Charles M. Morin is Professor of Psychology at Université Laval. He completed doctoral training in clinical psychology at Nova Southeastern University in Florida (1986) and postdoctoral work in sleep research at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he launched his career as Professor of Psychiatry/Psychology. In 1994, he was recruited at Laval and founded the Centre d’étude des troubles du sommeil which, 20 years later, was ranked as the leading center worldwide for the number of research citations on insomnia.
Holder of the Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Sleep Medicine, Professor Morin is a world-renowned sleep expert who has made original and sustained contributions to the development and dissemination of psychological and behavioural therapies for insomnia, a health problem traditionally treated with medications. Through his landmark studies, he was the first to demonstrate that psychological (cognitive-behavioural) therapy for insomnia is as effective as medication in the short term and, more importantly, produces more durable sleep benefits. The impact of his work has reached well beyond his discipline and the social sciences; it has transformed the way insomnia is treated in clinical practice, with direct implications for improving the quality of life of millions of individuals afflicted with chronic sleep problems.
Professor Morin has maintained outstanding productivity with 400 publications (10 books, 350 articles, 66 chapters), including textbooks for scientists and clinicians, as well as books for the public. His ground-breaking studies have been published in high-impact journals and he has presented 600 papers at conferences, including invited lectures on all continents and at some of the most prestigious institutions (Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, McGill, Yale). In 2012, he was the second most-cited clinical psychologist in Canada, and, currently, he is the most-cited expert worldwide on insomnia.
Professor Morin has been engaged in knowledge transfer both within and beyond the academic community. He has led over 100 training workshops for healthcare providers and presented 300+ public lectures (e.g., patient support groups, seniors). He is also a dedicated mentor who has directed 60 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and mentored many other young investigators from Canada, Europe, Asia, and the USA.
Professor Morin has held leadership positions in national and international organizations including as President of the World Sleep Society and the Canadian Sleep Society, founding member of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine and Chair of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Taskforce to develop clinical practice guidelines for insomnia. He is an Associate Editor for two prominent journals in his field (Sleep, Behavioral Sleep Medicine). The exceptional quality of Professor Morin’s contributions to psychology, social sciences, and behavioural sleep medicine has been recognized with multiple awards from scientific and professional organizations in Canada and abroad.
Tune in to listen to the interview of Professor Morin with CBC’s Sabrina Marandola to learn more about his research.
