Claudia Cohn

Introduction

Claudia Cohn, MD, PhD, is a professor of laboratory medicine and pathology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She also serves as the medical director of the M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center Blood Bank and leads the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies as the chief medical officer.

Dr. Cohn conducts research in the field of transfusion medicine. She focuses her efforts in two areas: patient blood management and platelet storage and utilization. Patient blood management applies evidence-based guidelines to limit unnecessary transfusions and maximize patient safety. 

Dr. Cohn uses technology to gather data, which can help guide clinicians with transfusion decisions. To help foster a good transfusion culture, Dr. Cohn and her colleagues have developed overlapping databases that allow them to monitor every transfusion made in the hospital retrospectively and determine whether they were made within guidelines. 

Dr. Cohn is also interested in new platelet storage options, platelet utilization and patient immunologic reactions to donor plasma. The University of Minnesota is one of the largest users of platelets in the nation because of the large number of umbilical cord stem cell transplants performed each year.