Mat Reeves, BVSc, PhD, FAHA

Chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke and chronic pulmonary diseases, are by far the leading causes of mortality, morbidity, and disability in the world today. Epidemiology has contributed greatly to the understanding of the causes of these diseases, and thereby to the concepts of disease prevention and control. Much of the current chronic disease burden could be prevented if populations followed a few basic, health promotion steps – such as avoiding tobacco, avoiding excess alcohol, exercising regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, and making use of proven clinical preventive services. However, data show that the vast majority of people are unable to follow these basic recommendations. Similarly, major gains in reducing the chronic disease burden could be achieved by better application of the scientific and clinical knowledge we already have (i.e., knowledge translation). This is especially true in the area of hospital-based medical care and in the application of quality improvement strategies to improve the quality of care and outcomes of patients with chronic disease.

Mat Reeves’ academic interests in chronic diseases stem from a desire to blend the quantitative aspects of epidemiology with the practical aspects of disease prevention and public health. Current research activities include:

• Stroke Registries – includes analysis of hospital-based stroke registries designed to monitor and improve the care of acute stroke patients (includes the MASCOTS Study, Michigan Stroke Coverdell Registry, national Get-With-The-Guidelines-Stroke, and INSPIRE-Stroke International stroke database network), as well as work on pre-hospital (EMS) data.
  
  
• Improving transitional care for stroke patients and their caregivers - includes the PCORI funded Michigan Stroke Transitions Trial [MISTT] - a comparative effectiveness trial of social work and mHealth interventions, and work evaluating the access and effectiveness of acute and sub-acute rehabilitation following stroke.
  
  
• Sex differences in stroke outcomes – includes determining the causes of differences between men and women in recovery, functional outcomes, quality of life (QOL), and access to acute care treatments. Involves co-leadership of the PROWESS (Prevention and Outcomes in Women Enhancing Stroke Support) advocacy group for stroke in women.
  
  
• Understanding the epidemiology of behavioural lifestyles and physical activity.
  
  
• Evidence-based research methods including stroke clinical trials and technical journal editor work (application of reporting guidelines to improve peer-review).

 

Selected Publications (see CV for full listing)

Stroke Registries:

Reeves MJ, Arora S, Broderick JP, et al., for the Paul Coverdell Prototype Registries Writing Group. Acute Stroke Care in the US: Results from Four Pilot Prototypes of the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry. Stroke 2005; 36:1232-1240.

Reeves MJ, Fonarow GC, Smith EE, Pan W, Olson D, Hernandez AF, Peterson ED, Schwamm LH. Representativeness of the Get With the Guidelines-Stroke Registry: comparison of patient and hospital characteristics among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with ischemic stroke. Stroke. 2012 Jan;43(1):44-9.

Nickles AV, Roberts S, Shell E, Mitchell M, Hussain S, Lyon-Callo S, Reeves
MJ. Characteristics and Outcomes of Stroke Patients Transferred to Hospitals
Participating in the Michigan Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry. Circ Cardiovasc
Qual Outcomes. 2016 May;9(3):265-74.

Oostema JA, Nickles A, Luo Z, Reeves MJ. Emergency Medical Services Stroke
Care Performance Variability in Michigan: Analysis of a Statewide Linked Stroke
Registry. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Jan 3;12(1):e026834

Zachrison KS, Reeves MJ. Stroke Systems of Care 2.0: Moving Toward
Definability, Accountability, and Equity. Stroke. 2024 Apr;55(4):1094-1097.

Reeves MJ, Fonarow GC, Smith EE, Sheth KN, Messe SR, Schwamm LH. Twenty Years of Get With The Guidelines-Stroke: Celebrating Past Successes, Lessons Learned, and Future Challenges. Stroke. 2024 Jun;55(6):1689-1698

Improving stroke transitions (MISTT Study, stroke rehabiliation):

Reeves MJ, Hughes AK, Woodward AT, Freddolino PP, Coursaris CK, Swierenga SJ, Schwamm LH, Fritz MC. Improving transitions in acute stroke patients discharged to home: the Michigan stroke transitions trial (MISTT) protocol. BMC Neurol. 2017 Jun 17;17(1):115.

