Patricia L. Kavanagh, MD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Kavanagh has a national reputation in using systems approaches to improve the care of children and adults with sickle cell disease in the emergency department setting. As an attending physician in the pediatric ED, she and colleagues defined and refined treatment standards for children with sickle cell disease. She has similarly worked to improve care for adults with sickle cell disease in the ED through guideline-based care pathways and the use of individualized pain protocols. She gives lectures at regional and national meetings throughout the United States to teach providers about interventions that improve ED care for sickle cell-related pain and outcomes for individuals living with sickle cell disease, and will serve as faculty for the 2023 Sickle Cell Disease Centers Workshop, sponsored by the American Society of Hematology. Her current grant activities include studying the impact of screening and referring families with unmet basic needs on health on outcomes for children with sickle cell disease, and serving as a subject matter expert in a multisite randomized trial comparing individualized pain plans with weight-based protocols. Nationally she co-founded and serves as Chair of the Emergency Department Sickle Cell Care Coalition. She completed her pediatrics residency at Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center, and a fellowship in General Academic Pediatrics at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center.

Publications

  • Published 2/27/2025

    Ibemere SO, Barnhart H, Myers J, Miller J, Osunkwo I, Bosworth HB, Freiermuth CE, Hughes R, Kavanagh PL, Paice JA, Paxton J, Pierce A, Runyon MS, Strouse JJ, Veeramreddy P, Wilkerson RG, Tanabe P. Impact of Individualized Versus Weight-Based Pain Protocols on Patient Satisfaction for Patients With Sickle Cell Disease Experiencing a Vaso-Occlusive Episode. J Emerg Nurs. 2025 Feb 27. PMID: 40019423.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/17/2024

    Kavanagh PL, Strouse JJ, Paice JA, Ibemere SO, Tanabe P. Development of a Calculator to Determine Individualized Opioid Doses for Treatment of Vaso-Occlusive Episodes for Sickle Cell Disease in the Emergency Department. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2025 Jan; 51(1):74-79. PMID: 39581832.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/20/2024

    Blakey AO, Amaro CM, Eilenberg JS, Brochier A, Kavanagh PL, Garg A, Drainoni ML, Long K. Characterizing medical decision-making in sickle cell disease during childhood: Qualitative perspectives of caregivers. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2024 Dec; 71(12):e31307. PMID: 39302737.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/21/2024

    Knisely MR, Barnhart HX, Ibemere SO, Kavanagh P, Paice JA, Strouse JJ, Tanabe PJ. Comparison of Measures of Pain Intensity During Sickle Cell Disease Vaso-Occlusive Episodes. J Pain. 2024 Dec; 25(12):104658. PMID: 39154808.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/15/2024

    Rushing M, Horiuchi S, Zhou M, Kavanagh PL, Reeves SL, Snyder A, Paulukonis S. Emergency department 30-Day emergency department revisits among people with sickle cell disease: Variations in characteristics. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2024 Oct; 71(10):e31188. PMID: 39010280.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 38 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Member, Center for Excellence in Sickle Cell Disease
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • Boston University, MD
  • Boston University, BS
  • Boston University, BA

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