HIPRC researchers refine guidelines for pediatric brain injuries
When a child suffers a head trauma, medical professionals are in high gear to prevent further damage to a developing brain. Measuring and regulating the child’s level of carbon dioxide is critical to ensuring the brain is getting enough blood oxygen to prevent a secondary brain injury. High carbon dioxide can increase intracranial pressure, while a low level is associated with poor brain circulation.
In a study published Aug. 16 in JAMA, HIPRC researchers found that measuring the carbon dioxide level through an artery is still the most accurate diagnostic for pediatric brain trauma, compared to end-tidal capnography.
The lead author was HIPRC trainee and Neuroanesthesia Faculty Fellow Jen-Ting Yang, M.D., M.S., and co-authors include HIPRC affiliates Scott Erickson, B.A.,Elizabeth Killien, M.D., Brianna Mills, Ph.D., Abhijit Lele, M.D., M.S., and HIPRC Director Monica Vavilala, M.D.
Gun violence special issues feature firearm program researchers
Two journals, Injury Prevention and The Journal of Behavioral Medicine, recently released special issues on firearm injuries and gun violence, with submissions authored by a number of faculty and trainees from the Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program at HIPRC. The special issues bring a public health focus to gun violence and firearm injury, which cause nearly 40,000 deaths annually in the United States.
In Injury Prevention, FIPRP researchers authored two blog posts exploring their recent firearm injury research, one focused on income inequality and firearm homicide, led by FIPRP Co-Director Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, M.D., Ph.D., and one examining firearm injury locations, led by Research Scientist Brianna Mills, Ph.D. Co-authors on the income inequality study include Alex Quistberg, Ph.D., Erin Morgan, M.S., Ph.Dc., Anjum Hajat, Ph.D., and FIPRP Director Fred Rivara, M.D., MPH. Co-authors on the firearm injury location research include Paula Nurius, Ph.D., and Ross Matsueda, Ph.D., as well as Rivara, Rowhani-Rahbar, and Hajat.
In The Journal of Behavioral Medicine, HIPRC trainee Vivian Lyons, MPH, Ph.Dc, was the lead author on “Firearm-related behaviors following firearm injury: changes in ownership, carrying and storage.” Co-authors included FIPRP Director Fred Rivara, M.D., MPH, Co-Director Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, M.D., Ph.D.; faculty Lauren Whiteside, M.D., M.S., and Kevin Haggerty, Ph.D., MSW; and Alice Ning-Xue Yan,Cara Currier, Erin Ballsmith, Anthony Floyd, Ph.D., and Anjum Hajat, Ph.D. Rivara and Rowhani-Rahbar each also served as co-authors on one of the five systematic review papers contributed by the Firearm Safety Among Children and Teens Consortium (FACTS) for the issue.
Job openings in research on firearms, TBI
Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center is growing, with job opportunities available at a range of levels.
In the Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program, the Research Scientist (Req #170186) will develop research proposals, lead firearms research projects, provide advanced methodological study design and data analysis expertise, write manuscripts, and supervise graduate students and more junior staff. Requires a master’s degree in quantitative health or social sciences, or related field; Ph.D. desired.
Also in FIPRP, the Research Consultant/Data Analyst (Req #170840) will review, analyze, and conduct advanced data analysis for research projects on firearm injuries and policies and provide methodological expertise on study design and data collection. Requires a bachelor's degree in math, statistics, quantitative health or social sciences, or other relevant field; master's degree desired.
The FIPRP Research Coordinator (Req # 171528) will perform research tasks such as recruiting and interviewing human subjects, coordinate data collection and recording, develop strategies for accurate data tracking, and communicate with external agencies and institutions regarding data collection. Requires a bachelor’s degree in public health, education, health sciences or related field.
The program is also offering a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship, which will focus on collaborative, mentored research into firearm injury and prevention. Applicants from a wide range of relevant academic fields are encouraged to apply.
As part of the Return to Learn Program, which supports school implementation of a program supporting students returning after a concussion diagnosis, the Research Coordinator (Req #170939) will independently manage the day to day research study, including internal and external communications, data management, recruiting participant schools, tracking school participation, and scheduling team meetings. Requires a bachelor's degree in public health, education, health sciences or related field.
The Injury-related Health Equity across the Lifespan (iHeal) research program is hiring an Undergraduate Research Assistant (15-20 hours/week)who will identify, screen, recruit and interview patients at Harborview Medical Center for a research study to improve trauma databases. Applicants must have two years of relevant college-level coursework and one year of relevant experience or equivalent education. Proficiency in English and Spanish is desired. Applicants should contact Research Coordinator Kelsey Conrick at kmc621@uw.edu for more details.
Study: In pelvic trauma, sexual dysfunction is common among men - but little discussed
The study suggests that sexual health concerns are common among male pelvic fracture patients and that healthcare providers could do more to proactively address these concerns.
Co-authors on the study include associate member Hunter Wessells, M.D., FACS, HIPRC Director Monica Vavilala, M.D., core member Fred Rivara, M.D., MPH, associate member Judith Hagedorn, M.D., MHS, and Jonathan Lang.
