Watson, Nathaniel F.

Nathaniel Fletcher Watson, M.D., M.Sc.

Dr. Watson is a board-certified neurologist and sleep specialist. He joined the UW faculty in 2002 and is an active researcher, teacher and practitioner of sleep medicine. His research interests focus on genomic aspects of sleep duration and the effects of sleep curtailment on metabolism and inflammation.

He is a UW associate professor of neurology and co-director of the UW Medicine Sleep Center. Nationally, Dr. Watson is current president of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and American Sleep Medicine Foundation.

Patient Care Philosophy
To help patients achieve their full potential in life by providing a caring, cooperative environment to manage their sleep and neurological disorders.

Personal Interests
Reading, hiking, snowboarding, cycling and spending time with family.

Clinical Interests
Dr. Watson is adept at diagnosing and treating clinical sleep disorders of all types, including sleep-disordered breathing, insomnia, narcolepsy and other hypersomnias, restless legs syndrome/periodic limb movement disorder, and circadian rhythm disorders.

He uses polysomnography, multiple sleep latency testing, maintenance-of-wakefulness testing, and actigraphy in the diagnosis and management of these disorders.

He also attends on the general neurology service at Harborview Medical Center, where he cares for patients with stroke, epilepsy and other acute neurological disorders.

Research Interests
Dr. Watson is currently researching the genetic aspects of habitual sleep duration, sleepiness and circadian rhythms in conjunction with the UW Twin Registry. As part of this work, he is also investigating the impact of habitual sleep curtailment on metabolism, including the effect on obesity and glucose regulation.

He is interested in the interplay between neurological disorders and sleep, and has investigated sleep disorders and sleep quality in patients with traumatic brain injury and Arnold-Chiari-1 malformations.

He is a member of the UW Center for Clinical and Epidemiological Research.

Languages
English

Expertise
Epilepsy, Neurology, Sleep Disorders, Sleep Medicine

Education History
Univ. of Washington Master 2009
UW - Division of General Internal Medicine Internship
UW - Dept. of Neurology Residency
UW - Dept. of Neurology Fellowship
Univ. of North Carolina SOM Medical education 1996


Board Certifications
American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology Sleep Medicine 2007
American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology Neurology 2002

Awards and Honors
YearName
2011Central Society for Clinical Research K Award Grant Award
2011Central Society for Clinical Research Trainee Travel Award
2010Central Society for Clinical Research K Award Grant Award
2010Central Society for Clinical Research Trainee Travel Award
2007National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program
2002American Epilepsy Society Young Investigator Travel Award
2002American Professional Sleep Society Trainee Research Merit Award

Clinics
Sleep Medicine Center at Harborview
Ninth & Jefferson Building
Fourth Floor
908 Jefferson St.
Seattle, WA 98104
877.744.9700
206.520.5000

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