AAPMD - The Breathe Outlook

Airway practitioners receive an opportunity to present their own research findings, catalyzing new discoveries and participation in accepted research projects.

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Physical Therapy

BREATHE OUTLOOK

Who We Are

We provide opportunities to encourage and share research and findings, advancing new and better treatment protocols to treat airway issues.

What We Do

We address the root causes of preventable illnesses, especially as it relates to nasal breathing, restful sleep, nutrition, and inflammation.

How We Do It

We help develop screening tools, educate practitioners with monthly webinars, and coordinate multidisciplinary treatment.

Breathe Outlook

BREATHE OUTLOOK

Who We Are

Research has been lacking in the area of Airway: best practices and effective proven protocol — from screening to diagnosis and treatment. Introduced by The Breath Institute, The Breathe Outlook was created to address this lack and to celebrate the collective efforts of faculty, staff, healthcare providers, and professionals in sharing the impact of their research, while hearing new perspectives and forging collaborative partnerships.

The Breathe Outlook gives all airway practitioners an opportunity to present their own research and findings, hopefully catalyzing new research and discovery, as well as participate in accepted research projects.

The Breathe Outlook is the first of its kind – global, multi-center research collaborative. Soroush Zaghi, MD, ENT oversees the research studies and has provided the IRBs and format at the multi-center research sites.

Section Leaders

Dr. Soroush Zaghi

Dr. Zaghi graduated from Harvard Medical School, completed residency in ENT (Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery) at UCLA, and Sleep Surgery Fellowship at Stanford University. The focus of his sub-specialty training is on the comprehensive treatment of nasal obstruction, snoring, and obstructive sleep apnea.

More on Dr. Zaghi

He is very active in clinical research relating to sleep disordered breathing with over 80+ peer-reviewed research publications in the fields of neuroscience, head and neck surgery, and sleep-disordered breathing. Dr. Zaghi practices in Los Angeles, CA as Medical Director of The Breathe Institute, which provides comprehensive functional and structural treatment options for pediatric and adult sleep and breathing issues. Dr. Zaghi is particularly interested in how tethered-oral tissues (such as tongue-tie) and oral myofascial dysfunction impact maxillofacial development, upper airway resistance syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea. He is an invited lecturer, author, and journal reviewer for topics relating to sleep-disordered breathing and tongue-tie disorders.

Sanda Valcu-Pinkerton, RDHAP, COM

Sanda believes in treating people, not problems. As the Myofunctional Therapy Director of The Breathe Institute, Sanda works with patients of all ages to help train the orofacial muscles to develop optimally.

More on Sanda Valcu-Pinkerton

Sanda was critical in the development of our protocols for Functional Frenuloplasty and during surgery, she often supports Dr. Zaghi by incorporating myofunctional therapy to optimize treatment outcomes. Sanda is a perpetual learner, and is always creating opportunities to apply, expand, and share her knowledge with colleagues and the community.

Leyli Norouz-Knutsen

Leyli Norouz-Knutsen is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Breathe Institute. She is known for her uniquely fine-tuned ability to streamline organizational management structures, optimize collaboration and communication, drive impactful media and branding campaigns and to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship.

More on Leyli Norouz-Knutsen

Leyli has over a decade of experience in higher education, non-profit, board management and operations as a director at both the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and San Diego State University (SDSU). Since leaving UCLA’s Anderson School of Management in 2007, Leyli’s extensive background in healthcare-specific consulting and corporate strategy parlayed perfectly into co-founding The Breathe Institute, and now having the honor to serve on the Board of the The American Academy of Physiological Medicine & Dentistry (AAPMD).

Chad Knutsen

An award-winning filmmaker and producer in Los Angeles with over a decade of experience in the industry, Chad is an expert generalist, with an uncanny ability to digest and test new knowledge and identify and cultivate creative routes from problems to solutions.

More on Chad Knutsen

In 2012, Chad founded and captained a thriving eco-community deep in the jungles of Belize, teaching survival, permaculture and self-governance. Chad is also an Eagle Scout, has served as an Emergency Search and Rescue Team Leader in the Pacific Northwest, and is passionate about devoting his life to making a positive impact for future generations. He has consulted for and/or led successful projects in fields ranging from sustainable technology and agriculture, to construction, security and intelligence. Chad has also won awards from and been asked to present at international conferences by organizations such as MIT, The International Association of Science Parks (IASP), the Moscow Agency of Innovation, and SXSW. As Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of The Breathe Institute, Chad’s diverse background and piercing curiosity have helped to keep TBI at the technological forefront.