WashU has one of the top clinical research functions in the country among emergency medicine programs, thanks to our dedicated infrastructure, diverse patient population and high acuity.

Our research section has seen steady growth, with several faculty who are individually funded and an increased investment in junior investigators — all within an institution that is top two in NIH research funding. Altogether, this means trainees learn at the forefront of the field.

Emergency medicine is rich with research opportunities, including translational, clinical trials, dissemination and implementation, from basic science to policy-based research. For national clinical trial studies taking place at multiple institutions, WashU emergency medicine is often the top enroller in the country and the most diverse. Uniquely, emergency medicine allows for obtaining samples/tissue in a hyper acute environment before treatment or intervention.


Academic productivity and impact on the field

Our goal is to perform high quality acute care research that contributes to the advancement of emergency medicine. As such, WashU emergency medicine faculty members have authored hundreds of unique peer-reviewed publications, which have been published in journals representing a wide variety of subjects such as:

  • Sepsis
  • Cardiac arrest
  • Acute stroke protocols
  • Cerebrovascular disorders
  • Electron microscopy
  • Evidence-based medicine
  • Transient ischemic attack
  • Hematoma
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Lactate clearance
  • Mixed venous oxygen saturation
  • Quantitative resuscitation
  • Ortho-geriatric care
  • Delirium
  • Drug toxicity
  • Accidental falls
  • Quality metrics
  • Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures
  • Carotid endarterectomy

These articles, conferences papers, reviews and short surveys have been published in multiple languages and with co-authors from affiliations such as Harvard Medical School, McMaster University, Northwestern University, University of Pittsburgh, Cleveland Clinic, New York University School of Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and others.