Paul Wischmeyer, MD
Associate Vice Chair for Clinical Research, Dept. of Anesthesiology at Duke University School of Medicine
Director of Perioperative Research at the Duke Clinical Research Institute
Co-Director, Nutrition Support Service, at Duke University Hospital
About Me: I am a perioperative, critical care, and nutrition physician focused on patient care and research to help patients prepare for and recover from surgery and major or critical illnesses. My unique expertise is utilizing innovative and integrative interventions such as nutrition and exercise to improve patients’ lives before and after illness. We in medicine have improved at treating disease, but we now must also ensure we restore patients’ qualities of life, so we are creating survivors, not victims, with our care. My passion for helping patients recover from illness arises from my personal experiences as both doctor and patient. Since childhood I have undergone numerous surgeries and personally experienced multiple hospital and ICU stays due to a childhood gastrointestinal illness with inflammatory bowel disease that took a large part of my intestinal tract. My hobbies include exercise and nutrition as a way of life and I even worked my way through medical school as a personal trainer. My personal experiences have made preparation and recovery from illness and family-centered ICU care a personal way of life that I am passionate about teaching patients and other caregivers worldwide.