Virginia Department of Neurology. Karroum's clinical interests include sleep disorders in general, movement-related sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome, and sleep disorders in patients with neurological diseases. Karroum is fluent in Arabic and French in addition to English and serves on the Research Grant Committee.

Koo is the director for the Yale Center for Restless Legs Syndrome, an RLS Foundation certified RLS Quality Care Center, as well as the medical director of Sleep Laboratory at the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System. Koo is an associate professor of neurology at Yale University and has been an active member of task forces and section committees related to the sleep-related movement disorders in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Koo is board certified in both neurology and sleep medicine, and much of his research lies in those categories. His research on RLS and PLMS has included animal modeling, epidemiology, proteomics and genetic analysis.

Lipford is a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She serves as the Associate Director of Research for the Center for Sleep Medicine, as a committee chair for the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board, and as a member of the institutional Software as a Medical Device Review Board. Her clinical and research interests are in the cross-section of sleep disorders and neurologic disease and in the development of remote monitoring technology. As a Sleep Neurologist at the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine, much of her clinical practice involves caring for patients with chronic, refractory restless legs syndrome. Her research in this area includes describing augmentation in patients on long-term dopamine agonist therapy, a clinical trial employing surface electrical stimulation, and exploring the development of de novo restless legs symptoms following opiate exposure.

Manconi is director of the Sleep Center, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, a certified RLS Foundation Quality Care Center. He also teaches at the Master School of Medicine at Bern University, the Institute of Communication and Health at the Italian Swiss University of Lugano (USI), as well as at the Professional University School of Italian Switzerland (SUPSI). Manconi's research focuses on sleep disorders, specifically sleep-related movement disorders like RLS and PLMS, and he currently serves on the scientific board of the European Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (EURLSSG). At the RLS Foundation, Manconi is an active member of the Medical Bulletin, Revised Treatment Consensus and Quality Care Center Certification Committees.

Ondo serves as director of the Movement Disorder Clinic at the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, a certified RLS Quality Care Center. Throughout his career, Ondo has written more than 250 articles and book chapters. A movement disorder specialist, he is board certified in adult neurology and sleep medicine. Ondo's research specializes in Parkinson's disease, essential tremors, the use of botulinum toxins in treating movement disorders, and restless legs syndrome. At the RLS Foundation, Ondo is an active member of the Opiates Committee.

Richards is a research professor at the University of Texas at Austin, School of Nursing. As a UT Austin PhD graduate, Kathy has conducted sleep research on Alzheimer's disease for 20 years and received over $25 million in NIH funding to support her research endeavors.

Her newest project is the NightRest project and the Behavioral Indicators Test for Restless Legs Syndrome in older adults. In partnership with Christine Kovach, PhD, RN, FAAN, a research professor in aging at the Jewish Home and Care Center at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Richards received a $3.9 million five-year grant from the National Institute on Aging to improve the treatment of nighttime agitation in those with Alzheimer's disease. They hypothesize that RLS may be a cause of nighttime agitation and sleep disturbance in these individuals. This study marks the very first time that a new diagnostic tool will be used in research on nighttime agitation. Richards serves on the Foundation's Research Grant committee.

Sharon works as an independent consultant out of the Sleep Disorders Adult and Children Center of the Pomona Valley Medical Center in Claremont, CA.

Throughout her education, training and work, Sharon has amassed research experience including, but not limited to, work as a Research Associate/Quantitative Electroencephalographer in the Laboratory of Psychoelectrophysiology, Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior through MCG. Her research has been published in numerous journals, as well as industry-supported pieces on Restless Legs Syndrome for Pfizer, Xenoport, Luitpold, and more.

Sharon has been involved in multiple committees for the American Association of Sleep Medicine (AASM), such as the Center Accreditation, Fellowship Accreditation, Nosology Committees and Movement Disorders Section (vice-chair). She is a member of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study group and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Task Force on the update of the treatment of RLS and PLMD; just another way in which she is helping those with RLS. Sharon serves on the Foundation's Pediatrics and Quality Care Center Certification committees.

