About Dr. Stanley Liu’s Path to Sleep Medicine & Surgery

Stanley Liu MMA
Stanley Liu MMA

Dr. Stanley Liu with mentor and pioneering sleep surgery mentor Dr. Robert Riley.

Dr. William "Bill" Dement, founder of sleep medicine. Dr. Christian "CG" Guilleminault, the pioneer of sleep apnea treatment. Dr. Stanley Liu, full-scope sleep apnea surgeon trained by Dr. Robert Riley, at the sleep medicine clinic at Stanford.
Dr. William "Bill" Dement, founder of sleep medicine. Dr. Christian "CG" Guilleminault, the pioneer of sleep apnea treatment. Dr. Stanley Liu, full-scope sleep apnea surgeon trained by Dr. Robert Riley, at the sleep medicine clinic at Stanford.

Dr. Stanley Liu with mentors and founding sleep medicine pioneers Dr. Bill Dement & Dr. Christian Guilleminault

Inspiration
In the mid 1980s, techniques developed for the treatment of dentofacial deformity (DFD) were adapted and advanced by Dr. Nelson Powell and Dr. Robert Riley for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Drs. Powell and Riley were community surgeons who operated at Stanford Hospital, and their approach became widely known as the "Stanford Protocol."

I met Dr. Nelson Powell for the first time in 2006 after spending a year at the National Institutes of Health as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Scholar. We spoke for more than two hours in his Palo Alto office, and I came away inspired to follow his path. With his support, I began my sleep surgery fellowship at Stanford in 2013 after completing my dental and medical degrees, with residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) at UCSF.
Integration
My fellowship year at Stanford was the last in which training was split between community and university surgeons. By this time, Dr. Powell had retired, and I became his partner Dr. Bob Riley's "right-hand man" - quite literally as Bob is left-handed, and stands at the patient's left during maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) surgery. I operated with Bob, learning MMA true to its original form. I also learned from Stanford Otolaryngology (ENT) faculty members who taught me nasal and pharyngeal surgery. I became certified in performing hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) surgery, also known as "Inspire."

In 2014, I joined the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. My decade-long tenure at Stanford thus spanned from Clinical Instructor to Associate Professor, as I also became the Sleep Surgery Fellowship Director. During the first phase of my academic career, I published over 120 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, introduced distraction osteogenesis maxillary expansion (DOME) surgery, and presented keynote talks at conferences including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and World Sleep Society.
Innovation
In 2024, I became Chair of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Assistant Dean of Hospital Affairs at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). I started the NSU Health Breathe & Sleep Wellness Center.

I believe that innovation in the field of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) will come from the integration of medicine, surgery, dentistry, functional exercises, and digital health technology. I continue my passion for advancing sleep and airway health with timely interventions during developmental milestones of the face and airway.
Dr. Stanley Liu, MD, DDS, FACS
120
Publications
20
Keynotes
55
Cities
21
Countries
95
Scholars Hosted
8
Research Awards
10
Fellows Trained
Experience & Education
Current
Chair and Associate Professor, Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Assistant Dean of Hospital Affairs
Director, NSU Health Breathe and Sleep Wellness Center
College of Dental Medicine and College of Allopathic Medicine
2014-2023
Associate Professor, Dept. of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Courtesy appointment, Div. of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Director, Sleep Surgery Fellowship
Preceptor, Oculoplastic Surgery Fellowship
Biodesign Faculty Fellow
Resident, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Intern, General Surgery
Medical Doctor (M.D.)
Fellow, Advanced Training in Clinical Research
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Biology
Board Certification & Fellowship
American College of Surgeons
Fellow (FACS)
American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Fellow
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Fellow
Affiliations
Dr. Liu maintains clinical, academic, educational, and industry affiliations that extend beyond the appointments and societies listed above. These include co-founding DOME Zero, ongoing collaborations with academic centers internationally, and partnerships with organizations advancing sleep and airway health. View the full affiliations page for details on these relationships and the work they support.

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