Joseph Ojile, M.D., F.C.C.P., D.ABSM
Founder & CEO, Clayton Sleep Institute
Dr. Joseph Ojile is the founder and CEO of Clayton Sleep Institute. He is also the founder and co-course master for Updates in Sleep Medicine, a national CME (continuing medical education) program, the President of the Clayton Sleep Research Foundation, a not-for-profit institution, and the President of Caduceus Corporation, a pulmonary group medical practice. He is the Medical Director of Sleep Services at St. Anthony Medical Center and serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Saint Louis University Department of Internal Medicine Division of Pulmonary Medicine. Additionally, and is a member, by gubernatorial appointment, of the Advisory Commission for Registered Physician Assistants.
Involved in many professional organizations, Ojile is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. He is a member of the American Thoracic Society, the American Society of Internal Medicine and he served on the credentials committee for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri.
Ojile has deepened his knowledge of Sleep Medicine through management of numerous clinical research studies on sleep disorders, diabetes and pulmonary disease. In 2001, he was a co-investigator with Washington University Sleep Research Consortium and currently, at the Clayton Sleep Institute, he is managing many research projects. Ojile’s team is collaborating with a pain specialist in Pennsylvania to evaluate sleep disturbances in patients with chronic low back pain as opposed to patients with neuropathic pain. In a study supported by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Clayton Sleep Institute is investigating the efficacy of an insomnia medication in treating menopausal related insomnia. The Clayton Sleep Institute is also participating in a double blind, placebo controlled trial to determine the efficacy of auricular therapy in improving insomnia symptoms, as well as working together with St. Louis University using PET/CT imaging to better understand the pathophysiology of restless leg syndrome. Additionally, Clayton Sleep Institute is a study site for GlaxoSmithKline’s trial investigation with a new restless leg syndrome medication.
Ojile worked with Dr. Joseph Lieberman on, “Treating Insomnia: The Safety and Efficacy of Current Pharmacologic Therapies,” a program recognized by the American Academy of Family Physicians to provide CME credit. This program helps medical professionals understand the physical, psychosocial, occupational and economic impacts of insomnia, and trains them in the diagnosis and current treatments of the disorder.
Ojile also co-presented “Safety Considerations in the Treatment of Insomnia” with Dr. Paul Doghramji, as well as another CME program on the same topic with Dr. Lieberman. With Dr. Smith L. Johnston, Dr. Martin Cohn and Dr. Lieberman, in conjunction with the Pri-Med South 2005 conference, Ojile presented in the CME program “Differential Diagnosis: A Different Approach to Insomnia.” He worked with co-presenters to create “Insomnia: A Step-wise Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment” and “Managing Patients with Insomnia in the Family Practice Setting.”
Ojile regularly lectures at both national and international conferences on issues related to sleep disorders and pulmonary disease. He serves as the Course Director and Moderator for Updates in Sleep Medicine, a national annual meeting on multidisciplinary issues in sleep medicine. His lectures include “Ethical Issues and Mechanical Ventilation” given at the American Lung Association of Eastern Missouri Conference on Long Term Mechanical Ventilation, as well as lectures throughout the Midwest on “Insomnia: Etiology, Pathophysiology and Treatment.” He also spoke on “Chronic Pain, Insomnia and Treatment” at the International Coalition on Neuropathic Pain in Lisbon, Portugal and delivered a lecture, “Sleep and Pain: Treatment Paradigms” to the European Federation of Neurologic Specialties in Glasgow, Scotland.
Ojile also delivered a presentation on the “Epidemiology of Diabetes and Sleep Disorders” at AASM in Nashville, Tenn. Ojile was a featured speaker at The Future of Clinical Sleep Medicine Forum hosted by Sleep Health Centers in Boston. His topic focused on “The Changing Sleep Landscape: Paradise or Peril.” Recently, Ojile presented an abstract to the European Society of Anesthesiologists in Milan, Italy, titled, “Saturation Pattern Detection Index for Predicting Airflow Reduction in Obstructive Sleep Apnea;” and two presentations to a group of international chief executive officers in South Africa on “Sleep and Executive Health” and “Sleep and the Traveling Executive.”
Additionally, Ojile has been published in several scholarly journals. His work includes an article titled “Issues in Insomnia” in the March 2000 issue of Moderator, as well as “The Importance of Recognizing and Treating Insomnia” in the Winter 2004 issue of Pri-Med in Practice. He also contributed to the Virtual Insomnia Treatment Center CD ROM in 2005.
Ojile received his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, as well as a Doctor of Medicine from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He was an intern and resident in the Saint Louis University School of Medicine before becoming Medical Chief Resident at Cochran Veterans’ Administrative Hospital and a Clinical and Research Fellow at The University Hospital of Saint Louis University Medical Center. Ojile is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Pulmonary Diseases and the American Board of Sleep Medicine
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