Research and the creation of new knowledge about the practice of acute care medicine, is one of the core missions of the Department. Our faculty have a broad interest and expertise in several domains, with major projects focusing on cardiac arrest resuscitation, patient safety, EMS and fire provider safety, and other aspects of air and ground out-of-hospital care. EMS Fellows have been previous recipients of multiple research grants and key presenters at national meetings. EMS Fellows are encouraged to complete a research project or a variety of other scholarly activities. Resources include a dedicated Research Administrator, a Grants Administrator, Data Manager and research assistants who actively participate in a variety of research studies. The deep EMS-focused faculty pool serves as mentors for Fellows and provide guidance in research techniques, grant writing, and manuscript preparation. Research activities of our Department include:
Prehospital Trauma Research
The University of Pittsburgh Departments of Emergency Medicine and Surgery lead the Linking Investigations in Trauma and Emergency Services trauma research network, funded by the Department of Defense. Collaborative prehospital research studies have included the development of large prehospital and in-hospital trauma data repositories, whole blood resuscitation, and an advanced airway trial.
Strategies to Innovate EmRgENcy (SIREN) Care Network
The University of Pittsburgh is one of 11 hub sites for the SIREN Emergency Care Clinical Trials Network, which seeks to improve the outcomes of patients with neurologic, cardiac, respiratory, hematologic and trauma emergencies by identifying effective treatments administered in the earliest stages of critical care.
Applied Physiology Lab (APL)
The APL's mission is to advance health and wellness by expanding our understanding of acute and chronic challenges to physiology. We innovate to detect and predict physiologic derangements, optimize recovery, and improve performance. Fully equipped as a physiology and pharmacology laboratory, APL also tests drugs, devices and procedures in normal volunteers in preparation for implementation in the field.
Emergency Medical Service Agency Research Network (EMSARN)
EMSARN is a network of EMS agencies assembled by academic and industry leaders to conduct research, translate that research into tools and resources, and disseminate these tools to the EMS community. The overall goal of EMSARN is to improve quality, safety, and performance in EMS nationwide.