Silber is a board-certified neurologist and sleep specialist and serves as Director of the Mayo Clinic RLS Foundation Certified Quality Care Center and Dean, Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences.

At the RLS Foundation, Silber is current chair of the Revised Treatment Consensus committee and serves on the Opiates committee. With a particular focus in neurology, Silber's areas of research include:

• Relationship of REM sleep behavior disorder to neurodegenerative diseases
• Drug management and predisposing factors related to restless legs syndrome
• Epidemiology and pathogenesis of narcolepsy with special reference to the hypocretin system

Board certified in neurology -- with a PhD in neuropharmacology and with substantial contributions to clinical trials, human genetics, mouse genetics, neuropharmacology and in vitro studies -- Uhl now manages a research program based at the New Mexico VA Healthcare System and his own laboratory and translational/clinical research. He has long studied the mu opiate receptor, at which several RLS drugs work, and the RLS gene PTPRD, for which he has discovered novel ligands. Uhl also has experience in addiction and Parkinson's disease. Uhl's major research interests include:

• Translational studies of complex genetics of RLS and other brain disorders
• Mechanisms of RLS, addictions and Parkinson's disease
• Discovery of novel therapeutic approaches to RLS, addictions and Parkinsons disease

At the Foundation, Uhl is a member of the Research Grant and Brain Bank committees.

Viereck graduated medical school from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He went on to complete his internal medicine internship and neurology residency at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center. After residency, he completed his fellowship in sleep medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.

He is an attending physician in the Department of Neurology at Reading Hospital in West Reading, Pennsylvania. He treats a variety of sleep and neurological disorders with a special interest in restless legs syndrome, insomnia, hypersomnia, parasomnias and headaches. He teaches residents and medical students and has also served on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's Emerging Technology Committee.

Walters works at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he is Professor of Neurology in the Seep Division. He is also director of the RLS Foundation Quality Care Center at Vanderbilt. Throughout his career Walters has focused his research on sleep-related movement disorders. From 1992-1998, he helped found and served as the first chair of the Foundation's Medical Advisory Board and continues to serve on the Foundation's combined Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. Additionally, as the founder and first chair of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group, Walters helped establish the universal clinical criteria for the diagnosis of RLS. Walters has played an integral role in the history of the Foundation. Walters was a key player in establishing and validating the first scale to be used for the measurement of RLS severity, a scale that is now the most widely used for measuring RLS severity in both academic and industry sponsored studies. Walters is currently serving as chair of the Foundation's Quality Care Certification committee, chair of the Pediatrics committee and is also a member of the Opiates committee.

Winkelman is board certified in both Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine and treats sleep disorders patients at Massachusetts General Hospital. He specializes in RLS, insomnia, sleep apnea, sleep-related eating disorders and parasomnias. His research primarily focuses on epidemiology, physiology, cardiovascular consequences and the treatment of RLS as well as the neurobiology and treatment of insomnia.

Winkelman is Chair of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group and is a consultant to the DSM-5-TR RLS section and the AASM Sleep-Related Movement Disorders section. He served as chair of the American Academy of Neurology Practice Parameter Committee for the treatment of RLS. At the RLS Foundation, Winkelman is the current chair of the Opiates committee and serves on the Revised Treatment Consensus committee.

Zak is board-certified in both Sleep Medicine and Neurology and treats patients with sleep disorders at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, specializing in treating patients with RLS. She has been a member of the International RLS Study Group board and has worked on evidence-based guidelines for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine both on the Standards of Practice Committee and the Guidelines Advisory Panel. She is a member of the World Sleep Academy Faculty, lecturing on RLS and other sleep-related movement disorders. She also does research on women's sleep, particularly at the peri-menopausal transition.