Research Spotlight

I am an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado, where I attend in the operating rooms and the Surgical Trauma ICU (STICU). Throughout my early career as a physician-scientist, I have been dedicated to studying critically ill patients, trauma, and multi-organ dysfunction.

A mutual interest in hyperoxia with my primary mentor, Dr. Adit Ginde, was the catalyst for a relationship that has resulted in multiple studies on the pathologic effects of hyperoxia in critically ill patients. Dr. Ginde is the overall PI for (and I am an active contributor to) the ongoing SAVE-O2 trials (NCT04534959 and NCT04534972), which focus on the relationship between oxygenation targets and clinical outcomes in critically injured trauma and burn patients respectively.

One silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic was the abundance of new research opportunities for anesthesiologists and intensivists. I was lucky to partner with the Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness in the Critically Ill (IVY) network, a national consortium of researchers who quickly pivoted to the study of COVID-19. Through this relationship, we have published extensively on ICU bed utilization during the initial surge, COVID vaccine efficacy at various stages of the pandemic, and the ability of monoclonal antibodies and antiviral treatments to mitigate severe disease among hospitalized patients.

My recent work has focused on trauma-induced coagulopathy and the intersection between endothelial glycocalyx integrity and trauma resuscitation. Specifically, our team is investigating whether personalized resuscitation can mitigate the multi-organ dysfunction which is common in severely injured patients.

My involvement in SOCCA dates to 2018. Thank you to the leaders of SOCCA and the research committee for asking me to participate in this edition of SOCCA Interchange.

About the Author: I completed medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine in 2014, anesthesiology residency in 2018, and critical care fellowship in 2019, both at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. My work is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DOD). My passions include family, running, hiking, skiing, and trying new restaurants. I sing poorly, but that doesn’t stop me—especially during long car rides to the mountains.

Contact Dr. Douin via email at david.douin@cuanschutz.edu, or follow him on Twitter @joshdouin.

Author

David J. Douin, MD

University of Colorado School of Medicine

Aurora, Colorado