Dr T. Douglas Bradley

Dr. T. Douglas Bradley is Professor of Medicine and Director, Division of Respirology at the University of Toronto, the Cardiopulmonary Sleep Disorders and Research Centre at the Toronto General Hospital/University Health Network, and the Sleep Research Laboratory at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. He also holds the Cliff Nordal Chair in Sleep Apnea and Rehabilitation Research at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Dr. Bradley completed his MD degree at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in 1978. Subsequently, he completed specialty training at the University of Toronto in Internal Medicine in 1982 and Respirology in 1985. Following completion of clinical training he went on to 3 years of research training in sleep apnea and respiratory muscle physiology at the University of Toronto and McGill University, respectively. He has been on staff at the Toronto General Hospital at the University of Toronto since 1985. His clinical and research work focuses on the relationship between sleep apnea and cardiovascular diseases, with a particular focus on the pathophysiology and treatment of sleep apnea in patients with heart failure. He holds several peer-reviewed grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Ontario Centres of Excellence and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. He has published over 200 papers and book chapters on sleep apnea and related topics. Dr. Bradley is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

University Appointments

Professor of Medicine
Director, Division of Respirology, University of Toronto

Hospital Appointments

Staff Respirologist University Health Network Toronto General Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital
Director, Sleep Research Laboratory of the University Health Network Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Cliff Nordal Chair in Sleep Apnea and Rehabilitation Research at the University Health Network Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Director, Centre for Sleep Health and Research University Health Network Toronto General Hospital
Director, Sleep Research Laboratory, Mount Sinai Hospital

Clinical Activities

Runs a Sleep Disorders Clinic at University Health Network Toronto General Hospital

Educational Activities

Teach sleep disorders to residents in an outpatient clinic
Teach interpretation of sleep studies to Respirology Residents and Research Fellows
Supervises post-graduate students and post-doctoral research fellows

Current Local, Provincial, National and International Activities

Local Leader, Sleep and Upper Airway Team at University Health Network Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Member, Research Advisory Committee, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Senior Scientist, University Health Network Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and Toronto General Research Institute
Member, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto

Research Interests

Role of fluid retention and noctural redistribution in the pathogenesis of sleep apnea
Relationship of sleep apnea and cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, heart failure and stroke
Cardiopulmonary interactions
Randomized clinical trials in sleep apnea
Development of home monitoring devices for diagnosis of sleep apnea

Current Grant Support

Canadian Institutes of Health Research/University-Industry randomized controlled clinical trial with Respironics Inc. as industry partner. T.D. Bradley (Nominated Principal Applicant), J.S. Floras and A.G. Logan (Principal Applicants), E. Azevedo, R. Beanlands, D. Delgado, J.A., K.A. Ferguson, M. Fitzpatrick, J. Fleetham, P.J. Hanly, R.J. Kimoff, R.S.T. Leung, P. Mayer, D.L. Morrison, C.M. Ryan, F. Series, G.A. Tomlinson, A. Woo, M.T. Naughton, G. Lorenzi-Filho, J. Montserrat and J. Duran-Cantolla  (Co-applicants). Adaptive servo ventilation for therapy of sleep apnea in heart failure. April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2014. $7,941,045.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research operating grant (MOP-82731). T.D. Bradley (Principal Investigator), J.S. Floras, C. Chan and N. Paul (Co-investigators). Role of fluid displacement in the pathogenesis and treatment of sleep apnea. April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2017. $701,780. 

MaRS Innovation Sponsored Research Agreement Grant. T.D. Bradley (Principal Investigator), G. Fernie and H. Alshaer (Co-investigators). Start-up funding for a company to commercialize the portable sleep apnea monitoring device - ApneaDx. April 1 to December 31, 2012. $200,000.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Trans-Disciplinary Team Research and Training Program in Sleep and Biological Rhythms. R.L. Horner (Principle Investigator), D. Belsham, T.D. Bradley, R. Casper, J.S. Floras, P. Frankland, S. Josselyn, J. Levine, B. Orser, J. Peever, M. Ralph, B. Sessle, R. Stemler (Co-investigators). April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2015. $2,000,000.

