NIH Emergency Care Research Activities

NIH is a major funder of research on emergency care and trauma.  NIH’s funding reporting system identifies more than 1,200 active grants that include the keyword “emergency,” representing an annual investment of more than $2 billion.

The Office of Emergency Care Research was established in 2012 to coordinate emergency care research at NIH. The office, which is housed in NIGMS, serves as the NIH point of contact for the NIH institutes and centers, other federal agencies and the multidisciplinary investigator community involved in emergency care research. Below is a sampling of NIH involvement in research and training in the emergency setting.

Cardiopulmonary
Disaster Preparedness and Response
Interagency Coordination
Interest Groups (Listservs)
Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Neurology
Pediatrics
Sepsis
Training and Workforce Development
Trauma

Cardiopulmonary

Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

The ROC provides infrastructure for pre-hospital emergency care research and project support for clinical trials and other outcome-oriented research in the areas of cardiopulmonary arrest and severe traumatic injury.

Disaster Preparedness and Response

Social and Behavioral Research on the Elderly in Disasters
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

This program announcement supports behavioral and social science research on the consequences of natural and man-made disasters on the health and well-being of the elderly, with the ultimate goal of preventing or mitigating harmful consequences.

Bethesda Hospitals’ Emergency Preparedness Partnership
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center (CC)

This project is creating back-up communication systems for information access and patient management during disaster operations.  Systems have been developed to the prototype stage or beyond and have been tested in several disaster drills. These systems, in use locally, can be expanded to serve other regions. 

Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIRMC), Specialized Information Services Division
National Library of Medicine (NLM)

DIRMC develops and provides access to health information resources and technology for disaster preparedness, response and recovery.  The intent is to connect people to quality disaster health information and foster a culture of community resiliency.

Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER)
National Library of Medicine (NLM)

WISER is a system designed to assist first responders in hazardous material incidents. WISER provides a wide range of information on hazardous substances, including substance identification support, physical characteristics, human health information, and containment and suppression advice. 

Chemical Hazard Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM)
National Library of Medicine (NLM)

CHEMM is a tool to assist first responders, first receivers, other healthcare providers and planners to plan for, respond to, recover from and mitigate the effects of mass-casualty incidents involving chemicals. 

Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM)
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
National Library of Medicine (NLM)

REMM provides guidance for health care providers about the clinical diagnosis and treatment of radiation injury during radiological and nuclear emergencies.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Literature
National Library of Medicine (NLM)

Disaster Health Information Outreach Projects
National Library of Medicine (NLM)

Funding for outreach and collaboration projects related to disaster health information. These projects are intended to improve disaster medicine and public health information access for health professionals, first responders, community members and others (paid or volunteer) who play a role in health-related disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

CounterACT pursues the development of new and improved medical countermeasures designed to prevent, diagnose and/or treat the conditions caused by potential and existing chemical agents.  The program supports basic, translational and clinical research.

Medical Countermeasures Against Radiological and Nuclear Threats
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

This research program accelerates the development and deployment of new medical countermeasures for exposure to radiation.

Worker Education and Training Program (WETP)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

The WETP funds nonprofit organizations to develop and deliver high-quality training to workers involved in handling hazardous waste or responding to emergency releases of hazardous materials.

Rapid Assessment Post-Impact of Disaster
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

This program provides an expedited funding mechanism for research in the aftermath of disasters and mass-casualty events.

National Center for Disaster Mental Health Research
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

This center facilitates the rigorous study and effective promotion of resilience and wellness in the context of disaster.

Interagency Coordination

Emergency Care Coordination Center (ECCC)
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

NIH participates in interagency efforts to improve the emergency care system.  The ECCC is committed to the promotion and enhancement of federal programs, resources and tools that will improve emergency care.  To contribute to policy guidance for the ECCC, NIH representatives serve on the Council on Emergency Medical Care, a coalition of subject-matter experts and policymakers from across the U.S. government.  Through this collaboration, NIH and NIH awardees participated in the 2011 Workshop on IRB Options for Emergency Care Research sponsored by ASPR.

Interest Groups (Listservs)

Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Researchers Interested in Emergency Care
Through this listserv, self-directed members can network, discuss topics of basic, clinical, and/or translational research, and/or generate work products to advance emergency care-related research locally, regionally and/or nationally. Federal agency staff are welcome to join.

