Matthew A. Warner, M.D.
Why did you choose to study clinical and translational research?
Clinical and translational research provides clinician-investigators with opportunities to critically evaluate our clinical practice habits, formulate meaningful questions that are directly related to patient care, design and implement appropriate methodologies to answer these questions, broadly disseminate findings to the greater medical community, and continually improve the way we treat patients.
To me, the foundation of clinical research can only be the desire to improve the lives of my patients and the manner in which I deliver care.
What type of research are you doing?
My research focuses on the relationships between anemia, red blood cell transfusion for the modification of anemia, and functional outcomes in survivors of critical illness.
It is now known that for most patients who are critically ill and have anemia, increased administration of red blood cell transfusions does not improve short-term outcomes, including mortality. As such, clinicians have become increasingly tolerant of anemia, often sending patients out of the intensive care unit markedly anemic.
More recently, we have begun to recognize that the exit door of the intensive care unit or the hospital is not the finish line for patients. Instead, people who have survived critical illness often have a long road of recovery ahead of them, and many struggle with persistent impairments in daily functioning.
At this time, the impact that anemia — and interventions to correct anemia such as transfusion — may have on patients' long-term functional and quality-of-life outcomes remains unknown. Additionally, there are likely unique subpopulations that experience different responses to anemia and transfusion therapies, and it is my goal to identify these clinically relevant yet unrecognized subgroups with advanced analytical approaches.
Why Mayo Clinic?
Simply put, there is no place like Mayo Clinic. Here, the needs of the patient truly do come first. Physicians, nurses and allied health staff are all dedicated to the common goal of meeting patients' needs, and it is achieved through a collaborative team-based approach.
Mayo Clinic also provides phenomenal opportunities for research and education with exceptional resources, experience and mentorship, all of which are essential for a budding clinician-scientist. It is the unique ability to be a true clinician-scientist that sets Mayo Clinic apart from other academic medical centers.
What are you looking forward to as a KL2 scholar?
I am enthusiastic to learn alongside an outstanding team of mentors, collaborate with world-class researchers and clinicians, pursue advanced training in data science and functional outcome assessment, and make important discoveries that may positively impact survivors of critical illness.
Review Dr. Warner's publications on PubMed.
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