[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 2 (Friday, January 4, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E15-E16]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DR. SHELDON KAPEN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CANDICE S. MILLER

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 4, 2013

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to 
the memory of a great citizen of the State of Michigan, the late Dr. 
Sheldon Kapen. Sadly, Dr. Kapen passed away on Thanksgiving Day at the 
age of 77.
  He was the longtime Chairman of the Department of Neurology at the 
John V. Dingell Veterans Administration Hospital in Detroit and a 
leading figure in the field of sleep disorders research who made many 
outstanding discoveries and contributions. The plaque which honors him 
at the VA hospital calls Dr. Kapen ``A Physician, a teacher, a 
scientist, a leader, and a friend''.
  My sincerest condolences go out to his family. I would like to place 
into the Record an article from the VA Hospital bulletin on the 
occasion of the naming of the Sheldon Kapen Sleep Laboratory last year 
as well as an obituary that appeared in the Wayne State University 
newspaper.

               Detroit VAMC Sleep Clinic Honors Dr. Kapen

                          (By Alysse Mengason)

       This fall, the Detroit VAMC staff and patients paid tribute 
     to one of its long-time physicians, hanging a plaque in his 
     honor in the sleep clinic.
       Dr. Sheldon Kapen's legacy is represented in the sleep lab, 
     which he founded in 1985, when he took over a new 2 bed unit 
     in the old Detroit VAMC in Allen Park. Dr. Kapen started the 
     first sleep lab in any VA facility. Dr. Kapen achieved many 
     successes over the years. Among the grants he won, Dr. Kapen 
     received a VA Research Grant to study stroke and sleep.
       When the Detroit VA Medical Center moved to Detroit and 
     became the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Dr. Kapen was 
     able to expand the clinic into a new 8 bed facility with 
     state of the art equipment and more staff.
       Dr. Kapen's sleep medicine and laboratory was the first VA 
     sleep lab to be accredited, and approximately the 20th in the 
     nation (there are now about 1,000 accredited sleep labs in 
     the U.S.). He also had the first VA-based accredited 
     fellowship program in 1989 (the 4th overall in the country) 
     and it has also been reaccredited multiple times.
       In his more than 30 years with the VA, Dr. Kapen has 
     trained dozens of physicians, and continues to train and 
     supervise sleep fellows from Wayne State University.
                                  ____


                            (Nov. 26, 2012)

       Dr. Sheldon Kapen, Longtime Neurology Faculty Member, Dies

       Dr. Sheldon Kapen, M.D., 77, of West Bloomfield, Mich., 
     died Nov. 22.
       Dr. Kapen was a longtime member of the Wayne State 
     University Department of Neurology and chief of Neurology at 
     the John Dingell Veterans Administration Hospital for 25 
     years until his retirement in November 2011.
       ``Sheldon Kapen was an important contributor to the 
     academic and clinical missions of the Department of Neurology 
     and the Veterans Administration hospital for many years,'' 
     said Robert Lisak, M.D., professor and former chair of 
     Neurology. ``He was a pioneer in the study of and treatment 
     of disorders of sleep. For that reason the sleep laboratory 
     at the John Dingell VA Hospital was recently named in his 
     honor. Shelly was a dedicated physician and a person of 
     integrity. He will be missed.''
       The funeral was held Nov. 23 at the Ira Kaufman Chapel, 
     18325 W. Nine Mile Road, Southfield.
       The family of Dr. Kapen will gather through the evening of 
     Nov. 26 at 4564 Fairway Ridge Court, West Bloomfield, for 
     friends to call. The phone number is 248-626-

[[Page E16]]

     2907. Religious services will be held Monday evening.
       Dr. Kapen is survived by his wife, Rachel; children Gilead 
     (Karen) Kapen, Alon (Amal) Kapen, Ehud (Debra) Kapen and Avi 
     Kapen; grandchildren Rome, Michaela, Alia, Matan, Simon, 
     Caleb and Kayla Kapen and Leah Schloss; and sister Nessa 
     (Alfred) Bertel.
       The family suggests contributions in memory of Dr. Kapen be 
     made to the Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake 
     Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334.

                          ____________________