Our team of researchers lead groundbreaking clinical studies aimed at improving the health of people throughout the world.

The Division of Clinical and Translational Research (DoCTR) is the home for patient-oriented research in the Department of Anesthesiology. Numerous translational and clinical research projects are currently led by faculty members in the division, in a wide variety of research areas. These include drug disposition, pharmacogenomics, perioperative myocardial infarction, intraoperative awareness, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, biomarkers, cardiovascular monitoring, coagulation, and functional brain imaging. All investigators have clinical research programs, and some also have laboratory-based translational programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you curious about joining a clinical study? Explore our clinical study FAQs to learn more about clinical studies in DoCTR.

Read FAQs

Active Clinical Studies

A list of ongoing clinical studies in the Department of Anesthesiology can be found below and on ClinicalTrials.gov.*

* the above link may display studies that have similar keywords but are not run in DoCTR.

If you would like to volunteer or receive more information about a particular study listed below, please send a request to volunteer@wustl.edu, note which study or studies you may be interested in and how you can be contacted, and one of our research coordinators will contact you with more information.

Principal InvestigatorTitle
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHUltrasound guided central venous catheter verification
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHA Qualitative Study of US guided CVC confirmation practices
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHFeasibility of volume assessment by echocardiography before and after dialysis in chronic renal failure patients.
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHEfficacy and acceptability of DRAUP
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHUtilization of point of care cardiothoracic ultrasound to guide fluid resuscitation in emergency department patients with sepsis
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHLow frequency, high complexity: skill retention following proficiency-based transesophageal echocardiography simulation training
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHAdapting and testing a deimplementation program in the Intensive Care Unit: Aim 1
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHDecreasing Urinary Catheters in Kidney Injury: Aim 1-qualitative analysis
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHDecreasing Urinary Catheters in Kidney Injury: quantitative analysis
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPH / Scott Markowitz, MD, MSOLCultural Survey: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; wellness and engagement
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHAnesthesiology Residency DEI Curriculum Surve
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHDiversity in the Advanced Practice Critical Care Workforce
Enyo Ablordeppey, MD, MPHSubclavian vein cannulation under Ultrasound Guidance with Advanced Retention: an implementation science approach
Cognition in the Anesthesiology Control Tower and Operating Room CO-ACT-OR
Observational Pilot Study of Post-Surgical Discharge Care Transition
Subjective Assessment of the ASAP Training Program
Designing a Tele-Critical Care Consult Service to Prevent Avoidable Intensive Care Unit Admissions
Joanna Abraham, PhDTELE-TOC: Telehealth Education Leveraging Electronic Transitions Of Care for COPD Patients – Aim 1
Joanna Abraham, PhDEnhanCed Handoff (ECHO)
Joanna Abraham, PhDStandardizing Intraoperative Handoffs among Anesthesia Providers
Joanna Abraham, PhDThe INCLUDE (Improving meNtal healthCare for oLder sUrgical racially minoritizeD patiEnts) study
Joanna Abraham, PhDGeneral Public and Patient Perspectives and Attitudes towards Use of Artificial Intelligence in Perioperative Care
Jacob AuBuchon, MDThe Comfort Ability Workshop: Improving Pain Treatment for Children and Their Families
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChSATISFY-SOS: Systematic Assessment and Targeted Improvement of Services Following Yearlong Surgical Outcomes Surveys
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChThe Prevention of Delirium and Complications Associated with Surgical Treatments (PODCAST) Study: Protocol for an International Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChCPAP Adherence and Postoperative Delirium in Patients with OSA
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChProtocol for the Electroencephalography Guidance of Anesthesia to Alleviate Geriatric Syndromes (ENGAGES) Study: a Pragmatic, Randomized Clinical Trial
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChPerioperative Risk Factors for All-Cause Unplanned Readmission within 30 Days After Surgery – a Sub-study of the SATISFY-SOS Observational Trial
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChCreation of a merged registry of patients in the NSQIP and SATISFY-SOS registries at BJH/Washington University