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. Effects of long term adaptive servoventilation therapy on myocardial energetics and sympathetic nerve function in patients with heart failure and sleep apnea (AMEND). A substudy of the ADVENT trial. R. Beanlands,  T.D. Bradley, J. S. Floras, -R. deKemp, L. Mielniczuk, J. DaSilva, I. Burwash, H. Haddad, J. Leech. July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2014. $260,557.

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario operating grant (NA-6407). J.S. Floras (Principal Investigator) and T.D. Bradley (Co-investigator). Central regulation of autonomic cardiovascular function in human heart failure and sleep apnea. July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2014. $239,156.

University of Toronto Department of Medicine Integrated Challenge Fund Grant. R.L. Horner (Principal Investigator), B. Orser, S. Mukherjee, I. Narang, T.D. Bradley, F. Chung, M. Mamdani, D. Juurlink and R. Stemler (Co-investigators). Sleep and sedation – translational science to public health.

Selected Recent Publications

Click here for search results from PubMed

Chapters and Monographs

Bradley TD, Phillipson EA. Sleep disorders. In: Mason RJ, Broaddus VC, Murray JF, Nadel JA eds. MURRAY AND NADEL’S TEXTBOOK OF RESPIRATORY MEDICINE, Fourth Edition. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders 2005:2091-2109.

Sleep related breathing disorders. Collop N, Badr S, Bradley TD, Flemons W, Mahowald M, Marcus C, Rosen C, Sanders M, White, D, Young T. In: American Academy of Sleep Medicine. INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF SLEEP DISORDERS, 2nd ed: Diagnostic and coding manual. Westchester, Illinois: American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2005.

Chen S, Bradley TD. Cardiac arrhythmias and congestive heart failure. In: Kushida CA (ed), Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Pathophysiology, Comorbidities, and Consequences, Vol 1, Chap 17, NY: Informa Healthcare, 2007, pp: 293-322.

Bradley TD, Floras JS. Obstructive sleep apnoea and its cardiovascular consequences. Lancet 2009;373:82-93.

Bradley TD, Floras JS, editors. SLEEP APNEA: IMPLICATIONS IN CARDIOVASCULAR AND CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE. Second Edition. Vol. 231. New York: Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. 2010.

Yumino D, Floras JS, Bradley TD. Pathophysiologic interactions between sleep apnea and congestive heart failure. In: Bradley TD, Floras JS, eds. SLEEP APNEA: IMPLICATIONS IN CARDIOVASCULAR AND CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE. Second Edition. Vol. 231. New York: Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. 2010, pp: 302-336.

Kasai T, Bradley TD. Obstructive sleep apnea and heart failure: pathophysiologic and therapeutic implications. J Am Coll Cardiol 2011;57:119-127.

Kasai T, Floras JS, Bradley TD. Sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease: a bidirectional relationship. Circulation 2012;126:1495-1510.

White LH, Bradley TD. Role of nocturnal rostral fluid shift in the pathogenesis of obstructive and central sleep apnoea. J Physiol 2012 Dec 10. [Epub ahead of print]

Research Laboratory

My Sleep Research Laboratories are located on the 12th floor of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the 16th floor of the Mount Sinai Hospital.

Patents and industrial Designs Awarded

Method and apparatus for monitoring breathing cycle by frequency analysis of an acoustic data stream (PCT/CA2009/001644 filed Nov. 16, 2009)

Inventors: Hisham Alshaer, Geoffrey Roy Fernie, T. Douglas Bradley

Respiratory mask component (Industrial Design Registration No. 137,231 filed Sept. 22, 2010)

Inventors: T. Douglas Bradley, Geoffrey Roy Fernie, Hisham Alshaer, Oleksandr Igorovich Levchenko