Research

As one of the nation’s elite teaching hospitals, our trauma clinicians lead countless studies aimed at finding better, more effective treatments for patients with traumatic injuries. Research done at Grady has helped redefine the way doctors around the world treat trauma patients.

In the last three years, Grady research appeared in nearly 100 medical journal articles. Our current studies are being underwritten by 32 different grants valued at more than $32 million.

This commitment to research means that Grady offers the best standard trauma care – and the best emerging care available.

We believe our research efforts strengthen care across Georgia’s trauma system and beyond. Our areas of interest cover all aspects of trauma patient care, from the prehospital setting to discharge. If you have research or a clinical trial that would be of interest to Grady, tell us more.

To learn more about our Office of Research Administration, click here.

• Aizpuru M, Farley KX, Rojas JC, Crawford RS, Moore TJ, Jr., Wagner ER. Motorized scooter injuries in the era of scooter-shares: A review of the national electronic surveillance system. Am J Emerg Med. 2019;37(6):1133-1138. (pubmed)
• Aizpuru M, Staley C, Reisman W, Gottschalk MB, Schenker ML. Determinants of Length of Stay After Operative Treatment for Femur Fractures. J Orthop Trauma. 2018;32(4):161-166. (pubmed)
• Apte A, Bradford K, Dente C, Smith RN. Lead toxicity from retained bullet fragments: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2019;87(3):707-716. (pubmed)
• Arndt L, Mir D, Nguyen J, et al. The resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of aorta (REBOA) device-what radiologists need to know. Emerg Radiol. 2019. (pubmed)
• Ashley DW, Mullins RF, Dente CJ, et al. How much green does it take to be orange? Determining the cost associated with trauma center readiness. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2019;86(5):765-773.
• Belard A, Buchman T, Dente CJ, Potter BK, Kirk A, Elster E. The Uniformed Services University’s Surgical Critical Care Initiative (SC2i): Bringing Precision Medicine to the Critically Ill. Mil Med. 2018;183(suppl_1):487-495.
• Belard A, Buchman T, Forsberg J, et al. Precision diagnosis: a view of the clinical decision support systems (CDSS) landscape through the lens of critical care. J Clin Monit Comput. 2017;31(2):261-271.
• Bernstein J, Bernstein JJ, Mehta S, Hume EL, Schenker ML, Ahn J. Defining the Key Parts of a Procedure: Implications for Overlapping Surgery. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2018;26(4):142-147.
• Boissonneault AR, Schenker M, Staley C, et al. Impact of closed suction drainage after surgical fixation of acetabular fractures. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2019;139(7):907-912.
• Boissonneault AR, Schenker M, Wilson J, Schwartz A, Staley C, Maceroli M. Impact of Prolonged Skeletal Traction in Patients with Acetabular fractures. J Orthop Trauma. 2019.
• Bosse MJ, Morshed S, Reider L, et al. Transtibial Amputation Outcomes Study (TAOS): Comparing Transtibial Amputation With and Without a Tibiofibular Synostosis (Ertl) Procedure. J Orthop Trauma. 2017;31 Suppl 1:S63-s69.
• Bowen DA, Mercer Kollar LM, Wu DT, et al. Ability of crime, demographic and business data to forecast areas of increased violence. Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot. 2018:1-6.
• Bradley M, Dente C, Khatri V, et al. Advanced Modeling to Predict Pneumonia in Combat Trauma Patients. World J Surg. 2019.
• Bugaev N, Bhattacharya B, Chiu WC, et al. Antimotility agents for the treatment of acute noninfectious diarrhea in critically ill patients: A practice management guideline from the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2019;87(4):915-921.