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChCognitive Recovery After Electroconvulsive Therapy and General Anesthesia
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChAbility of postoperative delirium to predict intermediate-term postoperative cognitive function in patients undergoing elective surgery at an academic medical center: protocol for a prospective study
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChValidation of the 3D-CAM in a Surgical Population
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChRelationship Between Immediate and Subsequent Postoperative Delirium
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChDelirium on the Day of Surgery Is Related to Subsequent Postoperative Delirium
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChComparison of Patient-Reported Pain Between Delirious and Non-Delirious Patients
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChAssociation between Delirium and Patient Reported-Outcomes 30-Days Following Major Surgery
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChPatients self-report of delirium in the post-operative period
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChDetection of Delirium in the Postoperative Period by Family and Caregivers
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChProtocol for a proof-of-concept observational study evaluating the potential utility and acceptability of a telemedicine solution for the Post Anesthesia Care Unit
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChProtocol for the Effectiveness of an Anesthesiology Control Tower System in Improving Perioperative Quality Metrics and Clinical Outcomes: the TECTONICS randomized, pragmatic trial
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChBenzodiazepine-free Cardiac Anesthesia for reduction of Postoperative Delirium
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChComparing Methods of Delirium Detection
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChAn international, Bayesian platform adaptive, randomized, placebo-controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of candidate interventions in preventing COVID-19 disease in adults
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChThe effects of prior exposure to the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine on innate and adaptive immune responses to a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChPublic perceptions on trial comparing total intravenous versus inhalational anesthesia for major surgery
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChBehavioral Activation and Medication Optimization for Perioperative Mental Health Feasibility Study
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChEvaluation of the Impact of an Anesthesiology Control Tower on Teamwork and Decision-Making Within the Operating Room
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChFeasibility pilot trial for the Trajectories of Recovery after Intravenous propofol versus inhaled VolatilE anesthesia (THRIVE) Trial
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChProtocol for the Trajectories of Recovery after Intravenous propofol versus inhaled VolatilE anesthesia (THRIVE) Trial
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChOptimizing Screening Questions for Intraoperative Awareness
Michael S. Avidan, MBBChProtocol for a pilot interventional study evaluating the efficiency and safety of a telemedicine solution for the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit
Arbi Ben Abdallah, PhD, DESTest-retest Reliability of Self-reported Outcomes by Surgical Patients
Arbi Ben Abdallah, PhD, DESPatient Health-Related Well-Being Before and After Surgery: A Latent Transition Analysis Approach
Kelly Chilson, MDAnesthetic management of children undergoing Potts shunt for medically refractory pulmonary hypertension
Meaghan Creed, PhDCharacterizing value-based decision making in patients with neuropathic pain: A Pilot
Lara Crock, MD, PhDThe role of the microbiome in the development of persistent post-surgical pain
Lara Crock, MD, PhDThe role of microbiome in the severity and persistence of complex regional pain syndrome
Anne Drewry, MDImmunological Phenotyping of Febrile and Afebrile Critically Ill Septic Patients
Anne Drewry, MDStratifying Patient Immune Endotypes in Sepsis (SPIES Study)
Bradley Fritz, MD, MSCIProtocol for the Perioperative Outcome Risk Assessment with Computer Learning Enhancement (Periop ORACLE) Randomized Study
Bradley Fritz, MD, MSCIDevelopment an validation of a machine learning model predicting short intensive care unit stay
Bradley Fritz, MD, MSCIKetamine for Postoperative Avoidance of Depressive Symptoms: The K-PASS Feasibility Trial
Bradley Fritz, MD, MSCIExternal Validation of an ICU Delirium Prediction Model
Bradley Fritz, MD, MSCIFeasibility Evaluation of a Tele-Critical Care Consult Service
Bradley Fritz, MD, MSCIActive Telemedicine Feedback to Enhance Compliance with a Spontaneous Awakening and Breathing Trial Protocol in Mechanically Ventilated Patients
