Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation Blog

June 30, 2025

Welcoming the RLS Foundation's New Board Chair

The RLS Foundation is pleased to announce that Jeffrey Durmer, MD, PhD, has been elected chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Dr. Durmer joined the Board in 2019 after serving nearly 10 years on the RLS Foundation Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. He is a systems neuroscientist, neurologist and sleep medicine physician with 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. He is also the telemedicine principal investigator for the Sleep SMART clinical trial, the largest sleep apnea and stroke study funded by the National Institutes of Health (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.

Q: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to introduce you as the Board Chair of the RLS Foundation! How did you become involved with the Foundation?

I first became involved with the RLS Foundation as a researcher at Emory University. At the time, I was directing the Emory Pediatric Center and the adult sleep laboratory, working to identify various RLS phenotypes with Emory’s Clinical Research in Neurology (CRIN) Program and collaborating with the Decode Project in Iceland.

I was working with Dr. David Rye and Dr. Don Bliwise, who introduced me to the RLS Foundation’s Research Grant Program, which has funded over $2 million in research to date. I thought it could be a great opportunity to fund research characterizing the phenotypes of children with RLS and further understand the relationship between RLS and ADHD. I submitted an application and became an RLS Foundation Research Grant recipient in 2005. During that period, I had a research poster featured at the annual American Academy of Sleep Medicine meeting, where I met Karla Dzienkowski, who is now the RLS Foundation executive director. Karla’s interest in pediatric RLS research led to multiple discussions, and she persuaded me to join the Foundation’s Scientific Medical Advisory Board (SMAB). I worked on the SMAB for eight years, helping support the Foundation’s work in pediatrics.

Q: In October 2024, you became the new Board chair. What are some of your responsibilities in this role?

The RLS Foundation is a dynamic and fluid organization, responsive to the needs of people with RLS. We are an advocacy organization, first and foremost, which includes funding pilot projects to advance research into multiple aspects of RLS, providing education and support programs for patients and families, representing the interests of patients, researchers and clinicians, and helping governmental agencies from the NIH to Congress understand the importance of addressing this very common condition and its associated medical comorbidities. As chair, my role is to create clarity and ensure our actions are reflective of our values and mission. My goals for the Foundation are to help it embrace technological and organizational innovation to grow our audiences, refine our financial efficiencies, and improve connectivity between RLS researchers, clinicians, patients and their families.

As someone with extensive experience managing businesses, clinical laboratories and healthcare operations, I look forward to guiding the Board toward a sustainable structure that supports continued growth throughout and after my term.

Q: Do you believe that your previous work on the SMAB complemented your role on the Board?

Absolutely. In addition to understanding the work of the Board of Directors, I understand the pressures the researchers and clinicians on our SMAB face – both in their practice and on behalf of the organization. I believe there needs to be a transparent and dynamic relationship between the SMAB and Board of Directors to foster collaboration and sustained proactive organizational growth in the future.

I also want to identify how the Board can assist Karla and the Foundation in their work with the SMAB. The more proactive we become, the less reactive we will need to be within the Foundation when issues arise.

Q: What led to a specific interest in RLS?

I was recruited from the University of Pennsylvania to the Department of Neurology at Emory University. My previous work focused on the consequences of sleep deprivation, the individual variability of the impact of sleep disorders on health and function, and the neuroanatomical structures involved in normal and pathological sleep.

When I got to Emory, I found that the team was more focused on movement disorders, so I made a decision to learn more about the basic science and the animal modeling associated with RLS. I found a clinical “missing link” within pediatric RLS. While there were publications and some research being conducted, there was no standardized way to diagnose and treat RLS in pediatric populations. I decided to switch my focus from cognition and the neurocognitive consequences of sleep deprivation and performance to RLS in children.

Q. What is your advice for those struggling with RLS?

Know that you are not alone. Your symptoms are shared by millions of other people. By joining the RLS Foundation, you will find a community of people going through similar experiences who can provide hope.

Membership to the Foundation not only connects you with a support network, but also keeps you informed on the latest RLS research and news. As we know, being part of a community promotes mental and physical health, and when that community is focused not only on connectivity but also creating solutions to a major health issue, it serves you, your family and the rest of humankind.

The full interview with Dr. Durmer is available in the Winter 2025 edition of NightWalkers, our quarterly magazine. You can access the complete article by logging into the member portal of the RLS Foundation website. If you are not yet a member, we invite you to become one today by visiting www.rls.org/joinnow.