Allan Rechtschaffen (December 8, 1927 – November 29, 2021)[1] was a noted pioneer[2][3] in the field of sleep research whose work includes some of the first laboratory studies of insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and napping.
Dr. Rechtschaffen and Gerry Vogel, working with colleagues at Mt.
Sinai Hospital in New York including Dr. William Dement, described narcolepsy—the first scientifically demonstrated sleep disorder—in a landmark paper in 1963.
The system is commonly called R&K or Rechtschaffen and Kales, named after its key developers.
[5] At the time of his death, Rechtschaffen, who was born in the Bronx, was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Chicago.