Jan. 6, 2010
Contact:
Angela Arnold Go, 404-413-1083
College of Health and Human Sciences
ATLANTA - The College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia State University has established the Byrdine F. Lewis Endowed Chair of Nursing in the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and appointed Michael J. Decker as the first chair holder.
The Byrdine F. Lewis Endowed Chair was established to promote scholarly work, research, publication, and excellence in teaching. Most importantly, the endowed chair fosters learning to enhance the delivery of excellent nursing care.
Decker, associate professor of nursing, joins the faculty from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where he was the team leader for the viral exanthems and herpesvirus branch. Prior to his employment at the CDC, Decker was an assistant professor of neurology at the Emory University School of Medicine and held a secondary appointment in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.
He is the co-founder of Fusion Sleep, a sleep medicine program in north Fulton County and has also conducted sleep studies at the CDC.
An accomplished researcher, Decker has completed numerous studies on sleep impairment and related neurological disorders. He has published five book chapters and over 40 articles on sleep disorders, including sleep apnea and related chronic fatigue syndrome and hypoxia.
Decker reviews manuscripts for three professional journals: Sleep, Brain Research, and Neuroscience. He is a research reviewer for the National Science Foundation and serves on the editorial board of Sleep Diagnosis and Therapy.
Decker is a registered nurse and a registered respiratory therapist. He holds a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in anatomy/neuroscience. He also earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing. from Case Western Reserve and received his Certified Respiratory Therapy Technician certification from California College of Health Sciences.