Department Research

The University of Louisville Department of Emergency Medicine (UofL DEM) prioritizes the generation and dissemination of scholarship from faculty, residents, and medical students. Our department encourages and supports EM residents, providing practical instruction in the process of scientific inquiry relevant to clinical emergency medicine. Residents and faculty participate in didactic sessions, journal club, and elective/independent work. All residents complete an individualized scholarly project that contributes to our specialty’s body of knowledge. Specific goals include learning problem solving, learning the art of medical writing, preparation for an academic career, and developing expertise in a focused knowledge area in emergency medicine.

Examples of opportunities for participation in research include observational data collection, chart review, case reports, quality improvement, and clinical trials. Residents are encouraged to develop their own project ideas or join ongoing projects based on individual interests. The DEM offers financial support for residents traveling to local and national conferences to present research (poster or oral presentation).

The research team is comprised of Dr. Martin Huecker, MD (Associate Professor and Director of Research); Jacob Shreffler, PhD (Assistant Professor, Biostatistician), and Alyssa Thomas (Research Coordinator). The team regularly holds open office hours and meetings to discuss projects and develop new ideas.

The UofL DEM Scholarly Project Requirements can be found in the resident manual. Basic expectations for scholarly activity during residency are as follows:

EM1: Required research training (CITI, HIPPA, iRIS) completed by September 30^th of intern year and scholarly project identified by July 1^st of second year.

EM2: Required to attend the “Resident’s in Scholarly Activity” day-long forum to discuss research concepts (GME req. date TBD) and continue to work on scholarly projects, ideally nearing completion of data collection.

EM3: Required to present project/publications at Annual Research Day (June); encouraged to present at scientific assembly, submit manuscripts for publication.

All residents are required to attend the monthly Didactic Journal Club, with the exception of those residents on excused rotations (PICU, SICU, MICU, CCU, and Trauma).

For a list of ongoing research publications please click here.