Trans-NIH Disaster Response Interest Group
This interest group is focused on building relationships and sharing information about NIH capabilities and opportunities for collaboration and advancement of collectively identified areas or goals, such as the development of rapid funding mechanisms for the extramural community.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for Drug Abuse in General Medical Settings
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

This request for applications aims to develop and test the effectiveness of models that integrate screening, brief intervention and referral to specialized treatment for individuals with drug abuse entering into primary care and other general medical settings, including emergency departments.  Projects funded include:

• Models of SBIRT for Opioid Dependent Patients in the Emergency Department
• Optimizing SBIRT for Drug-Using Patients in an Inner-City Emergency Department
• Brief Intervention for Drug Misuse for the Emergency Department (BIDMED)

Screening, Motivational Assessment, Referral, and Treatment in Emergency Departments (SMART-ED)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Run through the NIDA Clinical Trials Network, this multisite emergency department study is testing the impact of screening, motivational assessment, referral and treatment on individuals testing positive for drug use. 

Emergency Department Safety Assessment and Follow-up Evaluation (ED-SAFE)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

The goal of this project is to build an evidence base for preventing suicidal behavior among emergency department patients through screening, safety planning and follow-up intervention.  The study has eight clinical sites and includes a subcontract to Boys Town, a crisis line supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Neurology

Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Department of Defense (DoD)

This center aims to advance care for traumatic brain injury, especially for military service members returning from combat.  There is both a basic science and a clinical component, and study subjects include civilians and military personnel with traumatic brain injury. 

Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research (FITBIR) Group
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Department of Defense (DoD)

A self-assembled group representing a wide array of federal agencies and private-sector partners interested in advancing care of people with traumatic brain injury. FITBIR has been most active in two areas:

International Initiative for Traumatic Brain Injury Research (InTBIR)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

This consortium aims to improve outcomes following traumatic brain injury by coordinating and harmonizing clinical research activities across participating countries and coordinating a large prospective data collection effort in support of comparative effectiveness research.  

Neurological Emergencies Treatment Trials (NETT) Network
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

The NETT conducts large, simple trials to reduce the impact of very acute injuries and illnesses affecting the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.

Pediatrics

Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services for Children Research (ICER) [PDF, 24KB]
ICER is a federal collaborative effort begun in the mid-1990s to improve the quality and quantity of research on emergency medical services for children (EMSC), to foster collaboration between federal agencies in highlighting EMSC research topics during development of research agendas, and to reduce barriers to the production of high-quality EMSC research. ICER members joined forces to develop a multi-agency program announcement.  Ten NIH institutes participate in ICER. 

Pediatric Trials Network (PTN)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

This network supports clinical research activities to inform pediatric drug labeling and provide pediatricians and researchers with information on medication disposition and response in children.  This work is being performed under the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act.  Emergency care-related studies include: midazolam for treatment of status epilepticus and nerve agent-induced seizures, pharmacokinetic and limited safety and efficacy data from drugs used in standard of care, and dosing studies in acute settings in obese children. 

Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

This branch supports research and training on the continuum of psychosocial, behavioral and physiological influences that impact child health outcomes in trauma, injury and acute care.  Major priorities of the branch are to:

• Develop research linking pediatric emergency and critical care medicine and science to the epidemiology, prevention and treatment of childhood physical disabilities.
• Support research on the prevention, treatment, management and outcomes of physical and psychological trauma and the surgical, medical, psychosocial and systems interventions needed to improve outcomes for critically ill and injured children across the developmental trajectory.

Research on Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

This funding opportunity announcement is designed to improve the quality and quantity of research related to emergency medical services for children.  It invites R01 grant applications that deal with the following areas: prevention research, clinical research, health systems research, models to improve service and cost efficiency,and methodological studies to improve the quality of research conducted. 

Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network (CPCCRN)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

This research network provides the infrastructure needed for clinical trials and descriptive studies in pediatric critical care medicine.

Sepsis

Sepsis Research
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

NIGMS supports investigator-initiated research to further understanding of the basic physiological responses to sepsis. 

Training and Workforce Development

Research Career Development Programs in Emergency Medicine
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

This program prepares emergency medicine clinician-scientists for academic leadership roles and research careers.  The focus is on acute and life-threatening issues related to heart, lung and blood disorders. 

Trauma, Burn, and Peri-Operative Injury Postdoctoral Training Program
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

These institutional training grants provide a cohort of investigators seeking to improve the understanding of the body’s systemic responses to major injury and to foster the more rapid application of this knowledge to the treatment of trauma and burn injury patients.

Mentored Career Development Program in Trauma and Burn Injury
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

This program supports the mentored development of outstanding academic physician-scientists in either laboratory or clinical research settings.

Trauma

Trauma, Burn, Peri-Operative Injury, and Wound Healing Research and Training
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

NIGMS supports research and training programs to improve understanding of the biological processes that occur after a traumatic or burn injury.