Graduates of the Norwalk Hospital Sleep program are expertly trained in clinical patient care, teaching and research. The majority of our fellows enter careers in clinical sleep medicine as well as clinical educator positions. Please learn more about our program below:

Clinical Training Program

The Norwalk Hospital Sleep Disorders Center is a six-bed facility regionally known as a Center of Excellence. We perform more than 1,000 sleep consultations, 1,200 polysomnograms, and 100 MSLT and MWTs per year. Our highly experienced and multidisciplinary staff provides state-of-the-art treatment for all sleep disorders, including disordered breathing, restless leg syndrome, REM behavioral disorder and narcolepsy. In addition, we offer comprehensive exposure to pediatric sleep medicine. Our Director of Pediatric Sleep Medicine evaluates infants and children of all ages at our dedicated pediatric sleep facility. Furthermore, fellows learn how to manage insomnia patients in our Insomnia Center, utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation training, pharmacotherapy and neurofeedback. Our formal curriculum places a high priority on clinical training of fellows, residents and medical students.

Conferences

• Journal club
• Core lecture series
• Sleep research conference
• Yale sleep lecture series
• Case conference
• Director’s rounds
• Board review series
• Practicum series on scoring
• CPAP management
• Actigraphy and more

Research Training

Fellows receive protected research time during their clinical training and collaborate in ongoing clinical trials at the Sleep Center. Fellows are also encouraged to create their own research project based on their individual interests. In the past, fellows have performed research in the areas of postoperative OSA, insomnia, COPD and sleep, sleep and infertility, pediatric sleep disorders, home sleep testing and more.

Physicians who have completed a minimum of an ACGME-accredited residency program in internal medicine, family medicine, neurology, pediatrics or psychiatry are welcome to submit an application. Submissions from the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) are accepted.

For more information about the Norwalk Hospital Sleep Medicine Fellowship, contact:
Allette Bastien, MPA-HSM, Sleep Fellowship Program Manager
Email: allette.bastien@nuvancehealth.org

Ian D. Weir, DO

Program Director – Sleep Fellowship

Associate Director, Sleep Disorders Center
Director, Insomnia Center

A graduate of the Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Weir performed his residency at Johns Hopkins University’s Sinai Hospital. He completed pulmonary and critical care fellowships at Yale School of Medicine and Norwalk Hospital, as well as a sleep fellowship at Norwalk Hospital. He is board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.

 

Hira Bakhtiar, MD

Associate Program Director, Norwalk Hospital Sleep Medicine Fellowship

Associate Director, Critical Care Services, Norwalk Hospital

Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Physician

Residency: 2017, Internal Medicine

University of Texas Health Science Center, TX

Fellowship: 2019, Pulmonary Disease

Norwalk Hospital, Yale University School of Medicine, CT

Fellowship: 2020, Critical Care Medicine

Yale New Haven Health, Yale University School of Medicine, CT

Fellowship: 2021, Sleep Medicine, Norwalk Hospital, CT

Dr. Bakhtiar is a board‑certified pulmonologist, critical care physician, and sleep medicine specialist whose clinical and academic work spans the full breadth of pulmonary, sleep, and critical care medicine. She manages a wide range of pulmonary disorders—including pulmonary embolism, COPD, asthma, and lung cancer, and provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment of sleep disorders such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, hypersomnias, parasomnias, and movement disorders.

As associate director of the Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Bakhtiar cares for patients with complex, high‑acuity critical illness and leads multiple ICU‑focused quality improvement initiatives. Her efforts emphasize strengthening interdisciplinary communication, ABCDEF bundle implementation, improving recognition and management of skin failure, and promoting evidence‑based practices to enhance patient outcomes and safety.

She contributes to multidisciplinary thoracic oncology care and actively participates in the institution’s lung cancer tumor board, supporting coordinated diagnostic and therapeutic decision‑making.

Dr. Bakhtiar’s academic interests include graduate medical education, curriculum design, physiology, board review, and procedural training—particularly in ultrasound‑guided central venous catheter placement, chest tube placement, and bedside applications of point-of-care ultrasonography.

Dr. Bakhtiar attributes her professional development to the rigorous clinical training and mentorship she received during her Norwalk Hospital fellowship, which provided extensive exposure to complex patient care, research, teaching, and leadership development.

Outside of her clinical and academic roles, Dr. Bakhtiar values time spent with her husband and son.

 

Christopher Manfredi, DO

Director, Sleep Disorders Center

A graduate of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Manfredi performed an internship at St. Barnabas Hospital and was a resident and fellow at both Yale School of Medicine and Norwalk Hospital. He is board-certified in critical care, pulmonary disease and sleep medicine.

 

Taralyn Cronin, DO

A graduate of Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Cronin completed a residency in pediatrics at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. She completed a fellowship in Sleep Medicine at Norwalk Hospital. Dr. Cronin is board certified in Pediatrics and Sleep Medicine.

 

Allette Bastien, MPA-HSM

Manager, Sleep Fellowship Program

A graduate of Mercy University, Allette earned her Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Health Services Management.