Ryan Hays, M.D.

Ryan Hays, M.D.

Epilepsy Section Head & Director of Sleep Medicine for Parkland Health & Hospital System

  • Neurology
  • Epilepsy & Seizures

Biography

Ryan S. Hays, M.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

A specialist in both epilepsy and sleep medicine, Dr. Hays is among a small group of U.S. neurologists certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in four disciplines: neurology, clinical neurophysiology, epilepsy, and sleep medicine.

He is the Medical Director of the epilepsy and electroencephalography (EEG) services at Clements University Hospital and heads the sleep medicine service at Parkland Health & Hospital System.

Dr. Hays is passionate about educating patients and other physicians. The Director of both the Clinical Neurophysiology and Fellowship Programs, he has been honored with a number of teaching awards, including being named UT Southwestern’s Neurology Faculty Teacher of the Year on more than one occasion.

A past President of the Texas Society of Sleep Professionals, Dr. Hays currently serves on the professional advisory board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Texas. He is a member of professional organizations that include the American Academy of Neurology, American Epilepsy Society, American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, Sleep Research Society, and American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2011.

Dr. Hays earned his medical degree at Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Medicine. He completed both a neurology residency and a sleep medicine fellowship at Northwestern University, as well as a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals.

Meet Dr. Hays

Epilepsy and Sleep Disorders Specialist in Dallas

Ryan Hays, M.D., is one of only a handful of U.S. neurologists who are fellowship-trained to evaluate and treat patients with epilepsy and sleep disorders. He is board-certified in four disciplines: neurology, clinical neurophysiology, epilepsy, and sleep medicine.

As Medical Director of William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital’s epilepsy and electroencephalography (EEG) services, he oversees the management of patients with refractory epilepsy. He also identifies patients who may be candidates for neurosurgery when medications do not effectively control their seizures.

Dr. Hays also leads the sleep medicine service at Parkland Health & Hospital System. He is an expert in diagnosing and treating all types of sleep disorders – from restless leg syndrome, insomnia, and circadian rhythm disorders to sleep apnea and narcolepsy.

He has special expertise in diagnosing parasomnias (sleep disorders that cause abnormal sleep-related behaviors) and distinguishing them from sleep-related/nocturnal seizures. This distinction can be difficult to make and is key to appropriate treatment.

Focused on Better Diagnosis and Treatment

While Dr. Hays’ subspecialties may seem unrelated, there is substantial overlap in many of his patients. For example, patients with seizures have a significantly higher rate of sleep disorders compared to the general population.

“We believe that by identifying and treating these comorbid sleep disorders, we can improve the quality of life and potentially reduce the number of seizures in our patients with epilepsy,” he says.

That makes Dr. Hays’ dual training especially beneficial to patients.

“Using sophisticated techniques such as video monitoring coupled with sensors that monitor brainwave activity, breathing, heart rate, and limb movements, I can perform highly specialized diagnostic testing in both the Sleep Lab and the EEG Lab,” he says. “This helps us correctly diagnose and appropriately treat patients with sleep or seizure disorders.”

The importance of providing an accurate assessment cannot be overstated, Dr. Hays says.

“Patients who are misdiagnosed and prescribed the wrong class of agents are unlikely to improve and may be exposed to the side effects of unnecessary treatment.”

Thankfully, he says, UT Southwestern is equipped to expertly evaluate and treat people experiencing the full spectrum of sleep and seizure disorders.

“The expertise, experience, and sophisticated tools and techniques available at our Level 4 Epilepsy Center and Clinical Center for Sleep and Breathing Disorders enable us to offer patients cutting-edge treatments that are second to none.”

In addition to patient care, Dr. Hays is involved in ongoing research into the neural networks that play a role in both epilepsy and in various sleep disorders.

“We think that a better understanding of these neural networks may help us understand why some patients have certain neurologic conditions in the first place. For example, some patients have seizures only during their sleep or only during wakefulness,” he notes. “In these patients, a better understanding of how the sleep/wake systems in the brain interface with the cortical regions of the brain that cause seizures provides better insight into the mechanisms of their disease, and will hopefully guide us to better treatments.”

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Education & Training
  • Internship - Scott and White Memorial Hospital (2004-2005), Internal Medicine
  • Medical School - Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine (2000-2004)
  • Graduate School - UT Dallas/Naveen Jindal School of Management (2018-2020), Healthcare Leadership
  • Residency - Northwestern University School of Medicine (2005-2008), Neurology
  • Fellowship - Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine (2008-2009), Neurophysiology
  • Fellowship - Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine (2009-2010), Epilepsy
  • Fellowship - Northwestern University School of Medicine (2010-2011), Sleep Medicine
Professional Associations & Affiliations
  • Sleep Research Society
  • American Epilepsy Society
  • American Clinical Neurophysiology Society
  • American Academy of Sleep Medicine
  • American Academy of Neurology
Honors & Awards
  • Law Sone Award 2000, Texas Wesleyan University
  • Neurology Resident - Teacher of the Year 2008, Northwestern University
  • Neurology Fellow - Teacher of the Year 2010, Thomas Jefferson University
Books & Publications

Clinical Focus

  • Epilepsy & Seizures

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Q&A by Dr. Hays

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