Trauma conference to feature HIPRC speakers
The annual EMS & Trauma Conference by Harborview Medical Center and Airlift Northwest will feature a number of HIPRC affiliates speaking on topics ranging from opioid use, triage and screening among pediatric patients, and burn resuscitation, among others. The conference is Sept. 23-24 in Seattle, and conference registration is open.
Core member Eileen Bulger, M.D., FACS, serves as one of the course directors, and presenters at the conference also include Injury Care section lead Saman Arbabi, M.D., MPH, FACS, Safe and Active Transport section lead Beth Ebel, M.D., M.Sc., MPH, core member Lauren Whiteside, M.D., M.S.; associate members Mary King, M.D., MPH, Kathleen O’Connell, M.D., MPH, Thomas Rea, M.D., MPH, Bryce Robinson, M.D., M.S., FACS; and postdoctoral fellow Elissa Butler, M.D., and doctoral candidate Vivian Lyons, MPH.
Sept. 11, (Wednesday) 1-2 p.m. PST: Work-in-Progress: "Efforts in Radiology to Build Collaborative Platforms" with Mahmud Mossa Bosha Location: Harborview Medical Center, NJB Room 310
Joyce Foundation report features HIPRC publications
A number of papers from HIPRC’s Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program researchers were cited in a report by the Joyce Foundation summarizing 25 years of firearm research funded by the foundation’s Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform Program.
Publications highlighted in the report include studies on firearm owner behaviors and training conducted by FIPRP co-director Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, M.D., Ph.D., trainee Erin Morgan, M.S., Ph.Dc., and trainee Vivian Lyons, MPH, Ph.Dc., among other co-authors.
In the News
Core member and Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program Director Fred Rivara, M.D., MPH, was profiled regarding his decades of work in firearm research by Crosscut, including interviews with FIPRP Co-director Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, M.D., Ph.D., and HIPRC Director Monica Vavilala, M.D.
Chief of Trauma at Harborview Medical Center and HIPRC core member Eileen Bulger, M.D., was quoted in media coverage of recent high-profile mass shootings in El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH. She was quoted in The Seattle Times, KTVA, and the UW Medicine Newsroom.
Funding Opportunities
UW Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute Small Grant Research Awards
Application Deadline: Oct. 15, 2019
The maximum amount of an award is $30,000 for faculty and research scientists, and $20,000 for pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. ADAI Small Grant funding is available to UW researchers only.
NIH Loan Repayment Program
Application Deadline: Nov. 15, 2019
Requirements: Doctoral degree, conducting health disparities or clinical research in nonfederal research settings
The congressionally mandated NIMHD Loan Repayment Program (LRP) offers loan repayment awards of up to $50,000 per year to health professionals with doctoral degrees (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., Ph.D., Dr.P.H.). Awardees must conduct health disparities or clinical research in nonfederal research settings for at least two years. The program aims to increase the pool of highly qualified researchers who conduct health disparities research.
Join the Society for Epidemiologic Research for the first in a 3-part series about grant writing for trainees! This webinar will focus on topics relevant to NIH postdoc Fs and Ks: general application requirements, submission timelines, and recommended resources. Our panel includes current and prior awardees, along with an experienced mentor. After describing their own experiences, the panelists will answer any questions you have about the process.
Join Therese S. Richmond, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, as she presents on understanding the complex factors leading to firearm violence, recognizing the burden this places on communities, and investigating how to reduce its frequency and impact. Hosted by Penn Nursing Alumni.
The Firearm Safety Among Children and Teens (FACTS) consortium has organized an inaugural research symposium featuring national experts to bring attention and focus to the current science and evidence-based solutions on a critical and growing public health issue: prevention of firearm injury in children and teens.
The BUSSW currently invites applications from midcareer academics with a commitment to research, scholarship and teaching in the field of community violence prevention and intervention in the U.S. and/or globally (e.g., neighborhood safety, gun-related violence, youth violence, suicide, child abuse, intimate partner violence, community mental health & trauma interventions) to join our faculty beginning in the 2020-2021 academic year as part of the School’s efforts to deepen its commitment to addressing this societal issue. Applicants’ research and scholarship may focus on exploring the causes and consequences of violence, developing and evaluating innovative community interventions, examining the role of social institutions/ systems (e.g., health, education, criminal justice, politics) in addressing violence, or other substantive contributions to the field.
When a child suffers a head trauma, medical professionals are in high gear to prevent further damage to a developing brain. Measuring and regulating the child’s level of carbon dioxide is critical to ensuring the brain is getting enough blood oxygen to prevent a secondary brain injury. High carbon dioxide can increase intracranial pressure, while a low level is associated with poor brain circulation.
Two journals, Injury Prevention and The Journal of Behavioral Medicine, recently released special issues on firearm injuries and gun violence, with submissions authored by a number of faculty and trainees from the Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program at HIPRC. The special issues bring a public health focus to gun violence and firearm injury, which cause nearly 40,000 deaths annually in the United States.
Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center is growing, with job opportunities available at a range of levels.
Former urology fellow Niels Johnsen, M.D., now faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is the lead author on 
The annual 
