The Sleep Clinic Team
The Sleep Disorders Team consists of physicians, technologists and administrative staff.
Sleep Technologists
There are six technologists who hold certification in Sleep Technology (RPSGT). The
technologists are Carrie, Sharon, Kelmarie, Patricia, Tracey and Antonia.
Sleep technologists perform various duties. They do overnight (NPSG) Sleep testing, Daytime
testing (MSLT/MWT) and they analyze (or score) the studies. They are involved in the
diagnosing and treatment of patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and other breathing
disorders. They initiate CPAP and BiPAP Therapy and educate patients and their families in the
use and care of their CPAP units. They assist patients with CPAP/BiPAP mask fits and help
patients to desensitize the PAP Therapy. They are involved with education and research of
both healthy sleep and sleep disorders.
Sleep Specialty Physicians
There are four physicians who specialize in sleep at the clinic.
Dr. Debra Morrison
Dr. Morrison is the Clinical Director of the Sleep Disorders Clinic. She is a Staff Respirologist at the QEII
Health Science Center and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Dalhousie University. Dr. Morrison did
her residency in Internal Medicine and Respirology at the University of Toronto and a fellowship in sleep
and breathing at the University of Calgary. She has been affiliated with the Nova Scotia Health Authority
Sleep Clinic since 1991 and Clinical Director since 1998. Dr. Morrison’s research interests include heart
failure and Sleep Disordered Breathing, as well as home diagnostic testing for Sleep Apnea and the
outcomes of Sleep Apnea in patients who are diagnosed and treated in the home setting. She is a
member of the Canadian Thoracic Society Sleep Disordered Breathing Committee, which has just
published the 2011 update for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea.
Dr. Margaret Rajda
Dr. Rajda is a staff psychiatrist and an Associate Professor with the Department of Psychiatry at
Dalhousie University. Dr. Rajda completed her specialist training in psychiatry at Dalhousie University
and a fellowship in Sleep Medicine at Nova Scotia Health Authority Sleep Disorders Clinic. She is a
Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep
medicine. Dr. Rajda’s work in the Sleep Disorders Clinic and Laboratory specializes in the care of
patients with a wide variety of sleep disorders. She has a special interest in the treatment of Insomnia
and Narcolepsy. Dr. Rajda’s research interest includes areas of insomnia, psychiatric aspects of Sleep
Disordered Breathing and medical education. She was instrumental in the development of the Insomnia
Clinic; the only resource of this type in the Maritimes. She is also the Residency Program Director for
the Department of Psychiatry and as such, is actively involved in the training of new Psychiatrists.
Dr. Gosia Phillips
Dr. Phillips is a Neurologist specializing in Sleep Medicine and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at
Dalhousie University. She has diverse training, starting with a B.SC. at Dalhousie University with focus in
Neuroscience. She went on to study Medicine at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. She did her
postgraduate training at Columbia University and University of Massachusetts, specializing in Neurology,
and subsequently completed a fellowship in Sleep Medicine at Harvard University. She is a Diplomat of
the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, certified in Neurology and Sleep Medicine. Dr. Phillips
has been practicing at the Sleep Disorders Clinic at Nova Scotia Health Authority since 2007. Her
interests encompass a vast array of sleep disorders including: Parasomnias, Narcolepsy, Idiopathic
Hypersomnia, Circadian Rhythm Disorders, Restless Legs Syndrome, Insomnia and Sleep Disordered
Breathing. She is co-investigator in a CIHR study on Preclinical Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease in
patients with REM Behaviour Disorder.
Dr. Christopher Childs
Dr. Childs is a graduate of Cambridge University, UK. He is also a Certificant and Fellow of the Canadian
College of Family Physicians. Dr. Childs operated a Family Practice Clinic in Bedford, Nova Scotia for 30
years. After he closed his Family Practice, he worked in the Psychiatric Assessment Division at the Nova
Scotia Hospital for the next 10 years before training in Sleep Medicine at the Sleep Disorders Clinic at
Nova Scotia Health Authority. Dr. Childs is interested in all areas of Sleep Medicine. He is especially
interested in insomnia and the treatment of it with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.