Danish Fulbrighter Builds COVID-19 Patient Database

Mathias Aagaard Christensen, Harvard Medical School 2019-2020

Starting July 2019, I had the privilege of joining the Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School as part of a collaboration between them and Rigshospitalet/University of Copenhagen.

My main research focus was genetic research on surgical diseases using whole-genome data from a large biobank, identifying common genetic variations which may increase the risk for appendicitis, groin hernias etc. Further, I conducted several retrospective cohort studies on trauma and surgical patients using big data archives.

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Picture of the other Research Fellows and I in the Ether Dome at MGH – the surgical amphitheater where William T.G. Morton demonstrated the first public surgery using anesthetic (ether). I’m second from the right on the second row.

During my time in Boston, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 began spreading across the United States. As such, our Division shifted their research focus to quickly build an institutional COVID-19 database with high quality data on COVID-19 patients to better understand the disease and improve patient outcomes. I was the leader of two COVID-19 projects in addition to being a major contributor in several others.

Building a database of quality in such a short amount of time was only possible because of an amazing, passionate and goal-oriented team. Being part of this effort to help fight a world-wide pandemic was truly a unique and wonderful experience, albeit terrifying to witness the devastating consequences COVID-19 may have on the human body. Our team quickly published data on the gastrointestinal complications of COVID-19 in the leading surgical journal Annals of Surgery.

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All of this had not been possible without Fulbright Denmark as a partner, and I am forever grateful for the funding and being part of the amazing community that Fulbright is.

Overall, joining a team of such quality shaped me as a person and as a professional. The work ethic in my institution and in the United States in general is truly remarkable. All of this had not been possible without Fulbright Denmark as a partner, and I am forever grateful for the funding and being part of the amazing community that Fulbright is.

My advice to other students and academics seeking challenges and opportunities in the United States or anywhere else in the world would be to start planning early, trust the process of hard work from the very beginning, and most importantly, absorb as much professionally and culturally as possible.

Be curious, work hard – but do not forget breath and enjoy the journey. I can without hesitation say this has been the best year of my life.

So far Mathias Aagaard Christensen is co-author of two papers which has Alexander Bonde, another Danish Fulbrighter from 2018-2019, as first author:

Bonde A, Gaitanidis A, El Hechi M, Nederpelt C, Christensen M, Kokoroskos N, Mendoza A, Velmahos G, Sillesen M, Farhat M, Kaafarani H. Identification of a new genetic variant associated with cholecystitis: a multicenter genome-wide analysis. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2020
Kaafarani HMA, Moheb ME, Hwabejire JO, Naar L, Christensen MA, Breen K, Gaitanidis A, Alser O, Mashbari H, Bankhead-Kendall B, Mokhtari A, Maurer L, Kapoen C, Langeveld K, El Hechi MW, Lee J, Mendoza AE, Saillant NN, Parks J, Fawley J, King DR, Fagenholz PJ, Velmahos GC. Gastrointestinal Complications in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19. Ann Surg. 2020