• Bugaev N, Bhattacharya B, Chiu WC, et al. Promotility agents for the treatment of ileus in adult surgical patients: A practice management guideline from the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2019;87(4):922-934.
• Chien LC, Vakil M, Nguyen J, et al. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Organ Injury Scale 2018 update for computed tomography-based grading of renal trauma: a primer for the emergency radiologist. Emerg Radiol. 2019.
• Curley KC, O’Neil BJ, Naunheim R, Wright DW. Intracranial Pathology (CT+) in Emergency Department Patients With High GCS and High Standard Assessment of Concussion (SAC) Scores. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2018;33(3):E61-e66.
• Denninghoff KR, Nuno T, Pauls Q, et al. Prehospital Intubation is Associated with Favorable Outcomes and Lower Mortality in ProTECT III. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2017:1-6.
• Dente CJ, Bradley M, Schobel S, et al. Towards precision medicine: Accurate predictive modeling of infectious complications in combat casualties. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2017;83(4):609-616.
• Ernst A, Wilson JM, Ahn J, Shapiro M, Schenker ML. Malnutrition and the Orthopaedic Trauma Patient: A Systematic Review of the Literature. J Orthop Trauma. 2018;32(10):491-499.
• Fitzgerald CA, Moore TJ, Jr., Morse BC, et al. The Role of Diverting Colostomy in Traumatic Blunt Open Pelvic Fractures. Am Surg. 2017;83(8):280-282.
• Frankel M, Fan L, Yeatts SD, et al. Association of Very Early Serum Levels of S100B, Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein, Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase-L1, and Spectrin Breakdown Product with Outcome in ProTECT III. J Neurotrauma. 2019;36(20):2863-2871.
• Gelbard RB, Ferrada P, Yeh DD, et al. Optimal timing of initial debridement for necrotizing soft tissue infection: A practice management guideline from the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2018.
• Gelbard RB, Hensman H, Schobel S, et al. Random forest modeling can predict infectious complications following trauma laparotomy. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2019;87(5):1125-1132.
• Gimbel RW, Pirrallo RG, Lowe SC, et al. Effect of clinical decision rules, patient cost and malpractice information on clinician brain CT image ordering: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2018;18(1):20.
• Greene WR, Smith R. Driving in the Geriatric Population. Clin Geriatr Med. 2019;35(1):127-131.
• Halani SH, Chu JK, Malcolm JG, et al. Effects of Cranioplasty on Cerebral Blood Flow Following Decompressive Craniectomy: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Neurosurgery. 2017.
• Hanley D, Prichep LS, Badjatia N, et al. A Brain Electrical Activity Electroencephalographic-Based Biomarker of Functional Impairment in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Multi-Site Validation Trial. J Neurotrauma. 2018;35(1):41-47.
• Hanley D, Prichep LS, Bazarian J, et al. Emergency Department triage of traumatic head injury using brain electrical activity biomarkers: a multisite prospective observational validation trial. Acad Emerg Med. 2017.
• Hirad AA, Bazarian JJ, Merchant-Borna K, et al. A common neural signature of brain injury in concussion and subconcussion. Sci Adv. 2019;5(8):eaau3460.
• Jhunjhunwala R, Mina MJ, Roger EI, et al. Reassessing the cardiac box: A comprehensive evaluation of the relationship between thoracic gunshot wounds and cardiac injury. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2017.
• Kenzie ES, Parks EL, Bigler ED, et al. The Dynamics of Concussion: Mapping Pathophysiology, Persistence, and Recovery With Causal-Loop Diagramming. Front Neurol. 2018;9:203.
• Lander ST, Mahmood B, Maceroli MA, et al. Mortality Rates of Humerus Fractures in the Elderly: Does Surgical Treatment Matter? J Orthop Trauma. 2019;33(7):361-365.
