Emergency Medicine

Medical College of Wisconsin Emergency Medicine Research and Scholarship

The Department of Emergency Medicine maintains a wide range of active, multidisciplinary research programs led by faculty members conducting pioneering and highly impactful work. Our scholarly activities span the gamut of translational research (T0 to T4) to generate new knowledge that impacts clinical practice, health education, and healthcare delivery both locally and globally. Particular areas of departmental strength include clinical resuscitation research, substance abuse and injury-related epidemiological and intervention studies, community-based health education and disparities reduction programs, global emergency medicine education and ethics research, as well as research on diversity, equity and inclusion. Notably, our research programs have been extramurally funded by federal and foundational sponsors including National Institute of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, The Advancing Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program, State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, National Association of County and City Health Officials, The Greenwall Foundation, among many others.

As our faculty possess diverse sets of methodological and topical expertise, as well as scholarly interests, we highly value collaboration and mentorship. As such, we provide many different formal and informal opportunities for medical students, residents, fellows to gain research skills. Moreover, we partner with researchers, policy makers, and other stakeholders in carrying out research that is innovative and impactful.

As our department grows so too do our areas of strength and scholarship. While a number of activities are highlighted on this site, we encourage you to reach out to us at emresearch@mcw.edu for any additional queries.

One of our department’s highlights is the Annual Wisconsin Emergency Medicine Research Forum. In partnership with the BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (WACEP), we co-host this annual meeting that showcases the ways in which local and regional collaboratives are advancing the field of emergency medicine.

We welcome you to peruse the webpages below and join us in our journey of discovery!

Aasim I. Padela, MD, MSc
Vice Chair of Research and Scholarship

Meet Our Team

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Aasim I. Padela, MD, MSc, FACEP

Professor and Vice Chair for Research and Scholarship

apadela@mcw.edu

(414) 955-1175

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Zeno Franco, PhD

Associate Professor; Director, Research Training and Education

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Nicole Fumo, MPH

Research Program Director

nfumo@mcw.edu

(414) 955-2181

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Omar Davila, MPH

Research Program Manager

odavila@mcw.edu

(414) 955-6450

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Laila Azam, PhD

Research Scientist

lsazam@mcw.edu

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Hannah Kovacevich

Research Program Coordinator II

hkovacevich@mcw.edu

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Daria Mueller, PhD

Research Scientist II

djmueller@mcw.edu

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Lauren B. Nickel, PhD

Research Associate I

lnickel@mcw.edu

(414) 955-1115

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Youa Xiong

Research Program Coordinator I

youaxiong@mcw.edu

(414) 955-1174

Multidisciplinary Acute Research Team (MART)

The MART facilitates research in the Emergency Department setting by leveraging resources between projects, giving investigators extended periods of coverage while only paying for the time that is used for the project. This program gives researchers access to a team of research assistants who are familiar with the emergency department setting and able to complete research tasks without interfering with patient care or clinical workflow. All faculty from the three participating departments (Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, and Neurology/Neurosurgery) can utilize this team for both funded and unfunded studies.

If you are interested in utilizing this team for a current or future study, please reach out to the MART Program Manager, Nicole Fumo, MPH (nfumo@mcw.edu) for more information.

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Ethan Bellendier

Clinical Research Assistant III

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Emily Potrykus

Clinical Research Assistant III

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Alexis Schaub

Clinical Research Coordinator I

Emergency Medicine Research Opportunities

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Resident Research

The MCW Emergency Medicine Department offers resident research resources, EMS research, injury research, cardiac arrest research, and resident scholarly activity.

Learn about resident research
Collaboration Table 2F 3M

Peer-Consultation Service

The Research Mission offers a peer-consultation group which draws upon our department’s collective disciplinary, methodological, and process expertise. This service connects individuals with research ideas, analytic or process queries or those facing obstacles in dissemination with experienced faculty that can provide key insights and assistance.

