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Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute

Milo Puhan wins prestigious Ig Nobel Prize 

EBPI Director Prof. Milo Puhan was honored at Harvard University in
Cambridge, MA, USA on 14 September, 2017 as a Ig Nobel Prize winner. 
Prof. Puhan was recognized for his research on effectively treating obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Together with his colleagues, Prof. Puhan discovered that regular Didgeridoo playing using a specific breathing technique reduced daytime sleepiness, snoring and the number of apneas in patients with moderate obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (download publication). Prof. Puhan stated that this unusual therapeutic approach is indeed applied in practice. For this purpose, patients receive a thorough introduction in the proper breathing technique as well as a medical Perspex-Didgeridoo (130 cm length instead of conventional 290 cm).
 
The Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then think. The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative — and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology.
 
During Prof. Puhan’s 60-second acceptance speech,  the first patient and
inspiration for the study, Alex Suarez, played the Didgeridoo.
 
Congratulations, Milo!