Professor
Areas of Interest
randomized clinical trials evaluating surgical treatment options for routinely treated clinical conditions, improving the value of surgical care
Biography
Dr. Martin L. Blakely joined the faculty of the UAB Department of Surgery in 2026. He earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He later earned his Master of Science in clinical research from the University of Texas Schools of Public Health and Medicine, and then a Master of Management in Health Care from the Owen Graduate School of Business at Vanderbilt University. He trained as a surgical resident at the University of Tennessee, the Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center, and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He completed two postdoctoral research fellowships at Harvard Medical School, one with the New England Deaconess Hospital, and one with the Sandoz Center for Immunobiology.
Dr. Blakely is interested in using implementation science to increase the impact of clinical trials and improve clinical operations. He has served as a primary investigator and co-investigator on several NIH- and DOD-supported multimillion dollar trials.
Selected Publications
Hockenbury J, Lopez ME, Godfrey CM, Blakely ML, Danko M, Hernanz-Schulman M, Frazier SB. Reducing computed tomography use for appendicitis evaluation in a pediatric emergency department: a multidisciplinary quality improvement initiative. Pediatr Qual Saf 2025;10(3):e808. PMID 40391045
Joly J, Lopez ME, Grethel EJ, Kim S, Fisher T, Sutyak KM, Blakely ML, Green C, et al., Improving pediatric surgery quality by widely adopting an evidence-based protocol: an effort of the Pediatric Surgery Quality Collaborative. Ann Surg 2025;282(3):401-410.
Sincavage J, Sullivan GA, Fritsch A, Palmisano Z, Raval MV, Blakely M, Shah AN, Gulack BC. Older children undergoing inguinal hernia repair have higher recurrence rates than younger children and adults: a nationwide cohort study. J Pediatr Surg 2024;60:162083.
Barone-Camp A, Louiselle A, Bothwell S, Diaz-Miron J, Hills-Dunlap J, Gosain A, Blakely ML, Acker SN. Using shock index, pediatric age adjusted (SIPA) to predict prolonged length of stay in perforated appendicitis: a retrospective review. Pediatr Surg Int 2024;40:290.
Ganji N, Kalish B, Offringa M, Li B, Anderson J, Baruchel S, Blakely M, et al., Translating regenerative medicine therapies in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. Pediatr Res 2024; May 28. doi:10.1038/s41390-024-03236-x.
Acker SN, Prendergast C, Inge TH, Pickett-Nairne K, Perez-Jolles M, Blakely M, Gosain A, Peterson P. Lack of association of pediatric surgical patient outcomes with increased disposable operating room supply costs. J Pediatr Surg 2024;59:1859-1864.
Frederick AB, Vogel AM, Williams RF, Zhang J, Huang EY, Savoie KB, Santore MT, Tsao K, Falcone RA, Dassinger MS, Haynes JH, Russell RT, Naik-Mathuria BJ, St Peter SD, Mooney DP, Onwubiko C, Blakely ML, Streck CJ. Multicenter external validation of the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network rule to identify children at very low risk for intra-abdominal injury requiring acute intervention. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2025;98(6):966-972. PMID 40170217
Robertson SE, Rysavy MA, Blakely ML, Steingrimsson JA, Dahabreh IJ. Generalizability analyses with a partially nested trial design: the Necrotizing Enterocolitis Surgery Trial. Epidemiology 2025; Jun 5. PMID 40472279
Wagner VE, Karpe AS, Blakely ML, Kao LS, Puzio TJ. "Do everything" versus realistic surgical interventions: navigating the road to shared decision-making in trauma surgery. Trauma Surg Acute Care Open 2026; Apr 30;11 (Suppl 1): e002287. PMID 42094754
Fajemisin MO, Karpe AS, Martinez Ugarte S, Hatton GE, Mueck K, Kao LS, Blakely ML, Khraish GH, Naik A, Sanghvi S, Lee JL, Puzio TJ. Knowledge of CPR and code status discussions in traumatically injured older adults: does health literacy matter? J Appl Gerontol 2025;Dec 30. PMID 41467310
Karpe AS, Fajemisin MO, Ugarte SM, Ouellate L, Blakely ML, Khraish GH, Sanghvi SV, Kwak MJ, Lee JL, Kao LS, Puzio TJ. Video conversation aids to assist in goals-of-care discussions with older adults in a medical setting: a systematic review. Am J Hosp Palliat Care 2025;Dec 22. PMID 41424255
Education
Medical School
University of Tennessee
General Surgery Residency
Fellowships
Harvard Medical School
Postdoctoral Fellowship - New England Deaconess Hospital
Postdoctoral Fellowship - Sandoz Center for Immunobiology
Master of Science in Clinical Research
University of Texas
Master of Management in Health Care
Owen Graduate School of Business, Vanderbilt University
Contact
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