Research

Research is a core mission at the University of Cincinnati Department of Emergency Medicine. Our commitment to excellence in research enhances our reputation as one of the premier academic emergency medicine departments in the United States.

The Research Division is supported by an array of federal grants, industry studies, and public health funding, with an extensive history of research across the full translational spectrum, from basic science to clinical trials to implementation science and health systems research. The Research Division encompasses an integrated team of passionate investigators, lead coordinators/project managers, grant and account managers, operations and contract managers, data managers, and regulatory experts. Our researchers are active throughout the hospital with special access to the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit and the Medical Intensive Care Unit.

The Research Division facilitates all research conducted within the department from small projects of individual interest to large scale clinical trials. Every member of the department is actively supported and encouraged in their research endeavors by their peers, mentors, and the Research Division. We support researchers as they pursue funding for original investigations through National Institutes of Health (NIH) mechanisms and have faculty receiving K, T, R and U awards. We also prioritize public health research through federal, state, county, and local grant sources. Our industry-sponsored portfolio is wide ranging and supports much of our participant recruitment activities. Research in emergency medicine (EM) often overlaps with other specialties creating strong collaborations with our hospital-based colleagues in neurology, cardiology, trauma, and surgery, as well as with outpatient services and health policy and systems specialists. We recognize that the mission of discovery through research is the principal activity that distinguishes our academic health center from other health systems in the region.

Research Services and Initiatives

Laboratory Services: Our division has an extensive history of research with clinical laboratory requirements, including biomarker discovery and testing, drug evaluation, and biological specimen banking/repository. Clinical laboratory services are provided through the department’s Biological Specimens Banking Center. There are two clinical research laboratories maintained at our university base location: a 165 square foot area located within the Emergency Department at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC), equipped with a refrigerator/freezer for specimen and reagent storage, a centrifuge for sample processing and bench space for point-of-care testing instruments. In the Medical Sciences Building we have a 580 square foot laboratory which contains bench space for instrumentation, a centrifuge for sample processing and six -80°/-85° C freezers for specimen banking.

Participant Recruitment Services: The Participant Recruitment and Clinical Research Service Center is a unique resource provided by the Research Division to support research conducted across the College of Medicine (COM) and beyond. The service center team provides a centralized, coordinated approach to screening and recruiting both the ED and inpatient population for research participation 24-hours a day, 365-days a year through the use of the Electronic Medical Health Record (EMR/EHR) and the High Enroll handheld platform, to maximize subject identification. Collaboration with other departments implementing the acute timelines required for research such as subject enrollment, biological specimen processing and banking, and phlebotomy for carefully timed research samples is what makes this program a strong asset to not only our division but to the multiple acute care departments/divisions within the university and throughout the hospital system. Central to our activities is screening patients for research.

Emergency Medicine Research Scholarship and Innovation (EM-RSI): EM-RSI is a standing bi-monthly meeting integral to our research process. It serves as a mechanism for workshopping and fine-tuning research protocols, vetting ideas and funding strategies, and fostering collaboration. This meeting is open to all faculty, residents, and staff.

Residency Research: An effort to grow the research pipeline is evidenced through our residency research initiatives with the goal to maximize residents’ exposure to research. Residents have the opportunity to participate in education on research topics through formal Grand Rounds presentations and discussions at journal clubs. The research elective provides residents with an opportunity for intense hands-on, research experience during which they are guided along the entirety of a research project, from formation of a PICO (population, intervention, control and outcomes) question, literature search, IRB submission, methods planning, execution of the project and publication. Residents choosing the research track are mentored through a stepwise program of training and experiential activities resulting in them leaving residency with extensive research training, multiple publications in the peer-reviewed literature, and a competitive advantage as they explore post-residency academic life. Any resident choosing to pursue an independent program of research is expected to prepare a formal protocol, obtain funding if appropriate, and lead the project and preparation of presentations/manuscripts.

Neurovascular/Neurocritical Care Fellowship: The neurovascular/neurocritical care fellowship provides the EM residency graduate with training in acute neurovascular emergencies. The training is accomplished in collaboration with the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Team through clinical experience involving acute stroke intervention, as well as through didactic education in research methodology, biostatistics, and principles of research design. The fellow also takes primary stroke call, which includes enrolling patients in clinical trials. The Department of Neurology and the Division of Neuroradiology provide training in neuro-imaging, including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography and transcranial doppler. An additional year of training in neurocritical care is required, during which fellows learn how to manage critically ill patients with primary neurologic disorders. In addition to managing neurosurgical and neurologic emergencies, they also learn skills of EEG reading, bronchoscopy, invasive hemodynamic management, and ventilator management. The fellowship is funded by the NIH (T32, Drs. Demel and Broderick).