- Mount Sinai Doctors
Thomas M Tolbert, MD
Pulmonary Medicine (Lung), Sleep Medicine
About Me
Thomas M. Tolbert, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Tolbert joined Mount Sinai in 2017 as a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellow. He additionally completed a fellowship in Sleep Medicine before joining faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2021.
Dr. Tolbert's clinical practice focuses primarily on sleep health. As a physician-scientist, he has conducted research on precision sleep metrics in hopes of tailoring sleep treatments to individual patient needs. His ongoing research interests reflect the persisting knowledge gaps in assessing and treating the two most common sleep disorders: Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. These conditions often co-occur as comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (COMISA), a clinical entity lacking a clear treatment approach.
Dr. Tolbert's key published works include:
- "Research Priorities for Translating Endophenotyping of Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea to the Clinic: An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement" published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in 2025
- “Phenotyping Using Polysomnography Attributes Reduced Respiratory Events after Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy to Improved Upper Airway Collapsibility” published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society in 2025
- “Night-to-night reliability and agreement of obstructive sleep apnea pathophysiologic mechanisms estimated with phenotyping using polysomnography in cognitively normal elderly participants” published in SLEEP in 2023
Dr. Tolbert is a member of the American Thoracic Society and serves on the Programming Committee of the ATS Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology Assembly. He is also a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, and serves on the AASM Re-envisioning Obstructive Sleep Apnea Physiologic Measures Workgroup.
Language
English
Position
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR | Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
Hospital Affiliations
- Mount Sinai Beth Israel
- Mount Sinai Morningside
- Mount Sinai Brooklyn
- Mount Sinai Queens
- The Mount Sinai Hospital
- New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai
- Mount Sinai West
Research Topics
Sleep Medicine
Clinical Focus
- Cataplexy
- Daytime Sleepiness
- Hypersomnia
- Insomnia
- Narcolepsy
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)
- REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)
- Sleep Apnea
- Sleep Paralysis
- Sleep Studies
- Sleep Talking
- Sleep Walking
- Sleep-Disordered Breathing
- Snoring
Education
MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Residency, Internal Medicine
Yale New Haven Hospital
Fellowship, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Mount Sinai Hospital
Fellowship, Sleep Medicine
Mount Sinai Hospital
Certifications
American Board of Internal Medicine
Insurance Information
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Information regarding insurance participation and billing by this physician may be found on this page, and can also be obtained by contacting this provider directly. Because physicians insurance participation can change, the insurance information on this page may not always be up-to-date. Please contact this physician directly to obtain the most up-to-date insurance information.
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Publications
Patient Experience Star Ratings and Comments
The Patient Experience Star Rating reflects our patients’ perception of how well their Mount Sinai provider communicated with them during an office visit. The Star Rating is based on patient responses to three questions on a patient experience survey, a standardized questionnaire sent to verified patients and distributed by a third party vendor, Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score.
Dr. Tolbert was an excellent doctor. He provided me a lot of information and also answered all my questions. Much appreciated!
The Doc is informed, articulate and involved. Kudos.
Fellow is outstanding. Physician related nuances and useful scientific info and answered all questions intelligently. Great duo.
Industry Relationships
Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology companies, and other outside entities to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their outside financial relationships.
Dr. Tolbert has not yet completed reporting of industry relationships or has no industry relationships to report.
Mount Sinai’s faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.