Expanding and Accelerating Research at University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Blocker Burn Unit with TriNetX
Dr. Steven E. Wolf
Professor and Chief,
Division of Burn and Trauma Surgery
JD and LH Jamail Distinguished Chair
Vice-Chairman, Finance
Division of Burn and Trauma Surgery, Department of Surgery,
Shriners
Burns Hospitals for Children
“I take care of patients every day and I’m the inquisitive sort,” said Dr. Steven E. Wolf, Division Chief of Burn, Trauma, and Acute Care Surgery in the Department of Surgery. “I’m constantly wondering what is true or not
true, and what does the data and evidence support, especially regarding burns. There are always questions that need to be answered through research. TriNetX has been instrumental in helping us answer these questions in a reasonable amount of time.”
Dr. Wolf became aware of the TriNetX Research network during a think tank conference in which he was participating as one of the breakout groups focused on the application of technology to research methods.
Using the TriNetX platform has increased the unit’s knowledge of several burn- related issues. One in particular is the cause and treatment of toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), a rare and serious condition where the skin begins to fall off those
suffering from it.
Using the TriNetX platform, Dr. Wolf and his team conducted analysis that was able to determine actual mortality rates and get a better understanding of the causes of the disease.
The longitudinal nature of the data in the TriNetX platform allowed Dr. Wolf and his team to uncover significant information surrounding not only the mortality rate, but the variability of that rate and his team have found that conducting research is
much faster using the TriNetX platform.
Dr. Wolf and his team now have 18 studies in progress using TriNetX, most of them from a group of students who gather during the summer for extracurricular work.
He is working with colleagues around the country to set up a special burns group leveraging the data in the TriNetX platform.
“The TriNetX platform is brilliant,” Dr. Wolf summed up. “Instead of spending days digging through medical records to come up with the right question to ask, I can do the same thing in a fraction of the time with TriNetX. I absolutely
love the platform and what it can do for us.”