SUMMARY
The research activities of Clayton T. Cowl, M.D., M.S., are diverse and involve a variety of topics within aerospace and transportation medicine. Dr. Cowl's research also focuses on conditions caused or exacerbated by environmental or occupational exposures.
Focus areas
- Aerospace safety and altitude physiology. Research in Dr. Cowl's laboratory in the Mayo Clinic Hyperbaric and Altitude Medicine Program focuses on testing emergency oxygen delivery systems used on commercial and private aircraft. The lab also analyzes crash data from general aviation aircraft and studies the efficacy and quality assurance of forensic pilot evaluations, including remote flight physicals.
- Environmental and occupational lung diseases. Dr. Cowl's research interests include occupational asthma and acute toxic inhalations, as well as asbestos-related lung disease and other occupational pneumoconiosis.
- Medical education. Dr. Cowl leads training courses at Mayo Clinic and creates research-based test preparation materials for healthcare professionals across the nation. The courses involve performing federally mandated medical examinations for commercial truck and bus drivers.
- Safe workplaces. Dr. Cowl is the co-medical director for the Minnesota RETAIN program. RETAIN stands for Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network. It is part of a research study that is looking at ways to educate healthcare professionals and introduce the concept of embedding a return-to-work case manager on the healthcare team to return workers to their occupations more rapidly after illness or injury.
Significance to patient care
The transportation industry touches everyone — whether you travel on a commercial airliner, consume goods from a local store or buy gas at the pump. Commercial vehicles transport billions of dollars of goods and hundreds of millions of people each year.
Research involving the health of drivers and pilots, as well as devices such as emergency oxygen masks on board vehicles, is vital to keeping people safe on roads and in the air. Also, research in areas such as inhalation of toxic fumes, exposure to dusts and other occupational exposures is crucial to maintain a healthy workforce.
Professional highlights
- Chair, Division of Preventive, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 2013-2022.
- President, American College of Chest Physicians, 2018-2019.
- President, Civil Aviation Medical Association, 2015-2017.
- Elected to the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine, 2013.
- Member, Leadership Council, National Business Aviation Association, 2012.