Smiling man with short brown hair in a light blue shirt

Alexander Butwick, MBBS, MS

Professor of Anesthesia

Biography

I study how we can close the gap between what we know and what we do in managing severe maternal complications such as postpartum hemorrhage. My research focuses on developing strategies to improve clinical preparedness, response, and decision-making in the prevention and management of postpartum hemorrhage.

This work spans clinical, health services, and epidemiologic research, including studies on blood product use, peripartum coagulation dynamics, and the application of point-of-care technologies such as thromboelastography. I also examine population-level patterns in labor epidural analgesia use, investigating how clinical, demographic, and systemic factors shape access and decision-making, alongside research on maternal complications such as hypertensive disorders and peripartum mental health.

My research has been published in JAMA Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, and AJOG, and has contributed to both clinical practice and public dialogue, including features in The New York Times.

My work aims to generate evidence that improves maternal outcomes and informs policy, clinical practice, and education in obstetric anesthesiology.

Education

12/05 - Obstetric Anesthesiology, Stanford University School of Medicine
MS, 08/11 - Epidemiology, Stanford University
FRCA, 07/03 - Anesthesiology, Fellow of Royal College of Anaesthetists (UK)
MBBS, 01/97 - Medicine, St. George's Hospital Medical School

Publications