Phyllis C. Zee, MD, PhD is the Benjamin and Virginia T. Boshes Professor in Neurology and Professor of Neurobiology at Northwestern University.  She is also the Director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine (CCSM) and Chief of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.  As Director of CCSM, Dr. Zee oversees an interdisciplinary program in basic and translational sleep and circadian rhythm research, and findings from her team have paved the way for innovative approaches to improve sleep and circadian health.  Dr. Zee practices sleep medicine at Northwestern Medicine’s Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine in downtown Chicago and is the founder of the first circadian medicine clinic in the US, where innovative treatments are available for patients with circadian rhythm disorders.

Dr. Zee has authored more than 300 peer reviewed original articles, reviews and chapters on the topics of sleep, circadian rhythms, and sleep/wake disorders.  She has also trained over 50 pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students and has mentored numerous faculty members. Dr. Zee is a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a member of the American Academy of Neurology and member of the American Neurological Association.   She has served on numerous national and international committees, NIH scientific review panels, and international advisory boards.  She is past President of the Sleep Research Society, past President of the Sleep Research Foundation, past Chair of the NIH Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board, a past member of the NIH National Heart Lung and Blood Disorders Advisory Council and is the current President of the World Sleep Society.  Dr. Zee is the recipient of the 2011 American Academy of Neurology Sleep Science Award, the 2014 American Academy of Sleep Medicine academic honor, the William C. Dement Academic Achievement Award, the 2020 Sleep Research Society Distinguished Scientist Award which is the society’s highest award and recognizes significant, original and sustained scientific contributions, and the 2021 National Sleep Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.