SUMMARY
M Fernanda Bellolio, M.D., is an emergency physician and health sciences researcher dedicated to research methodology, knowledge synthesis and comparative effectiveness.
Dr. Bellolio works with secondary data, including big data, and clinical and claims data analysis, as well as systematic reviews.
Dr. Bellolio participates in research related to patient-centered outcomes and acute neurological emergencies.
Focus areas
- Big data with Optum Labs. Dr. Bellolio is currently working on multiple projects that involve data from Optum Labs and its collaborators, with the goal of improving patient care by sharing information, technologies, knowledge tools and scientific expertise. Within Optum Labs, Dr. Bellolio focuses on imaging utilization in the emergency department and on neurological pathology. She is also participating in a collaborative project with AARP and Optum regarding observation status.
- Systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Dr. Bellolio sees joy in conducting systematic reviews that she has learned from her expert mentors. Currently, she is working on reviews regarding treatment for patients who have ischemic strokes, effectiveness and safety of procedural sedation, diagnostic testing accuracy of CT imaging for different pathologies, and characteristics of anaphylaxis, among others.
- Neurological emergencies. Dr. Bellolio conducts research regarding ischemic stroke and its acute management, as well as head bleed. She is the site principal investigator of a University of Minnesota hub for the multicenter Platelet-Oriented Inhibition in New TIA and minor ischemic stroke (POINT) Trial.
- Imaging utilization. Dr. Bellolio has conducted research regarding imaging utilization in the emergency department, its trends over time, and its relationship with patient-centered care and diagnostics.
Significance to patient care
The emergency department is the entry point for many patients coming into the hospital and health systems. Research that can further be translated into interventions in the emergency department may play a role in either contributing to or helping to control the rising costs of health care.
Dr. Bellolio's hope is that her research will bring together big data and clinical data to support patient-centered management guidelines that can be translated to useful tools for decision support at the patient's bedside.
Professional highlights
- Health Care Delivery Scholar, Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, 2013-2016