Joseph Jeevendra A. Martyn, MD, PHD

Specialties

Anesthesiology

Areas of Care:

Location(s):

Languages Spoken:

English

Joseph Jeevendra (Jeeva) Martyn, M.D., FRCA, FCCM's clinical training in anesthesiology (including pain medicine and intensive care) was at Columbia University - Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York, where he also served as chief resident. He continued specialized training in pediatric anesthesia and critical care medicine at the Radcliffe Infirmary, University of Oxford, England. In 1975, he was accepted as a trainee in the NIH sponsored T-32 Burn Trauma Training Grant under the direction of John F. Burke, M.D., and Myron B Laver, M.D., at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Shriners Children's Boston. His sabbatical (1989-1990) at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, England enhanced his expertise in molecular biology, signal transduction and in vivo and in vitro physiology.

For the last 35 years as an anesthesiologist cum intensivist, he has been surprised by the lack of basic and clinical information related to critical illness (e.g. burn)-induced neuromyopathy, neuromuscular dysfunction and anesthesia-related issues. He has, therefore, studied the clinical and basic aspects of altered pathophysiology of altered neuromuscular transmission in humans with critical illness-induced neuromuscular dysfunction, and in rodents using burn injury, disuse or infection as paradigms of critical illness-induced neuromuscular dysfunction (NMD). These studies have incorporated physiology (tension), pharmacology, molecular pharmacology, signal transduction and genetics to elucidate molecular mechanisms of muscle weakness muscle wasting. Parenthetically, it is important to state that almost all previous mechanistic studies have focused on muscle-related causes of muscle weakness, with minimal information on the nerve and synaptic-related etiological factors. In clinical pharmacological studies, he has examined the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of many anesthesia-related drugs with a view characterize aberrant pharmacological and toxicological responses to anesthetic drugs after burn injury.

His current studies the causes of profound muscle wasting, even at sites distant from injury, which has profound functional effects during the acute and recovery phases and extending to years. Although it is well established that muscle wasting of any etiology is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, how altered mitophagy and mitochondrial dysfunction affect muscle mass is unclear. His studies use pioneering technology to dissect the connection between the two and uses very novel techniques to mitigate mitochondrial changes and muscle wasting. Our studies related to critical illness related exaggerated pain are examining the pivotal role of innate immune responses mediated by microglia and macrophages in these aberrant pain responses. Dr. Martyn has produced over 200 peer-reviewed publications and approximately 45 book chapters.

Loading component...

Pediatric Care

Specialty

Anesthesiology
Burn Care

{"items":[{"title":"Shriners Children's Boston","image":"https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/shrinershosf393-shriners4ad9-prodb963-58d8/media/project/shriners/shc/migration-images/related-locations-dropdown-carousel/boston-hospital-back-view-961x640-64444-ashx.jpeg?h=640&iar=0&w=961","imageAlt":"boston-hospital-back-view-961x640-64444-ashx","text":"Pediatric specialty care for children throughout Massachusetts and beyond","ctaItem":{"ctaLinkIcon":"https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/shrinershosf393-shriners4ad9-prodb963-58d8/media/icons/si-nonhero-icons-_-24x24px/solid-white-_-24x24px/mappin_24x24_whitesolid.svg?iar=0","ctaLinkText":"More About This Location","ctaLink":"https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/locations/boston"},"itemId":"https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/locations/boston"}]}

More About Me

Board Certifications

American Board of Anesthesiology, Anesthesiology, Anesthesiology - General
American Board of Anesthesiology, Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine

Education and Training

Residency|Columbia Prebyterian|New York|NY||06/30/1974

Graduate School|Harvard University|Cambridge|MA||06/30/1993

Academic Positions and Locations

Harvard Medical School
Professor

Leadership and Memberships

Anesthetist in Chief, Shriners Children's Boston
2015-Present: Chairman, Promotions Committee Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, MGH
Professor, Harvard Medical School
2004-Present: Founding Member and Member, Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) Research Mentor Academy

Editorial Positions

Reviewer, New England Journal of Medicine
Reviewer, Critical Care Medicine
Former Member, Surgery-Anesthesia-Trauma-Study Section

Awards and Honors

2010, ASA Excellence in Research Award
2017, ASA Excellence in Mentoring Award
2020, The Harvey Stuart Allen Distinguished Service Award
1993-Present, Nobel Prize Nominating Committee for Physiology and Medicine
2016, Symposium Organizer and Moderator, Panel Discussion on Sedatives and Analgesia, International Congress on Burn Injuries, Miami, Florida
2014, Symposium Organizer and Moderator, Panel Discussion on Sedatives and Analgesia in IC, International Society for Burn Injuries, Sydney, Australia

Academic Works and Presentations

Moderator and Invited Speaker: International Society of Burn Injuries, Delhi, India - Anesthesia/Intensive Care: Complications in the ICU
Presentation: Chinese Burn Association Annual Meeting, Zhuhai, China