Bradley Fritz, MD, MSCIPrevalence and Predictors of Cognitive Dysfunction after Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Brian Fuller, MDMemories among critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation in the emergency department
Brian Fuller, MDAwareness With Paralysis and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Mechanically Ventilated Emergency Department Survivors: the ED-AWARENESS-2
Robert Gereau, PhDDetermining the Pathogenicity of Autoantibodies in Small Fiber Neuropathy
Robert Gereau, PhDINTERCEPT: Integrated Research Center for Human Pain Tissues; Subproject Title: Human Tissues Core/Core B: Tissue Procurement and Processing
Robert Gereau, PhDMulti-omic profiling of traumatic nerve injury in humans to reveal mechanisms of degeneration, regeneration and pain
Burel Goodin, PhDRacial and Socioeconomic Differences in Chronic Low Back Pain
Stephen Gregory, MDA retrospective observational trial evaluating the prevalence and effect of preoperative cognitive dysfunction in a cohort of elderly patients undergoing elective surgery
Stephen Gregory, MDFinancial Impact of a Pilot Program in Preoperative Nutritional Optimization
Stephen Gregory, MDFeasibility pilot trial for the Trajectories of Recovery after Intravenous propofol versus inhaled VolatilE anesthesia (THRIVE) Trial
Stephen Gregory, MDProtocol for the Trajectories of Recovery after Intravenous propofol versus inhaled VolatilE anesthesia (THRIVE) Trial
Ryan Guffey, MDPECS Block vs. Multimodal Analgesia for Prevention of Persistent Postoperative Pain in Breast Surgery
Ryan Guffey, MDEncouraging Rational Use of Volatile Anesthetics
Ryan Guffey, MDKnowledge of perioperative multimodal analgesia after implementation of a standardized generic multimodal analgesia framework
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScIntravenous lidocaine for preventing painful oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN)
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScCognitive Flexibility Training for the Prevention of Persistent Post-Surgical Pain (COFLEX-PPSP): Feasibility Study
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScInvestigation of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of epidural methadone in healthy volunteers
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScCognitive Flexibility Training for Persistent Pain: MR imaging pilot (COFLEX-i)
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScEffects of Pgp transporter inhibition on CNS biodistribution of ondansetron in healthy volunteers
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScChemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Natural History Study (EPIPHANY)
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScBrain-computer interface intervention for chronic upper extremity pain: a pilot study
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScAdministration of ondansetron with P-glycoprotein inhibitor tariquidar in patients with neuropathic pain
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScP-5 Personalized Prediction of Persistent Postsurgical Pain
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScP-5 Personalized Prediction of Persistent Postsurgical Pain: A Pilot Study
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScOptimizing the use of ketamine to reduce chronic postsurgical pain
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScGenetic, molecular, and phenotypic biomarkers of postoperative outcomes: Ancillary studies to P5 (Personalized Prediction of Persistent Postsurgical Pain) project
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScBehavioral Activation and Medication Optimization For Improving Perioperative Mental Health In Older Adults Undergoing Cardiac Surgery
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScComparing Analgesic Regimen Effectiveness and Safety for surgery (CARES) Trial
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScOpioids and postanesthesia recovery: A retrospective chart review
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MScPatient and clinician perspectives on biomarker for the prediction of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)
Mohammed Helwani, MD, MSPMetoprolol to Reduce Perioperative Myocardial Injury
Mohammed Helwani, MD, MSPIntra-Individual Transpulmonary Variation in Cardiac Biomarker Concentrations
Mohammed Helwani, MD, MSPAnesthesia Related Complications in Transesophageal Echocardiography Procedures
Mohammed Helwani, MD, MSPEffect of benzodiazepine on extubation time in post cardiac surgery patients
Katherine Holzer, PhD, LCSWPerspectives of individuals with chronic pain on patient engagement in clinical pain research
Richard Hotchkiss, MDCellular Mechanisms of Sepsis and Organ Failure
Richard Hotchkiss, MDPotential Immuno-Adjuvant Therapy in Sepsis
Richard Hotchkiss, MDRed Blood Cell Danger Associated Molecular Patterns in Trauma
Danish JafferMachine Learning Using Cardiotocography and Other Intrapartum Elements in Predicting Fetal Outcomes
York Jiao, MDPrediction of surgical case duration from historical EHR data
York Jiao, MDTime Burden of Regional Blocks Performed Under General Anesthesia in the Pediatric Population
York Jiao, MDMulticenter perioperative outcomes group (MPOG) performance site
