New faculty spotlight: Christopher Barrett, MD

Christopher Barrett, MD

Christopher Barrett, MD, is a new faculty member at UNMC.

  • Name:  Christopher Barrett, MD
  • Hometown: Forest Lake, Minnesota
  • Current positions at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Surgery, Division of Acute Care Surgery; surgeon, Nebraska Medicine

Previous positions, including residencies and fellowships:

  • Medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
  • Residency in general surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/ Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Fellowship in surgical critical care at Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 

Professional and medical interests: I am a surgeon-scientist with a basic science lab studying the interface of coagulation, fibrinolysis and inflammatory perturbations after traumatic injury and major surgery at the molecular and cellular level. My research is diverse, spanning from enzyme kinetics of novel enzyme-substrate pairs overlapping the coagulation and inflammation systems to animal models and translational research developing novel coagulation diagnostic assays for rapid, actionable information in bleeding patients, to clinical trials using new fibrinolytic therapy approaches to difficult clinical diseases (COVID-19 respiratory failure, loculated pleural space infections and others). My clinical interest is in treating traumatic injuries and critically ill surgical patients. 

What I love most about patient care: I find it humbling and immensely gratifying to help critically ill surgical patients and their families through what is often a very difficult time for all involved. 

Memberships:

  • International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis
  • Shock Society
  • Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma
  • American College of Surgeons

Three things people may not know about me:

  • I’m from Minnesota (the greatest state in the Union!).
  • I love hockey.
  • I’m a former airborne infantryman in the U.S. Army, with service in Iraq, before going to college and medical school.