Alfred J. Lewy, M.D., Ph.D.

Biography

Dr. Lewy, along with Robert Sack, M.D., have been investigating the use of melatonin as a treatment for circadian phase disorders, including those found in shift workers and blind people. "I take care of two types of patients, those who need light or melatonin treatment and those who need psychotherapy and other medications for psychiatric and sleep disorders," he said. His specialty is in body clock disorders, sleep disorders and depression and anxiety. He has been involved in clinical trials regarding winter depression and the treatment of totally blind people who have drifting circadian rhythms. Dr. Lewy is also investigating how a daily dose of melatonin can synchronize the sleep cycles of totally blind people who have no light perception.

Education

• Degree:
  University of Chicago-Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, 1973
  
• Residency:
  Psychiatry-Mt. Zion Hospital, San Francisco
• Fellowship:
  Psychiatry-National Institute of Mental Health
• Certification:
  Psychiatry, 1981