Jessica Justmann, MDComplex Regional Pain Syndrome in Children: Assessing PROMIS Score Outcomes Following Longitudinal Outpatient Treatment
Mohammad Mehdi KafashanCorrelating electroconvulsive therapy response to electroencephalographic ictal complexes and postictal markers
Mohammad Mehdi KafashanDisruptions of Brain Networks and Sleep by Electroconvulsive Therapy
Muthuraj Kanakaraj, MDPostoperative vasopressor usage: a prospective international observational study
Ivan Kangrga, MD, PhDPulmonary function tests and perioperative complications in adult liver transplant recipients
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDPredicting Post-Surgical Pain Outcomes from Acute Pain Trajectories
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDIntegrating Real Time Clinical Activity to Predict Physician Burnout
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDCharacterizing anesthesiology provider EHR work habits and relation to process-based quality of care metrics
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDStudy of a PST-Trained Voice-Enabled Artificial Intelligence Counselor (SPEAC) for Adults with Emotional Distress
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDPrediction of intraoperative blood product utilization
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDA Quasi-Experimental Study on the Effects of COVID-19 on Medication Errors
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDAssessing the Effect of Telemedicine on Physician EHR Work, Cognition, and Process Outcomes
(ASPIRE)
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDIGNITE (Integrating real-time clinical activity and behavioral responses for characterizing cognitive load and errors)
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDProject on EHR-Integrated Lifestyle Interventions for Adults Aged Fifty and Older
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDAssessing the Impact of EHR-based Workload on Nurse Turnover
Thomas Kannampallil, PhDIGNITE (Integrating real-time clinical activity and behavioral responses for characterizing cognitive load and errors)
Paul Kerby, MDProtocol for a proof-of-concept study evaluating Systematic QUality Improvement with Realtime Event Support
Christopher King, MD, PhDTelemedicine Notifications with Machine Learning for Postoperative Care
Christopher King, MD, PhDPrediction models for increased length of stay and readmission after ambulatory surgery: A retrospective study
Christopher King, MD, PhDDeveloping Interfaces for Machine Learning for Postoperative Care
Christopher King, MD, PhDMachine Learning for Postoperative Care
Christopher King, MD, PhDEffect of Group-specific Performance Information on User Perception of AI
Christopher King, MD, PhDUnderstanding clinical use cases for Machine Learning Using Cardiotocography and Other Intrapartum Elements in Predicting Fetal Outcomes
Christopher King, MD, PhDDeep Learning to Jointly Align, Impute, and Transform EHR Databases
Anand Lakshminarasimhachar, MDOptimisation of perioperatice cardiovascular management to improve surgical outcomes II trial
Anand Lakshminarasimhachar, MDEffect on plasma acid base status of patients undergoing oncological surgery with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy
Sunny Lou, MD, PhDMetrics for EHR Secure Chat Use
Sunny Lou, MD, PhDIntelligent Clinical Decision Support for Perioperative Blood Management
Sunny Lou, MD, PhDValidation and refinement of a machine learning model for surgical transfusion risk
Sunny Lou, MD, PhDCharacterizing the effect of secure messaging on clinician workflow and efficiency
Gregory Miller, MDA randomized controlled trial to compare hydromorphone vs fentanyl in children undergoing tonsillectomy surgery
David Monks, MBChBThe pharmacokinetics of Oxytocin (PK-OXT) in pregnant women undergoing cesarean delivery – a feasibility pilot study
David Monks, MBChBPostpartum depression after Cesarean delivery: Ketamine as a preventative intervention. A feasibility pilot-study
David Monks, MBChBPerinatal SMILES (Synergistic Multi-component Intervention to alLeviate dEpressive Symptoms)
Rachel Moquin, EdDFaculty Education Workshop Series
Rachel Moquin, EdDPediatric Anesthesiology Curriculum Study
Rachel Moquin, EdDAnesthesiology Subspecialty Fellow Education Project
Rachel Moquin, EdDNovel Intern Curriculum Study
Rachel Moquin, EdDDeveloping Expertise in Clinical Education Program Evaluation
Rachel Moquin, EdDTake 2 for the Team: Cultivating a Culture of Gratitude
Jeremiah Morrissey, PhDUrine Proteome of Patients Undergoing Surgery
Jeremiah Morrissey, PhDNew non-invasive methods for real-time monitoring of organ function
Jeremiah Morrissey, PhDBiomarker correlates of radiologic imaging
Jeremiah Morrissey, PhDUrine Proteome of Surgical Patients and Healthy Volunteers
Jeremiah Morrissey, PhDNanotech biomarkers for renal cancer intervention: clinical validation and utility
Jeremiah Morrissey, PhDMetal-organic Framework as Protective Coating for Cancer Biospecimen Preservation
Jeremiah Morrissey, PhDDevelopment and validation of an ultrasensitive, fast plasmon-enhanced assay for human IgG/IgM/IgA to COVID-19 infection.
