Consultation
Expert witness & consulting services
Independent, evidence-based pulmonary expertise for counsel, industry, and biotechnology.
Areas of expertise
Occupational exposure & causation
Asbestos-related disease and pneumoconiosis; occupational asthma; environmental exposures; exposure attribution and apportionment.
Pulmonary function & impairment
Interpretation of PFTs to ATS/ERS standards; longitudinal decline; respiratory impairment and disability rating.
Pulmonary, critical care & hospital medicine
Standard-of-care questions in COPD, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary embolism, critical illness, sepsis, pneumonia, anemia/hemorrhage, and COVID-19.
Types of engagements
Dr. Gardner is retained in both plaintiff and defense matters involving pulmonary and critical care medicine, hospital medicine, and occupational and environmental exposures. Typical matters include toxic tort and occupational disease claims, workers' compensation, disability evaluation, medical negligence involving pulmonary and inpatient care, and regulatory or product-related questions in respiratory medicine.
Beyond medicolegal work, she consults for industry and biotechnology — advisory work on respiratory endpoints in clinical trials, pulmonary safety signals, medical education programs, and scientific communication.
Process
- 1 · Conflict check
- Initial inquiry with parties, counsel, and a brief description of the matter. Conflicts are screened before any substantive discussion.
- 2 · Engagement
- Written engagement agreement and retainer. Scope, timeline, and deliverables are defined at the outset.
- 3 · Record review
- Systematic review of medical records, imaging, pulmonary function data, exposure documentation, and relevant literature.
- 4 · Opinions & report
- Clear, defensible written opinions grounded in the record and current scientific evidence, delivered on the agreed schedule.
- 5 · Testimony
- Deposition and trial testimony as needed, with availability discussed at engagement.
Fee schedule
A current fee schedule — covering record review, written reports, deposition, and trial testimony — is provided with the engagement agreement and is available to counsel on request.