Jared Gergen

A Reflection on ASBA’s Future

February 18, 2025

(Written by Alan Hickey, with a dedication from David Gergen and Mallory Love)

Editor’s Note:

Before Alan passed away, he wrote down his thoughts on the state of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy (ASBA) and its future. He spent years building and elevating this Academy, always with a clear vision of improving patient care and uniting the fields of sleep medicine.

It was never just about the Academy—it was about the bigger picture: creating a movement that would reshape the landscape of sleep medicine, collaboration, and patient outcomes.\

Our past President Jon Caufield who is an excellent musician. Jon will be performing Bob Dylan's song Señor this was Alan Hickeys favorite song, he always wanted the attendees to join in on singing it an ASBA conference. He thought that would be the coolest thing ever. So my dear departed friend, Alan, you're gonna get your wish. We're going to open the conference with videos of you throughout the years, Alan Hickey we're going to sing Señor in your honor and remembrance.

These words are Alan’s reflection, in his own voice—his last vision for ASBA. I hope that when you read them, you’ll join us in Houston this April to honor his work and carry his mission forward.

—David Gergen

Alan Hickey, Eric Dickerson & David Gergen

A Defining Moment for ASBA

The 2024 ASBA Annual Meeting in Las Vegas was a turning point.

We have always stood for clinical excellence, ethical practice, and the highest standard of patient care. This Academy was never about chasing numbers, bragging rights, or selling appliances—it’s about making a real difference in the lives of patients.

But over time, I’ve seen too many in this industry measure success by volume instead of outcomes. Some have prioritized appliance sales over patient well-being. That is not who we are.

At ASBA, we stand apart. We care about precision, patient-centered care, and true interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure the best treatment outcomes possible.

And that’s why Houston 2025 is so important.

Expanding Our Mission Through True Collaboration

For sleep medicine to evolve, dentists and physicians must work together—not separately, not in competition, but as equals.

That’s why this upcoming Houston conference is historic—it marks the first-ever collaboration between ASBA and the Southern Sleep Society.

We are bringing together some of the greatest minds in dentistry, medicine, myofunctional therapy, cardiology, and sleep research, including:

Dr. Paul Serrano – A world-renowned orthodontist whose innovative airway designs have transformed sleep dentistry.
Dr. Virend Somers – A leading cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic whose research is shaping the future of cardiovascular sleep medicine.
Dr. Jerry Hu – An expert in airway-focused dentistry who is expanding ASBA’s reach into Asia and Australia, championing evidence-based treatment protocols.
Patrick McKeown – A global leader in functional breathing therapy and the Buteyko Method.

These individuals don’t just represent ASBA’s future—they embody its mission.

Houston 2025 is about restoring balance in sleep medicine.

"And Then Here You Come, Bob Dylan…"

This part is personal for me…

Bob Dylan once told a story about people standing around, watching something crumble, shaking their heads—but doing nothing to fix it.

And then, Bob Dylan walks in—The guy with a shovel. The artist who changed popular music spoons and straws.

That’s exactly what happened here.

For years, sleep medicine was a lopsided scale—weighed down by CPAP dominance and invasive surgical interventions.

Dentists had nothing but spoons to try and tip the balance—scraping together whatever they could to get a seat at the table. Over time, those spoons turned to straws, fragile and ineffective against the mounting problems of TMJ dysfunction, broken and aspirated dorsal fins, and failed treatments.

Then, David Gergen came back.

After fighting for his life through a four-month battle with COVID- even flatlining and being pronounced deceased- he returned to find that the field had stagnated—and ASBA was at a crossroads.

But he didn’t waste time standing around.

He had SHOVELS!—not spoons, not straws.

One for himself—because he’s always been the one to put in the work.
And the rest he handed over, saying, "Alright, let’s start digging."

And that’s exactly what we did.

Lifting the Scale, Together

In a short time, we rebuilt, reconnected, and refocused ASBA’s mission. We joined forces with the Southern Sleep Society, and now, for the first time ever, medical and dental sleep professionals are standing on equal footing.

We didn’t wait for someone else to fix it.

We picked up our shovels and got to work.

This upcoming Houston conference is the moment where everything changes. We are finally shifting the balance in sleep medicine, putting patient outcomes over profit, collaboration over competition, and quality over speed.

I want you to take a step back and think about why you got into this field.

Was it to chase volume or chase excellence?

Was it to compete or to collaborate?

Was it to sell appliances or change lives?

This meeting isn’t just about ASBA. It’s about the future of sleep medicine.

We all have a choice. We can stand around and watch, or we can pick up our shovels and start digging.

That’s why this meeting in Houston is the launchpad for the future. A future where dentists, physicians, myofunctional therapists, and medical professionals don’t just work side by side, but actually work together.

ASBA is stronger than ever.
The vision is clearer than ever.
The future is brighter than ever.

And we’re not standing around watching anymore.

We’ve got our shovels. And we’re getting to work.

Join Us in Houston

I hope that when you read this, you understand why this meeting matters.

This is the beginning of a new chapter for ASBA, and it’s one that I dedicated my life to building.

Join us in Houston. Honor the mission. Pick up a shovel. And let’s get to work!