Mission
It is our mission to make meaningful contributions to the body of scientific knowledge that forms the basis for our clinical practice of emergency medicine.

Goals of our research program
The research program for the Department of Emergency Medicine has six important goals:

1. To perform and disseminate, high quality emergency medicine research.
2. To establish several vertical areas of expertise in areas of clinical significance.
3. To demonstrate stewardship with our research responsibilities and resources.
1. Research subjects’ time and sacrifice
2. Performing trials with utmost respect and protection of human rights.
3. Performing and completing research projects in an efficient and financially sound manner.
4. Acknowledging and recognizing others who contribute to the research program’s success. (non faculty physicians, residents, medical students, ancillary staff, nursing, administration, and collaborating departments. )
4. To create a clinical environment that is conducive to performing meaningful clinical research. 
1. Foster research mentoring relationships for all emergency faculty, residents, and medical students.
2. To create a culture amongst the emergency medicine team (physicians, nurses, ancillary staff ) which is supportive and engaged in all aspects of the research process. 
3. To provide the necessary infrastructure and culture to facilitate faculty and resident research efforts. 
4. Provide necessary infrastructure and resources.
5. To foster emergency medicine residents’ personal research development.
1. Provide mentorship
2. Expose emergency medicine residents and medical students to the positive and rewarding aspects of emergency medicine research.
3. Allow EM residents to experience the entire aspect of the research process by completing a personal research project.
4. Provide EM residents with the necessary skill sets to critically review scientific literature and to apply this literature to the practice of emergency medicine.
6. To be self-sustaining and productive.

Research Didactics
The emergency medicine residency at University of Nevada School of Medicine provides emergency medicine research didactics on three fronts. First, through the Research Lecture Series, residents learn the anatomy and physiology of a research project. Residents are brought through all aspects of a research study. The focus is not on statistics, but rather the nuts and bolts of performing clinical research.

The second front of research didactics is delivered in the form of Evidence based medicine lecture series. In these, our residents learn the important skills of EBM. 

The third arm of research education occurs at our monthly Journal Club. Journal clubs are held on the 4th Tuesday of every month the home of one of our faculty. The goal of our journal club is to provide an opportunity for faculty, residents, and students to get together in a relaxed and informal environment to discuss pertinent literature and topics. 

Mentoring Relationships
Our faculty place a high value on establishing meaningful and longitudinal mentoring relationships.  We feel that mentoring is essential at all levels of research, and therefore, encourage our faculty to foster and develop mentoring relationships at a national level.  This mentoring is equally, if not more, important for our emergency medicine residents and medical students who participate in our research program. Every resident and student research project is done in conjunction with an emergency medicine faculty mentor. We believe strongly that national mentoring relationships are crucial to our development as competent, capable, and productive researchers. 

Research Requirement for University of Nevada School of Medicine
Every emergency medicine resident is required to complete an original research project prior to graduation. The goal of this program is to have the resident go through all stages of a research project from the conception and articulation of their research question, to study design, implementation and finally dissemination of their results with a presentation at a national peer-reviewed meeting and publication of their results.

Collaborations/Unique Opportunities
Since our specialty interfaces with all aspects of in-hospital and out-of-hospital care, we are well-positioned to develop strong, mutually beneficial research relationships with many of the other departments and agencies with which we interface. 

In addition to the potential collaboration with each of the academic and basic science departments within the University of Nevada School of Medicine, the following is a list of the unique research collaborations that are available to our faculty and future residents:

EMS/Aeromedical
Our emergency medicine group plays a pivotal role in every aspect of the EMS system in Southern Nevada.  Emergency physicians from our group serve as the medical director for all four of the major Fire Departments in Southern Nevada (Clark County Fire Department (Dr. Carrison), Henderson Fire Department (Dr. Henderson), Las Vegas Fire and Rescue (Dr. Slattery) North Las Vegas Fire Department (Dr. Malone).  Additionally, we provide the medical direction for one of the two private ambulance agencies in Southern Nevada (Dr. Marino).   Dr. Carrison serves as the medical director for the only helicopter agency in Southern Nevada, Mercy Air, Inc. Mercy Air’s affiliation with the parent company “Air Methods” provides an opportunity for additional aeromedical research on both the local and national level. Equally important as being involved in the day-to-day medical direction of these EMS agencies is our commitment to paramedic education.  Drs. Berkeley and Drs. Epter serve as the Medical Directors for the two main paramedic programs in Southern Nevada (Community College of Southern Nevada and University Medical Center).  Finally, Dr. Heck serves as the Operations Medical Director for the Southern Nevada Health District EMS Office.  These regulatory and oversight roles provide an opportunity for system-based EMS research.  Our unique position in the EMS community affords our faculty, residents, and medical students with research opportunities involving all aspects of EMS education, patient care, administration, and regulation.  

Trauma/Burn Center
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada is Nevada’s only Level I trauma center and serves as the only Burn Unit in the entire state of Nevada.

In collaboration with the Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma our faculty and residents will have exposure to all aspects of the care of the most severely injured trauma and burn patients in Southern Nevada.  The School of Medicine’s Trauma Institute provides additional collaboration opportunities.  The wealth of critically injured patients at our center provides an almost unlimited source of research questions and projects.

Southern Nevada Health District, Epidemiology Department
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada is currently the only hospital that is currently providing real-time syndromic surveillance to the epidemiology department at the Southern Nevada Health District. Additionally, there are important, state-of-the art  bioterrorism-related research labs available for potential collaborative studies. 

Nevada Test Site
Our department currently has a solid relationship with the Nevada Test Site.  Topics of all-hazards preparation and response, bioterrorist agents, etc. could be explored in collaboration with the Nevada Test Site Personnel. 

Las Vegas Casino AED Program
Many Las Vegas Casinos have very progressive and successful Automated External Defibrillator programs. Dr. Slattery serves as the medical director for one of the largest AED programs in the country. He provides oversight, review and debriefing of numerous cardiac arrest events per year.  This relationship would allow interested residents and students to pursue research projects aimed at any aspect of this very unique, comprehensive, and successful AED program.

Medical Student National Research Presentations


Jessica Gordon (Faculty Mentor: Thomas Matz, MD) presenting her medical student research project at ACEP Research Forum, October 2006.


Shirin Badrtalei (Faculty Mentor: David Slattery, MD) presenting her medical student research project  at the National Association of EMS Physician’s Annual Meeting, January 2007.