Clayton Cowl, M.D., M.S., wins Mid-Career Award
Clayton Cowl, M.D., M.S.
Serving patients in the sky and on the road
Clayton Cowl, M.D., M.S. (THDC ’00), is widely recognized as an expert in pulmonary, aerospace and transportation medicine with all the requisite degrees, clinical experience and publications to prove it.
But as a clinician serving professional pilots and commercial drivers, Dr. Cowl wanted to fully understand the demands of their jobs. So he is also a commercially-rated pilot, flies hot-air balloons and holds a commercial driver’s license that allows him to operate semi-trucks.
“When I talk to my patients who drive, I don’t just say, ‘Do you drive a truck?’ I say ‘Oh, do you drive a reefer (refrigerated trailer) or dry van? Are you a ‘tanker yanker’?’” he once told Minnesota Public Radio. “And all of a sudden there’s a bond there. They go, ‘Wow, this guy actually knows something about what I do.’”
Dr. Cowl is an associate professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and chief of the Section of Transportation Medicine in the Division of Public Health, Infectious Diseases and Occupational Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He also has a joint appointment in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.
Among his contributions to transportation medicine, Dr. Cowl has served as a senior Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Medical Examiner for more than two decades and is particularly skilled at assisting and assessing pilots with highly complex medical conditions being considered for medical waivers. He is a fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association and a past president of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. He developed a live and online course for providers performing Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration medical certification exams on commercial truck and bus drivers — and is the editor of the definitive textbook reference on the subject.
During his nine years as chair of the Division of Preventive, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine at Mayo Clinic, he oversaw the launch of an aerospace medicine training program, the expansion of services in the hyperbaric and altitude medicine facility, and the development of a web-based online consultation service for commercial pilots with medical conditions called Mayo Clinic Clear Approach.
In his occupational lung disease and inhalational toxicology practice, Dr. Cowl evaluates and treats patients who have experienced exposure to various toxic substances, fumes and gases such as asbestos, silicone and anhydrous ammonia. Dr. Cowl has also served as the president of the American College of Chest Physicians, one of the largest international professional organizations dedicated to chest medicine, critical care and sleep medicine.
Dr. Cowl’s research areas include epidemiological work on aviation crash data and altitude physiology, including using Mayo Clinic’s altitude chamber facility to test and validate emergency oxygen delivery systems for Boeing and the Department of Defense. His study of injuries and fatalities in hot-air balloons published in JAMA resulted in balloon manufacturers transitioning to an alternate load cable material in new balloon models, resulting in fewer deaths. He is a co-principal investigator of the Minnesota Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) program that investigates strategies to improve return-to-work paths for ill or injured workers, including those in safety-sensitive roles like commercial driving.
“(Dr. Cowl has made) robust contributions to all three Mayo shields in the areas of transportation medicine, clinical toxicology and occupational lung disease,” says Philip Hagen, M.D. (MED ’83, I ’86, PREV ’88), emeritus assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Minnesota. “He also has contributed within the framework of community service and advocacy for pilots and commercial truck and bus drivers, all with character and tireless work.”
The Early and Mid-Career Alumni Awards recognize Mayo Clinic alumni who have made robust contributions to their areas of expertise in the realms of education, clinical practice, clinical and scientific research, and administration. Beyond their professional output, they demonstrate selfless community service and have consistently acted in a manner that is aligned with Mayo Clinic values. Read about the other 2024 recipients here.
Illustrations by Nigel Buchanan.