Request a consultation
Physician Staff Collaborate Conf Room

Emergency Medicine Committees

The Emergency Department has a strict process of reviewing and approving studies initiated within the department. If you are interested in performing research in the Emergency Department, we invite you to submit an application to one of our review committees.

Learn about our committees
Collaboration Brainstorm 3F 2M

Annual Wisconsin Emergency Medicine Research Forum

The Annual Wisconsin Emergency Medicine Research Forum is intended for anyone interested in emergency medicine-related research and training.

Learn about our annual forum

Emergency Medicine Research Collaboratory

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EMS

Project: Effect of military chest seals on ballistic collection methods
Description: Chest seal – Do chest seals effect the ability of medical examiner to gather ballistic data on chest wounds.
Status: Protocol developed
Open to learners: No
Principal Investigator & Contact: Thomas Engel; twengel@mcw.edu

Project: Needle Decompression Success (ThoraSite)
Description: ThoraSite – Looking at needle decompression success without a landmark device and with a landmark device. Project is currently waiting for device company to send us devices so we can do the post implementation and analysis. Once devices present, six months for data capture, then close. We have data from the pre-portion that could be written up. Could add a resident or fellow; this is passive data gathering and really more EMS systems management.
Status: IRB approved
Open to learners: Resident or Fellow
Principal Investigator & Contact: Thomas Engel; twengel@mcw.edu

Global Health

Project: Muslim perspectives on parenthood/fertility treatments
Description: Community-based surveys collected regarding the above
Status: Data Analysis
Open to learners: Yes; Any
Content expertise desired from collaborator: Topical interest, critical analysis of literature, writing skills
Principal Investigator & Contact: Aasim Padela, MD; apadela@mcw.edu

Project: Palliative Care Interventions in the ED – A Scoping Review
Description: I would like to perform a systematic review on the above
Status: Design
Open to learners: Yes; Any
Content expertise desired from collaborator: Topical interest, willingness to learn and learn a systematic literature review
Principal Investigator & Contact: Aasim Padela, MD; apadela@mcw.edu

Ultrasound

Project: Pain Dose Ketamine for Fracture Reduction in the Emergency Department
Description: The project would evaluate the use of pain dose ketamine for orthopedic procedures in the ED (fracture/dislocation reductions/splinting), with potential outcome measures of reduction in opioid requirement, number of attempts at reduction, pain scores, adverse outcomes such as dysphoria/hypoxemia/etc.
Status: Design
Open to learners: Yes; Any
Content expertise desired from collaborator: Should be familiar with ketamine’s typical effects/side effects
Principal Investigator & Contact: Evan Robinson; erobinson@mcw.edu

Emergency Medicine Resources

Research Oversight Committee
Application (PDF)

QI/QA Committee
Flowchart (PDF)
Checklist (DOCX)
Application (DOC)

Peer-Consultation Service
Peer Consultation Roster (PDF)

Resident Research
Information

Poster Presentation Templates
Template 1 (PPTX)
Template 2 (PPTX)
Template 3 (PPTX)
Template 4 (PPTX)

Research Studies
Protocol Summary Template (DOCX)
IRB Protocol Summary Template (PDF)

Training
CITI Training & eBridge Registration Guidelines (PDF)

Conducting a Literature Search
MCW LibGuides

Historical Research Programs

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Charlotte Houston and Milwaukee Prehospital EMS Research Node Center (CHaMP)

Learn about how CHaMP conducts innovative and significant prehospital-based pediatric research.

Learn more

CIRC AutoPulse Clinical Trial

The Circulation Improving Resuscitation Care (CIRC) trial compares the effectiveness of AutoPulse-CPR to conventional Manual-CPR.

Learn more

Emergency Medical Services Cost Analysis Project (EMSCAP)

Through a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grant, our collaborators investigated community costs for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems.

Learn more

Evaluation of the Mechanism of Injury Component of the Trauma Triage Criteria

Mechanism-of-injury component of the Criteria were evaluated to determine which conditions are predictive of trauma center need.

Learn more