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Medical School:
Department: Medicine-Pulmonary Sciences & Critical Care
Medical School:
- MD, University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center (1971)
- University of Colorado (University Hospital) Program (1972)
- University of Washington Program, Internal Medicine (1974)
- University of Colorado (University Hospital) Program, Internal Medicine (1973)
- University of Colorado (University Hospital) Program, Pulmonary Disease (1976)
Department: Medicine-Pulmonary Sciences & Critical Care
Recognition & Awards
-
Member, The Best Doctors in America
(2015)
-
Member, The Best Doctors in America
(2014)
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Best Doctors, Denver Business Journal
(2014)
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Member, The Best Doctors in America
(2013)
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Best Doctors in Colorado, ColoradoBiz
(2013)
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Guide to America’s Top Physicians, Consumers’ Research Council of America
(2012)
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Member, The Best Doctors in America
(2011)
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Guide to America’s Top Physicians, Consumers’ Research Council of America
(2011)
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Guide to America’s Top Physicians, Consumers’ Research Council of America
(2010)
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Member, The Best Doctors in America
(2009)
-
Guide to America’s Top Physicians, Consumers’ Research Council of America
(2008)
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Member, The Best Doctors in America
(2007)
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Guide to America’s Top Physicians, Consumers’ Research Council of America
(2007)
-
Member, The Best Doctors in America
(2005)
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Menkes Lecture, Maryland Thoracic Society
(2005)
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First Prize, British Medical Association Medical Book Competition
(2005)
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Member, The Best Doctors in America
(2003)
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Wasserman Lecture and Visiting Professorship, Harbor/UCLA
(2003)
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Member, The Best Doctors in America
(2001)
-
Member, The Best Doctors in America
(1999)
-
Member, The Best Doctors in America
(1997)
-
Member, The Best Doctors in America
(1994)
-
Member, The Best Doctors in America
(1991)
-
Member, Western Association of Physicians
(1989)
-
Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation
(1987)
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Member, Western Society for Clinical Investigation
(1983)
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Lange Award, University of Colorado
(1971)
Best student in Medicine -
Alpha Omega Alpha, University of Colorado
(1971)
-
Dean's List, University of Colorado
(1967)
-
Dean's List, University of Colorado
(1966)
Research Interests
My research interests are focused on trying to reduce the incidence and/or the severity of lung injury by using intermittent sighs incorporated into otherwise standard mechanical ventilation based on the idea that stretching the lung causes the lung to produce surfactant, a substance that prevents lung collapse. I am also involved in clinical trials aimed at trying to reduce acute exacerbations of COPD
Publications
- Albert RK. Constant tidal volume ventilation and surfactant: An overlooked cause of ventilator-induced lung injury. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2022;205:152-160.
- Albert RK. Pneumothorax: Challenging the paradigm of persistent air leak, but where is the leak? Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2022, doi: 10.1164/rccm.202207-1388LE.
- Filho FSL, Mattman A, Schellenberg R, Criner G, Woodruff P, Lazarus S, Albert R, Connett J, Han M; Gay S, Martinez F, Fuhlbrigge A, Stoller J, MacIntyre N, Casaburi R, Diaz P, Panos R, Cooper JD, Jr., Bailey W, Lafon D, Sciurba F, Kanner R, Yusen R, Au DH, Pike K, Fan V, Man SFP, Aaron S, Leung J, Reed R, Sin D. Serum IgG Levels and Risk of COPD Hospitalization: A Pooled Meta-Analysis. Chest 2020;158:1420-30.
- Koff PB, Min, S-J, Diaz DLP, Freitag TJ, James SS, Voelkel NF, Linderman DJ, Diaz del Valle F, Zakrajsek JK, Albert RK, Bull TM, Beck A, Stelzner TA, Ritzwoller DP, Kveton KM, Carwin S, Ghosh M, Keith RL, Westfall JM, Vandivier RM. Impact of Proactive Integrated Care on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. JCOPD 2020; doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.19.20107110.
- Albert RK. Prone ventilation for mild or moderate ARDS. Ann Amer Thoracic Soc 2020;17:24-29. PMID: 31532692.