• Lisboa FA, Dente CJ, Schobel SA, et al. Utilizing Precision Medicine to Estimate Timing for Surgical Closure of Traumatic Extremity Wounds. Ann Surg. 2019;270(3):535-543.
• Loja MN, Sammann A, DuBose J, et al. The mangled extremity score and amputation: Time for a revision. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2017;82(3):518-523.
• Maceroli MA, Yoon RS, Liporace FA. Use of Antibiotic Plates and Spacers for Fracture in the Setting of Periprosthetic Infection. J Orthop Trauma. 2019;33 Suppl 6:S21-s24.
• Malcolm JG, Mahmooth Z, Rindler RS, et al. Autologous cranioplasty is associated with increased re-operation rate: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Neurosurg. 2018.
• Malcolm JG, Rindler RS, Chu JK, et al. Early Cranioplasty is Associated with Greater Neurological Improvement: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Neurosurgery. 2017.
• Malcolm KE, Malcolm JG, Wu DT, Spainhour KA, Race KP. Cops and docs: The challenges for ED physicians balancing the police, state laws, and EMTALA. J Healthc Risk Manag. 2017;37(2):29-35.
• Meena RA, Benarroch-Gampel J, Leshnower BG, et al. Surveillance Recommendations Following TEVAR Should be Based on Initial Indication for Repair. Ann Vasc Surg. 2018.
• Melmer P, Carlin M, Castater CA, et al. Mass Casualty Shootings and Emergency Preparedness: A Multidisciplinary Approach for an Unpredictable Event. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2019;12:1013-1021.
• Mercer Kollar LM, Sumner SA, Bartholow B, et al. Building capacity for injury prevention: a process evaluation of a replication of the Cardiff Violence Prevention Programme in the Southeastern USA. Inj Prev. 2019.
• Mina MJ, Jhunjhunwala R, Gelbard RB, et al. Factors affecting mortality after penetrating cardiac injuries: 10-year experience at urban level I trauma center. Am J Surg. 2017;213(6):1109-1115.
• Moore C, Kwayisi G, Esiobu P, et al. Successful treatment of massive hemothorax with class IV shock using aortography with transcatheter embolization of actively bleeding posterior left intercostal arteries after penetrating left chest trauma: A case for the hybrid OR. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2018;48:109-112.
• Mustroph CM, Malcolm JG, Rindler RS, et al. Cranioplasty infection and resorption are associated with presence of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Neurosurg. 2017.
• Nahmias J, Grigorian A, Brakenridge S, et al. Variations in institutional review board processes and consent requirements for trauma research: an EAST multicenter survey. Trauma Surg Acute Care Open. 2018;3(1):e000176.
• Nguyen J, Noory M, Capano-Wehrle L, Gaughan J, Hazelton JP. Expeditious Diagnosis and Laparotomy for Patients with Acute Abdominal Compartment Syndrome May Improve Survival. Am Surg. 2018;84(11):1836-1840.
• Nunn A, Prakash P, Inaba K, et al. Occupational exposure during emergency department thoracotomy: A prospective, multi-institution study. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2018;85(1):78-84.
• Patel PB, Staley CA, Runner R, Mehta S, Schenker ML. Unhelmeted Motorcycle Riders Have Increased Injury Burden: A Need to Revisit Universal Helmet Laws. J Surg Res. 2019;242:177-182.
• Phen HM, Schenker ML. Minimizing Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis After High-Energy Intra-Articular Fracture. Orthop Clin North Am. 2019;50(4):433-443.
• Radowsky JS, Neely R, Forsberg JA, et al. Preclosure spectroscopic differences between healed and dehisced traumatic wounds. PLoS One. 2018;13(9):e0204453.
• Rafael Arceo S, Runner RP, Huynh TD, Gottschalk MB, Schenker ML, Moore TJ, Jr. Disparities in follow-up care for ballistic and non-ballistic long bone lower extremity fractures. Injury. 2018;49(12):2193-2197.
• Rattan R, Joseph DK, Dente CJ, et al. Prevention of all-terrain vehicle injuries: A systematic review from The Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2018;84(6):1017-1026.
