Vascular Voices: Aaron Wendelboe, Ph.D.

In this series, World Thrombosis Day (WTD) shares interviews with members of its scientific Steering Committee. In today’s profile, learn about Aaron Wendelboe, Ph.D., Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in the United States.

Why did you choose to pursue a career in this field?

Wendelboe: Epidemiology and public health just “clicked” with the way I learn. I appreciate studying factors that affect population health. Equally, I respect the methodological approach of using evidence-based practices based on current knowledge while continuously striving to improve our evidence-base with ongoing research.

What is an average day like for you at work? How do you juggle your research projects?

Wendelboe: Meetings! I have administrative, research, teaching/mentoring and service responsibilities. I meet with research teams, faculty, students and staff. I must block off sections of time to dedicate to reading/writing so my day doesn’t fill with meetings. One day a week, I also teach a graduate level course.

Working with strong and competent teams provides an infrastructure for research continuity. I try to use team meetings as deadlines to make progress on each research project. This may entail using meetings as working meetings to complete specific tasks.

What inspired you to join the World Thrombosis Day Steering Committee?

Wendelboe: Being invited to participate in World Thrombosis Day Steering Committee by Dr. Gary Raskob was a great honor. Meeting and working with the ISTH team and the other steering committee members has been one of the most enjoyable parts of my work. I am constantly learning from everyone else’s experience and expertise.

How have you seen the World Thrombosis Day campaign grow and expand over time?

Wendelboe: The World Thrombosis Day campaign has grown in vision, scope, partners and leadership. Regarding vision and scope, there was an initial primary focus on VTE and a secondary focus on atrial fibrillation (AFib). Over time, the campaign has been able to address additional thrombotic aspects, such as healthcare-associated thrombosis, thrombosis and women’s health, and standardized risk assessment.

Regarding partners, the campaign has added partners to include most countries across the globe and add representation from those countries to the steering committee. Another key partnership that has grown is with the World Health Organization. Regarding leadership, not only has representation by country increased, but also by role and expertise. For example, the initial makeup was largely hematologists and oncologists. Now, patients, researchers and people with other backgrounds are also included in the steering committee.

How do you rate awareness of thrombosis in the United States? Is it generally understood among the public?

Wendelboe: Although I believe awareness is growing, in general, thrombosis, including VTE and AFib, continues to be poorly recognized in the U.S. There are still ample opportunities for the World Thrombosis Day campaign to make a meaningful impact. Educating the general population about thrombosis is a monumental task because the needs of individuals within the population are always changing.

For example, a healthy young person may not be motivated to pay attention to messages about VTE at baseline, but as circumstances changes, such as aging, getting pregnant, or developing a comorbidity, that person’s need for information changes. That is why the World Thrombosis Day campaign’s mission and activities are so vital, to be able to provide evidence-based information on a continuous basis to a wide range of people to meet them where they are.

What type of VTE prevention practices or protocols are in place for patients in the United States? Do you see them vary across healthcare systems?

Wendelboe: Prevention practices include the use of risk assessment models, prescribing prophylaxis, and awareness and reduction of risk factors. The standardization and application of these measures is inconsistent across health systems. There is still a need for champions within health systems to advocate for increasing the uses of these tools.

What are the biggest challenges you see in thrombosis treatment and prevention?

Wendelboe: Awareness and education of a complicated disease. Thrombosis is complicated and affects people in so many different ways. This makes it challenging to have a simple message that applies broadly to everyone. This is why the World Thrombosis Day campaign and the staff and steering committee have such an important job to find innovative ways to simplify a complex message and make it relatable to a diverse audience.

What interesting research projects are you working on right now?

Wendelboe: I have been engaged in conducting surveillance for VTE for over a decade. Our current focus is to find ways to automate disease surveillance to reduce the cost and resources. Another project is a CDC-funded project to raise awareness of and capacity to address VTE in the U.S. One approach we are taking is building a case to elevate VTE as a disease of public health concern. We are working with health departments to understand how providing messages about VTE dovetails with their current public health priorities.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Wendelboe: I love spending time with my wife and three children. We love to travel and explore. My goal is to find a couple of new fishing spots before the end of the year. We also love music; I have taken up learning to play the guitar in the past few years.