- Guerin C, Albert RK, Beitler J, Gattinoni L, Jaber S, Marini JJ, Munshi L, Papazian L, Pesenti Ak Viellard-Baron A Mancebo J. Prone position in ARDS patients: why, when, how and for whom. An update. Intensive Care Med 2020; doi.org/10.1007/s00134.06306-w
- . A Randomized Trial of Long-Term Oxygen for COPD with Moderate Desaturation. N Engl J Med. 2016 Oct 27;375(17):1617-1627. PubMed PMID: 27783918
- Indovina K, Keniston A, Reid M, Sachs K, Zheng C, Tong A, Hernandez D, Bui K, Ali Z, Nguyen T, Guirguis H, Albert RK, Burden M. Real-time patient experience surveys of hospitalized medical patients. J Hosp Med. 2016 Apr;11(4):251-6. PubMed PMID: 26777721
- Sadatsafavi M, Sin DD, Zafari Z, Criner G, Connett JE, Lazarus S, Han M, Martinez F, Albert R. The Association Between Rate and Severity of Exacerbations in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Application of a Joint Frailty-Logistic Model. Am J Epidemiol. 2016 Nov 1;184(9):681-689. PubMed PMID: 27737842
- Geiger-Brown J, Lindberg S, Krachman S, McEvoy CE, Criner GJ, Connett JE, Albert RK, Scharf SM. Self-reported sleep quality and acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2015;10:389-97. PubMed PMID: 25759571
- Burden M, Frank MG, Keniston A, Chadaga SR, Czernik Z, Echaniz M, Griffith J, Mintzer D, Munoa A, Spence J, Statland B, Teixeira JP, Zoucha J, Lones J, Albert RK. Gender disparities in leadership and scholarly productivity of academic hospitalists. J Hosp Med. 2015 Aug;10(8):481-5. PubMed PMID: 25755183
- Cilloniz C, Albert RK, Liapikou A, Gabarrus A, Rangel E, Bello S, Marco F, Mensa J, Torres A. The Effect of Macrolide Resistance on the Presentation and Outcome of Patients Hospitalized for Streptococcus pneumoniae Pneumonia. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2015 Jun 1;191(11):1265-72. PubMed PMID: 25807239
Professional Memberships
- American College of Physicians (ACP), Fellow
- American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), Fellow
- American Thoracic Society (ATS), Member
- Western Society for Clinical Investigation (WSCI), Member
- American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), Member
- Western Association of Physicians (WAP), Member
Practice Locations
UCHealth Pulmonology Clinic - Anschutz Medical Campus
1635 Aurora Ct
7th Floor
Aurora, CO 80045
720-848-0748
Hospital Affiliation
1635 Aurora Ct
7th Floor
Aurora, CO 80045
720-848-0748
Hospital Affiliation
- University of Colorado Hospital
Specialty Information
Specialties
- Internal Medicine, Board Certification
- Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, Board Certification
- Pulmonary Disease, Board Certification (1978)
- Lungs and Breathing - Lung Disease
- Lungs and Breathing - Pulmonary Disorders
- Lungs and Breathing - Respiratory Disease
- Lungs and Breathing
- Lungs and Breathing - Asthma
- Lungs and Breathing - Chronic Lung Disease of Prematurity (Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia)
Clinical Interests
My clinical interests include treating patients with COPD or the acute respiratory distress syndrome and other aspects of critical care medicine
Care Philosophy
My care philosophy is expressed in a series of aphorisms I teach medical students, interns, residents and fellows: 1. The patient comes first. Helping the patient and their family takes precedence over your own emotional, social, economic, philosophical, religious or intellectual concerns. Treat every patient with the greatest respect, regardless of their circumstance in life. 2. Know what you know, and know what you don't know. Admitting ignorance is the first step towards learning (first attributed to Socrates). 3. Create an atmosphere that encourages everyone to participate in patient care. Be grateful for any information you acquire, regardless of its source. Nurses spend far more time with patients than do physicians. Their input should be solicited and their observations and suggestions should be incorporated into your plans. Family members often have access to information that physicians don't. Actively seek out information from every source of you can. No one has a monopoly on good ideas. 4. Check the medications. When something unusual or unexpected occurs, you will be dealing with a side effect of a medication more often than not. Know the three most common side effects of every medication a patient is taking, and of every medication you prescribe. If a patient is taking three or more medications with an x, y or z in their names, the patient's problem will be a side-effect of one of these medications 90% of the time (because medications given for psychiatric problems usually contain these letters and they very commonly cause side-effects). 5. Advise, as well as inform your patients. Most patients and their families want more than just information. Don't leave them with the burden of decision-making. Do your best to educate the concerned parties about all the available options, give them the opportunity to ask questions, but then tell them what you think should be done, in a fashion that allows them to choose your option, or any other, with comfort. “A physician who merely spreads an array of vendibles in front of the patient and then says, ‘Go ahead and choose, it’s your life’ is guilty of shirking his/her duty, if not of malpractice” (Inglefinger, NEJM 1980) 6. Respect the Zen of Medicine. Be receptive to your intuition. You spend years being trained to distinguish normal from abnormal. If something seems curious or unusual, it probably is. Follow up on your suspicions. 7. Get to know your patient as a person, and deal with their emotional concerns. Most patients (and their families) coming to see a physician are scared. This fear is frequently overlooked in the urgency of trying to make a diagnosis, devise a therapy or perform a procedure. Getting to know your patient personally is one of the joys of the profession, and doing so enables you to understand their problems within the context of their lives. “Connecting” is more than just being nice, it is critical to doing your job well. No matter how good you are at making a correct diagnosis or knowing correct treatments, patient satisfaction requires that their personal concerns be addressed. Don’t forget to do so. 8. Remember the importance of daily rounds. Most patients await your arrival with great anticipation. Don't disappoint them by providing brief, uninformative or superficial encounters. What percent of rounds is spent reviewing lab studies or other results versus talking to or examining your patients? Remember that most patients consider your daily visit(s) as the most important time of their day! It is difficult to find sufficient time for meaningful interactions during morning rounds as all the patients on your service need to be seen and the work of the day must be scheduled. Explain this to your patients, tell them you’ll come back when you have more time, and then be sure to do so. Sitting on the bed sends the message that now you have the time, and that you’re inviting them to express their concerns and ask their questions (see # 7). 9. Read, think, ask and learn. It is a privilege to be a physician, but with this privilege comes the enormous responsibility for patient’s lives and well-being. This responsibility can only be met by practicing the best medicine possible, and “best” is always changing. While a lifetime commitment to education is needed, the intellectual stimulation that results from meeting this commitment is another of the extraordinary joys of the profession. 10. Re-read, re-think, re-ask and re-learn. (see #9).
