Admin; Gemma Smith & Alana Suchman
Research Interests
Dr. Drewry’s research focuses on the role of body temperature in the diagnosis and management of sepsis. Fever is considered to be a hallmark of infection, yet 50% of septic patients present without fever at the onset of infection. Afebrile patients have up to twice the mortality of septic patients, even after accounting for potentially confounding factors such as age and severity of illness. Dr. Drewry conducts translational and clinical projects to better understand the relationship between body temperature and outcomes in sepsis. Her work has shown that absence of fever is associated with increased acquisition of secondary infections as well as changes in clinically relevant markers of sepsis-induced immunosuppression. Going forward, Dr. Drewry studies will entail identifying other potential benefits of fever to explain the mortality benefit seen in septic patients. She also aims to assess the clinical impact of targeted temperature management via external warming in patients with sepsis or at risk for infection.
Dr. Drewry received a BS in Biology from Yale University and an MD from Washington University School of Medicine. She completed an Anesthesiology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston followed by a Critical Care Medicine fellowship at Washington University.
Learn more about Dr. Drewry in the Washington University Physicians database.