Emergency Medicine Research
The clinical research program of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Wake Forest University is a thriving endeavor growing with each day of activity. A research program requires a major institutional and departmental commitment to provide researchers with the support and infrastructure required to produce high quality results. Fortunately over the past several decades such a research program has been carefully assembled here within the Department of Emergency Medicine at Wake Forest.
At the institutional level, Wake Forest School of Medicine provides outstanding research support from project inception through publication. This supportive environment has placed the institution in the top third in NIH funding and fourth in the Southeast region in revenues from its licensed intellectual property. In the most recent published assessment, our department ranked 14th in the nation for NIH funding to departments of Emergency Medicine.
Institutional highlights include an extremely supportive Office of Research, an electronic Institutional Review Board submission process, availability of biostatistics and research design support through the design and analysis unit, a searchable database of ongoing research within the institution to facilitate cross-departmental collaboration, and a congenial productive environment.
Within the Department of Emergency Medicine, our research faculty members devote their academic time to a broad array of clinical research. These core researchers collaborate with other faculty, residents, and students to plan and implement high quality investigations. Investigations are supported by the research staff (research nurses and study coordinators) who work in parallel with the investigators and are instrumental in conducting the research and data collection.
Successful research requires collaboration and teamwork. Our clinical research program has developed an extensive collaboration network both within Wake Forest and across other medical centers in the US.
Current Areas of Focus:
The research emphasis of our department has focused on several areas that are fundamental to the practice of emergency medicine. Current areas of focus and examples of ongoing or recently completed research are listed below.
Cardiovascular & pulmonary disorders:
Heart failure therapeutic trials
Advanced imaging in suspected ACS (coronary CT, cardiac MRI)
Risk stratification in suspected ACS
Cardiac biomarker trials (acute heart failure, ACS)
Emergency Medical Services / Prehospital Care:
Epidemiology and treatment of excited delirium states
Injury epidemiology of Taser and less lethal weapons
Taser weapon cardiac effects
Sepsis treatment strategies in helicopter transport patients
Decontamination strategies for tear gas and pepper spray exposure
Effectiveness of commercially available tourniquets
Neurologic Emergencies:
Acute Ischemic Stroke Treatment Trials
Care of Rural Stroke Patients
Hematologic Emergencies:
Care of the Sickle Cell Patient
Pediatric Emergency Medicine:
Shock in pediatric trauma
Cardiovascular changes in pediatric head trauma
Vitamin D and long bone fractures
Public Health:
Impact of alcohol containing "energy" drinks
Impact of facilitated hypertension referral program
Primary Research Faculty:
James Hoekstra, MD
William Bozeman, MD
David Cline, MD
Alison Gardner, MD
Brian Hiestand, MD, MPH
Cedric Lefebvre, MD
Simon Mahler, MD
Chadwick Miller, MD
Mary Claire OBrien, MD
James "Tripp" Winslow, MD, MPH
Resident Scholarly Activity:
Our residency program requires all residents to complete a Scholarly Activity Project. Numerous opportunities exist for residents to collaborate with faculty on research, administrative, or education projects. Program applicants who come to residency with an interest in continuing research initiated prior to residency, or those candidates hoping to pursue a research project as a primary investigator should contact our Resident Research Director, David M. Cline, M.D., so that their endeavors might be facilitated prior to starting residency.