My clinical interests include treating patients with COPD or the acute respiratory distress syndrome and other aspects of critical care medicine
Care Philosophy
My care philosophy is expressed in a series of aphorisms I teach medical students, interns, residents and fellows: 1. The patient comes first. Helping the patient and their family takes precedence over your own emotional, social, economic, philosophical, religious or intellectual concerns. Treat every patient with the greatest respect, regardless of their circumstance in life. 2. Know what you know, and know what you don't know. Admitting ignorance is the first step towards learning (first attributed to Socrates). 3. Create an atmosphere that encourages everyone to participate in patient care. Be grateful for any information you acquire, regardless of its source. Nurses spend far more time with patients than do physicians. Their input should be solicited and their observations and suggestions should be incorporated into your plans. Family members often have access to information that physicians don't. Actively seek out information from every source of you can. No one has a monopoly on good ideas. 4. Check the medications. When something unusual or unexpected occurs, you will be dealing with a side effect of a medication more often than not. Know the three most common side effects of every medication a patient is taking, and of every medication you prescribe. If a patient is taking three or more medications with an x, y or z in their names, the patient's problem will be a side-effect of one of these medications 90% of the time (because medications given for psychiatric problems usually contain these letters and they very commonly cause side-effects). 5. Advise, as well as inform your patients. Most patients and their families want more than just information. Don't leave them with the burden of decision-making. Do your best to educate the concerned parties about all the available options, give them the opportunity to ask questions, but then tell them what you think should be done, in a fashion that allows them to choose your option, or any other, with comfort. “A physician who merely spreads an array of vendibles in front of the patient and then says, ‘Go ahead and choose, it’s your life’ is guilty of shirking his/her duty, if not of malpractice” (Inglefinger, NEJM 1980) 6. Respect the Zen of Medicine. Be receptive to your intuition. You spend years being trained to distinguish normal from abnormal. If something seems curious or unusual, it probably is. Follow up on your suspicions. 7. Get to know your patient as a person, and deal with their emotional concerns. Most patients (and their families) coming to see a physician are scared. This fear is frequently overlooked in the urgency of trying to make a diagnosis, devise a therapy or perform a procedure. Getting to know your patient personally is one of the joys of the profession, and doing so enables you to understand their problems within the context of their lives. “Connecting” is more than just being nice, it is critical to doing your job well. No matter how good you are at making a correct diagnosis or knowing correct treatments, patient satisfaction requires that their personal concerns be addressed. Don’t forget to do so. 8. Remember the importance of daily rounds. Most patients await your arrival with great anticipation. Don't disappoint them by providing brief, uninformative or superficial encounters. What percent of rounds is spent reviewing lab studies or other results versus talking to or examining your patients? Remember that most patients consider your daily visit(s) as the most important time of their day! It is difficult to find sufficient time for meaningful interactions during morning rounds as all the patients on your service need to be seen and the work of the day must be scheduled. Explain this to your patients, tell them you’ll come back when you have more time, and then be sure to do so. Sitting on the bed sends the message that now you have the time, and that you’re inviting them to express their concerns and ask their questions (see # 7). 9. Read, think, ask and learn. It is a privilege to be a physician, but with this privilege comes the enormous responsibility for patient’s lives and well-being. This responsibility can only be met by practicing the best medicine possible, and “best” is always changing. While a lifetime commitment to education is needed, the intellectual stimulation that results from meeting this commitment is another of the extraordinary joys of the profession. 10. Re-read, re-think, re-ask and re-learn. (see #9).
Personal Interests
In my spare time I enjoy skiing, golf and reading (both fiction and non-fiction).
Public Speaking
Yes
In my spare time I enjoy skiing, golf and reading (both fiction and non-fiction).
Public Speaking
Yes
General Information
Medical Schools:
- MD, University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center (1971)
Internships:
- University of Colorado (University Hospital) Program (1972)
Residency Programs:
- University of Washington Program, Internal Medicine (1974)
- University of Colorado (University Hospital) Program, Internal Medicine (1973)
Fellowships:
- University of Colorado (University Hospital) Program, Pulmonary Disease (1976)
Languages: English
Department: Medicine-Pulmonary Sciences & Critical Care