Hadas Nahman-Averbuch, PhDThe effect of puberty on pain sensitivity
Hadas Nahman-Averbuch, PhDMigraine onset in adolescent girls
Hadas Nahman-Averbuch, PhDHormonal Effects of Puberty-Related Alterations on Pain in Adolescents with Migraine
Hadas Nahman-Averbuch, PhDRelationship between sex hormones, postoperative pain and opioid use: the role of immune factors
Hadas Nahman-Averbuch, PhDThe mechanisms underlying endometriosis pain
Sydney Nykiel-Bailey, DOPediatric Difficult Intubation (PeDI) Registry – Improving Safety and Quality of Airway Management in Children with Difficult Airways
Sydney Nykiel-Bailey, DOAssessment of Novel Anesthesiology Residency DEI Curriculum
Sydney Nykiel-Bailey, DOWhat roles do educators play in graduate medical education
Ben Palanca, MD, PhDDiffuse Optical Tomography of Surgical Patients Undergoing General Anesthesia
Ben Palanca, MD, PhDPostoperative Delirium: Brain Vulnerability and Recovery
Ben Palanca, MD, PhDInhaled Nitrous Oxide for Treatment-Resistant Depression: Optimizing Dosing Strategies
Ben Palanca, MD, PhDPrognosticating Delirium Recovery Outcomes Using Wakefulness and Sleep Electroencephalography (P-DROWS-E)
Ben Palanca, MD, PhDClosed Loop Acoustic Stimulation during Sedation with Dexmedetomidine (CLASS-D)
Ben Palanca, MD, PhDPrecision targeting of propofol-induced electroencephalographic slow waves: a novel paradigm for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder – Phase I
Ben Palanca, MD, PhDSafety of Anesthesia Volunteer Experiments
Arvind Palanisamy, MDPrevention of Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn with Prophylactic Phenylephrine Infusion During Elective Cesarean Delivery
Arvind Palanisamy, MDUnderstanding host-pathogen interaction in the respiratory mucosa during pregnancy
Arvind Palanisamy, MDPersonalized Perioperative Analgesia Platform (PPAP) for Cesarean Section
Bethany Pennington, PharmDPatients’ Perspectives and Preferences towards Inhaled & Total Intravenous Anesthesia
Bethany Pennington, PharmDPerioperative use of potentially inappropriate centrally acting medications in older patients with and without antidepressant use
Bethany Pennington, PharmDStakeholders’ Perspectives of the Acceptability of THRIVE Study Procedures and Experiences in Participation: An Exploratory Qualitative Study
Stephen Ristvedt, PhDPromoting Uptake of a Usual Source of Care among African American Men
Stephen Ristvedt, PhDCommunity-Based Study of Uptake of a Usual Source of Care by African Amerian Men
Stephen Ristvedt, PhDThe Role of Sense of Purpose among Patients with Chronic Pain
Benjamin Sanofsky, MDDecreasing Emergence Delirium with Personalized Music
Preet Mohinder Singh, MDHuman Imaging Studies with Butterfly Ultrasound Devices
Pratik Sinha, MBChB, PhDPREcision-based Critical Care In SEpsis (PRECCISE) Study
Pratik Sinha, MBChB, PhDLongitudinal Kinetics of Molecular Phenotypes
S. Kendall Smith, MD, PhDLongitudinal Assessment of Leadership, Career Development and Wellness Culture in Anesthesiology Residency
S. Kendall Smith, MD, PhDMulti-Omics To End Delirium (MENDEL) Study
Loc Thang, MD, PhDAnalysis of Failed Spinal Cord Stimulator Implantation After Successful Trials in The Treatment of Intractable Chronic Pain
Loc Thang, MD, PhDPain Rotation Tutorial Curriculum Project
Loc Thang, MD, PhDEfficacy of Pain Relief and Functional Improvement with Continuous Radiofrequency Ablation of the Shoulder
Loc Thang, MD, PhDA Retrospective Review Study of the Use of Lidocaine Infusion in Patients in Sickle Cell Crisis
Brian Torres, CRNAAlleviation of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) Preceptor Burnout
Brian Wessman, MDEnd of Life Care in the Emergency Department: A cross sectional observational study
Brian Wessman, MDPalliative Care and Rapid Emergency Screening (P-CaRES): Impact of ED Screening in Elderly Patients