My research interest has focused on the study of patient outcomes in the intensive care unit setting. We have developed a clinical outcomes study group at Washington University. By performing prospective clinical trials aimed at optimizing the treatment of critically ill patients we have significantly improved the care of acute respiratory failure, pneumonia, chronic obstructive lung disease, and sepsis. Our multidisciplinary research group has also developed and investigated the use of treatment strategies aimed at preventing complications in the intensive care unit to include pneumonia, prolonged need for mechanical ventilation, and organ dysfunction. More recently, we have collaborated with the informatics group and the Washington University Computer Sciences group to develop real-time early warning prediction algorithms to prevent clinical deterioration in non-intensive care unit hospitalized patients.