Hughes AK, Woodward AT, Fritz MC, Reeves MJ. Improving stroke transitions: Development and implementation of a social work case management intervention. Soc Work Health Care. 2018 Feb;57(2):95-108.

Reeves MJ, Fritz MC, Woodward AT, Hughes AK, Coursaris CK, Swierenga SJ, Nasiri M, Freddolino PP. Michigan Stroke Transitions Trial. Circ Cardiovasc Qual
Outcomes. 2019 Jul;12(7):e005493.

Reeves MJ, Fritz MC, Osunkwo I, Grudzen CR, Hsu LL, Li J, Lawrence RH,
Bettger JP. Opening Pandora's Box: From Readmissions to Transitional Care
Patient-Centered Outcome Measures. Med Care. 2021 Aug 1;59(Suppl 4):S336-S343.

Reeves MJ, Boden-Albala B, Cadilhac DA. Care Transition Interventions to
Improve Stroke Outcomes: Evidence Gaps in Underserved and Minority Populations.
Stroke. 2023 Feb;54(2):386-395

Simmonds KP, Burke J, Kozlowski A, Andary M, Luo Z, Reeves MJ. Estimating
the Impact of Hospital-Level Variation on the Use of Inpatient Rehabilitation
Facilities Versus Skilled Nursing Facilities on Individual Patients With Stroke.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2024 Sep;17(9):e010636

 

Sex differences in stroke care and outcomes:

Gargano J, Reeves MJ. Sex differences in Stroke Recovery and Stroke-Specific Quality of Life: Results from a Statewide Stroke Registry. Stroke 2007; 38:2541-48.

Reeves MJ, Bushnell CD, Howard G, Gargano JW, Duncan PW, Lynch G, Khatiwoda A, Lisabeth L. Sex Differences in Stroke: Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation, Medical Care and Outcomes. Lancet Neurology 2008, Oct 7(10):915-26.

Phan HT, Blizzard CL, Reeves MJ, Thrift AG, Cadilhac D, et al., Sex Differences in Long-Term Mortality After Stroke in the INSTRUCT (INternational STRoke oUtComes sTudy): A Meta-Analysis of Individual Participant Data. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2017 Feb;10(2).

Bushnell C, Howard VJ, Lisabeth L, Caso V, Gall S, Kleindorfer D, Chaturvedi
S, Madsen TE, Demel SL, Lee SJ, Reeves M. Sex differences in the evaluation and
treatment of acute ischaemic stroke. Lancet Neurol. 2018 Jul;17(7):641-650.

Strong BS, Lisabeth LD, Reeves MJ. Sex differences in IV thrombolysis treatment for acute ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurology 2020 Jul 7;95(1):e11-e22

Chen C, Reeves MJ, He K, Morgenstern LB, Lisabeth LD. Sex Differences in
Trends in Stroke Recurrence and Post-recurrence Mortality 2000-2020: Population-
Based Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project. Ann Neurol. 2024
Aug;96(2):332-342.

Behavioural lifestyles and physical activity:

Reeves MJ, Rafferty AP. Healthy lifestyle characteristics in adults in the United States, 2000. Arch Intern Med 2005;165:854-57.

Troost JP, Rafferty AP, Luo Z, Reeves MJ. Temporal and Regional Trends in the Prevalence of Healthy Lifestyle Characteristics: United States, 1994-2007. Am J Public Health. 2012 Jul;102(7):1392-8.

Reeves MJ, Rafferty AP, Miller CE, Lyon-Callo SK. The Impact of Dog Walking on Leisure-Time Physical Activity: Results from a Population-based Survey of Michigan Adults. J Phys Act Health. 2011; Mar;8(3):436-44.

Courses Taught

• Graduate course in Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention (EPI-815)
• Evidence-based Medicine (1st and 2nd year CHM medical students)