Ridhwan Y. Baba, MD

Airway disease in World Trade Center population. At NYU Langone’s Environmental Health Program, we conduct research on identification of lung injury in surviving community members affected by the destruction of the World Trade Center towers. We are the first center to report the environmental impact of the destruction of the World Trade Center towers on respiratory health of the surrounding community. Dr. Baba’s work focuses on the understanding of molecular, environmental and clinical implications of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in this population. As part of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, he also partners in various industry- and American Lung Association- sponsored trials in asthma and COPD.

Clinical study of obstructive sleep apnea in urban population. In collaboration with the sleep laboratory at Case Western Reserve University’s MetroHealth Medical Center, Dr. Baba conducts research on the role of sleep disordered breathing in cardiovascular disease. This includes a prospective, cross-sectional study, Impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Clinical Outcomes in Acute Coronary Syndrome (ISAACS), aimed at identifying the role of obstructive sleep apnea in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome. As the lead sleep medicine physician for the World Trade Center Environmental Health Center, his interests also include the design and conduct of sleep medicine research in the New York City community population.