The Innovations and Evidence-Based Medicine Development Team at EBSCO is made up of people who are passionate about developing cutting-edge technology solutions that help patients, clinicians, policymakers, and supporting parties to improve patient care and provide the most useful support for healthcare decision making. Meet the team in this new series, starting with Martin (Marty) Mayer, DMSc, MS, PA-C.
Q. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. I passionately believe evidence-based medicine is fundamental in providing patients the best care possible, and this must involve shared decision-making (a partnership between the clinician and patient that empowers the patient to have a large role in decisions about his/her health care) whenever possible and desired by the patient. I also believe the importance of compassion cannot be overstated, and it is imperative to remember patients are people, not just diagnoses or chief complaints. I think Patch Adams (as portrayed by Robin Williams in the namesake movie) encapsulated the essence of good medicine when he said: “You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you’ll win, no matter what the outcome.”
Q. What is your role on the Innovations team?
A. Speaking broadly, I am integrally involved in evidence curation, appraisal, synthesis, translation, and application (including shared decision-making) for a variety of projects, ranging from nascent ideas to proof-of-concept prototypes to established, ongoing projects.
Q. What did you do prior to joining the Innovations team and how did that prepare you for this role?
A. I started in full-time practice and loved getting to help my patients, but I felt like there was a lot about medicine that was, for lack of a better phrase, “broken”. I also precepted students (I was never a formal preceptor, but others I worked with were, and they would regularly have students work with me), and I realized I really liked being involved in their training. These two things resulted in me considering a career that split my time between the clinical and academic realms.
Q. What motivates you to solve issues in healthcare delivery?
A. This one is easy and can be answered in a single word: Patients. There is nothing more rewarding to me than knowing I have benefitted a patient’s life in some way, whether that’s at the bedside or via the work I do on the Innovations and Evidence-Based Medicine Development team.
