Personal profile
Research Biography
Professor Robert Adams, MBBS, DM, FRACP, FRCP, FAASM
Professor of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine | Medical Director, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute – Sleep Health, Flinders University
Professor Robert Adams is a leading respiratory and sleep physician with extensive expertise in clinical care, research, and health service innovation. He is Medical Director at FHMRI – Sleep Health; leads the AISH Sleep Health Research Clinics and is Senior Consultant Physician in Respiratory, Sleep and Ventilation Services at Flinders Medical Centre. He also directs the Respiratory Clinical Trials Unit within the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network.
After completing post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School’s Channing Laboratory, Prof Adams has held senior academic roles, including Professor of Medicine at The University of Adelaide. His multidisciplinary research focuses on the impact of sleep disorders—particularly sleep apnea and insomnia—on health outcomes and on the development of innovative models of care.
Key Research Areas
- Sleep Disorders & Technology: Investigating novel diagnostic and monitoring tools for sleep apnea and insomnia to enable precision treatment.
- Shiftwork & Circadian Health: Examining health impacts of sleep disruption and interventions for shiftworkers.
- Nutrition & Sleep: Exploring how dietary patterns influence sleep health.
- Population Health: Leads major cohort studies, including the MAILES Sleep Cohort and North-West Adelaide Health Study, informing global guidelines and policy.
- Health Services Innovation: Heads the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence – National Centre for Sleep Health Services Research, trialling new primary care models for sleep disorder management.
Prof Adams has authored over 350 publications contributing to international collaborations such as the Global Burden of Disease and NCD-Risk Factor projects. He was formerly Deputy Chair of the Sleep Health Foundation, the leading consumer advocacy organisation for sleep health in Australia, (https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au). He serves on the SHF Consumer Reference Council, the Indigenous Sleep Health Working Party and Healthy Sleep in Hospitals Working Group. The later have developed a Toolkit designed for hospital staff and management who are interested in improving the sleep quality of their patients.
Research Opportunities: Available at all levels—from undergraduate projects to PhD and post-doctoral studies—across sleep health, population health, and health services research.
Education/Academic qualification
Fellow, American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Doctor of Medicine, Thesis title: Health-related Quality of Life and Psychosocial aspects of Asthma., Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Fellow, Royal College of Physicians
External positions
Deputy Chair, Sleep Health Foundation
Consultant Physician, Respiratory Sleep and Ventilation Services, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network
Adjunct Professor, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide
Supervision
- Registered
Research Areas
- Clinical
- Digital health
- Clinical psychology
Supervisory Interests
- Sleep and chronic disease epidemiology
- Sleep disorders
- Sleep education in primary care
- Sleep psychology
- Shift work
- Health services research
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 1 No Poverty -
SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 5 Gender Equality -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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ACCESS-OSA: A randomised controlled trial for accurate, accessible and cost-effective screening solutions for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: Study protocol
Manners, J., Roch, M., Pinilla, L., Adams, R. J., Toson, B., Chai-Coetzer, C. L., Kaambwa, B., Lechat, B., Loffler, K. A., White, A., Ruehland, W. R., Howard, M. E., Vakulin, A., Yeo, A., Proctor, S., Nguyen, D. P., Mercer, J., Hoberg, A., Bandick, L. & Jackson, M. L. & 11 others, , 14 Feb 2026, In: Sleep Advances. 7, 1, 11 p., zpag023.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Downloads (Pure) -
Aussie sleep snapshot: sleep health in young adulthood in Australia
McConville, C., Sansom, K., Reynolds, A. C., Junge, M., Rajaratnam, S. W., Adams, R. J. & Lovato, N., 2026, In: Australian Psychologist. 61, 2, p. 186-196 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Continuous positive airway pressure reduces nocturnal arrhythmia avalanche burden in obstructive sleep apnea: An adherence-dependent effect
Salari Shahrbabaki, S., Mittinty, M., Tonchev, I. R., Strong, C., Chapman, D., Lorensini, S., Jenkins, E., Catcheside, P., Adams, R., Eckert, D. J., Sanders, P. & Ganesan, A. N., 1 Apr 2026, In: Heart Rhythm. 23, 4, p. e557-e566 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
Developing a systems thinking-informed questionnaire for understanding decisions to drive tired or sleepy in young adults using Delphi consensus methodology
Reynolds, A. C., Loffler, K. A., Fitton, J., Vakulin, A., Dunbar, C., Sansom, K. & Adams, R. J., May 2026, In: Journal of Transport and Health. 48, 8 p., 102268.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Evaluating the effectiveness of vestibular and ocular motor function assessments in detecting driver sleepiness: A protocol paper
Guyett, A., Dunbar, C., Lovato, N., Nguyen, K., Bickley, K., Nguyen, D. P., Reynolds, A., Hughes, M., Scott, H., Adams, R., Lack, L., Catcheside, P., Pinilla, L., Cori, J., Howard, M. E., Anderson, C., Stevens, D., Bensen-Boakes, D. B., Montero, A. & Stuart, N. & 1 others, , Jun 2026, In: Heliyon. 12, 10, 13 p., e45014.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Projects
- 5 Active
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Childhood Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Its Long-Term Health Effects: The Mediating Role of Obesity
Dessie, A. M. (Chief Investigator (Project Lead)), Melaku, Y. A. (Chief Investigator), Eckert, D. (Chief Investigator) & Adams, R. (Chief Investigator)
31/03/26 → 31/03/29
Project: Research
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Vibrance-3: A Phase 2, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Double-Blind, Dose-Range-Finding Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of ALKS 2680 in Subjects With Idiopathic Hypersomnia
Chai-Coetzer, C. L. (Chief Investigator (Project Lead)), Vakulin, A. (Chief Investigator), Teare, A. (Associate Investigator), Mukherjee, S. (Associate Investigator) & Adams, R. (Associate Investigator)
21/08/25 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
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INHEART: Reducing Nocturnal Hypertension through new model of GP-based care for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Chai-Coetzer, C. L. (Chief Investigator (Project Lead)), Stocks, N. P. (Chief Investigator), Barbe Illa, F.-E. (Chief Investigator), Eckert, D. (Chief Investigator), Kaambwa, B. (Chief Investigator), Byrne, D. (Associate Investigator), Pinilla, L. (Associate Investigator), White, A. (Associate Investigator), Adams, R. (Associate Investigator), Toson, B. (Associate Investigator), Haycock, J. (Associate Investigator) & Grivell, N. (Associate Investigator)
1/07/25 → 30/09/26
Project: Research
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An Open-Label, Long-Term Extension Study to Investigate the Safety, Tolerability, and Durability of Treatment Effect of ALKS 2680 in Subjects With Narcolepsy Type 1 and Type 2
Chai-Coetzer, C. L. (Chief Investigator (Project Lead)), Vakulin, A. (Chief Investigator), Teare, A. (Associate Investigator), Mukherjee, S. (Associate Investigator) & Adams, R. (Associate Investigator)
12/05/25 → 28/02/27
Project: Research
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ZSTOPOSA: A physiology-informed proof-of-concept study to reduce OSA severity with CPAP therapy in people with a low respiratory arousal threshold.
Lovato, N. (Chief Investigator (Project Lead)), Eckert, D. (Chief Investigator), Adams, R. (Chief Investigator), Reynolds, A. (Chief Investigator), Altree, T. (Associate Investigator), Lechat, B. (Associate Investigator) & Toson, B. (Associate Investigator)
1/03/25 → 28/02/27
Project: Research