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Public Profile

Donald A. Mahler, MD
Donald A. Mahler, MD
  • Director of Respiratory Services
  • Valley Regional Hospital
Donald A. Mahler, M.D., is Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire. He currently works as a pulmonary physician at Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont, New Hampshire, where he is Director of Respiratory Services. His research interests include the evaluation/treatment of dyspnea and COPD. Under the mentorship of the late Alvin Feinstein, M.D., Dr. Mahler developed and established the psychometric properties of the interviewer-administered baseline and transition dyspnea indexes (BDI/TDI) which have been translated into over 80 languages. The BDI/TDI have been used as an outcome measure in phase 3 clinical trials involving medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration and/or the European Medicines Agency for treatment of patients with COPD. These include Serevent®, Spriva®, Advair®, Brovana®, Tudorza®, Daliresp®, Arcapta®, Ultibro®, Anoro®, Striverdi®, Stiolto®, Utibron®, and Yupelri®. In collaboration with the late John C. Baird, Ph.D., the interviewer administered BDI/TDI were converted into self-administered and computerized (SAC) versions enabling patients to provide a direct rating of breathlessness during daily activities. The SAC versions have been translated into 12 languages and have been included as an outcome measure in phase 3 and 4 clinical trials evaluating therapies for patients with interstitial lung disease and COPD. Dr. Mahler has authored/co-authored over 170 original research articles and over 100 editorials, book chapters, and non-peer reviewed articles. In addition, he has written/edited four books on dyspnea. In June 2014, he created the website – https://www.donaldmahler.com – with the vision “to positively affect the daily lives of those with COPD and their families.” In February 2015, Dr. Mahler authored COPD: Answers to Your Questions (Two Harbors Press) to address the common questions posed by those with COPD, family members, and their caregivers. In June 2017, he wrote Breathe Easy (University Press of New England) with the aim “to educate and to help those who experience breathing difficulty” with chapters on asthma, COPD, and interstitial lung disease.
Schedule18 Mar 2024