• Rege RM, Runner RP, Staley CA, Vu CCL, Arora SS, Schenker ML. Frailty predicts mortality and complications in chronologically young patients with traumatic orthopaedic injuries. Injury. 2018;49(12):2234-2238.
• Singer AD, Huynh T, Wong P, et al. CT can stratify patients as low risk for tibial neuropathy following a talus fracture. Emerg Radiol. 2019;26(5):541-548.
• Stevens WT, Morse BC, Bernard A, et al. Incompatible type A plasma transfusion in patients requiring massive transfusion protocol: Outcomes of an Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma multicenter study. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2017;83(1):25-29.
• Tracy BM, Smith RN, Miller K, et al. Community distress predicts youth gun violence. J Pediatr Surg. 2019;54(11):2375-2381.
• Tracy BM, Wilson JM, Staley C, Frias B, Schenker ML, Gelbard RB. Metabolic Syndrome: Major Risk Factor for Morbidity and Mortality in Severely Injured Trauma Patients. J Am Coll Surg. 2020;230(1):145-150.
• Turan N, Miller BA, Heider RA, et al. Neurobehavioral testing in subarachnoid hemorrhage: A review of methods and current findings in rodents. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2017;37(11):3461-3474.
• Turan N, Miller BA, Huie JR, et al. Effect of Progesterone on Cerebral Vasospasm and Neurobehavioral Outcomes in a Rodent Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. World Neurosurg. 2018;110:e150-e159.
• Vu CCL, Runner RP, Reisman WM, Schenker ML. The frail fail: Increased mortality and post-operative complications in orthopaedic trauma patients. Injury. 2017.
• Whitesides LW, Baren JM, Biros MH, et al. Impact of individual clinical outcomes on trial participants’ perspectives on enrollment in emergency research without consent. Clin Trials. 2017;14(2):180-186.
• Wilson JM, Boissonneault AR, Schwartz AM, Staley CA, Schenker ML. Frailty and Malnutrition Are Associated With Inpatient Postoperative Complications and Mortality in Hip Fracture Patients. J Orthop Trauma. 2019;33(3):143-148.
• Wilson JM, Holzgrefe RE, Staley CA, Schenker ML, Meals CG. Use of a 5-Item Modified Frailty Index for Risk Stratification in Patients Undergoing Surgical Management of Distal Radius Fractures. J Hand Surg Am. 2018;43(8):701-709.
• Wilson JM, Lunati MP, Grabel ZJ, Staley CA, Schwartz AM, Schenker ML. Hypoalbuminemia Is an Independent Risk Factor for 30-Day Mortality, Postoperative Complications, Readmission, and Reoperation in the Operative Lower Extremity Orthopaedic Trauma Patient. J Orthop Trauma. 2019;33(6):284-291.
• Wilson JM, Staley CA, Boden AL, Boissonneault AR, Schwartz AM, Schenker ML. The Effect of Season and Weather on Orthopaedic Trauma: Consult Volume Is Significantly Correlated with Daily Weather. Adv Orthop. 2018;2018:6057357.
• Wright DW, Bazarian JJ. Emergency department evaluation of the concussed athlete. Handb Clin Neurol. 2018;158:81-90.
• Wu DT, Moore JC, Bowen DA, et al. Proportion of Violent Injuries Unreported to Law Enforcement. JAMA Intern Med. 2018.

• Surgical Critical Care Initiative (SC2i)
• sTBI (The Study of Surgical Decisions and Biomarkers in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury), 2014-2019, $3,129,497
• Cardiopulmonary Synchronization in Critical Care & Best Practices studies, 2014-2020, $3,201,792
• Biomarker expression in traumatic wounds, 2014-2019, $5,993,574
• Transtibial Amputation Outcome Study, 2014 – Present, supporting agency: Department of Defense Sub-Contract through METRC, funding: $24,566
• The Use of Near Infrared Spectroscopy in the Diagnosis of Acute Compartment Syndrome. 1/2017 – 12/2020, supporting agency: Department of Defense Sub-Contract through the Geneva Foundation, funding: $8.0 million
• SIREN (Strategies to Innovate EmeRgENcy Care Clinical Trials Network), 2017-2022, supporting agency: NIH, funding: $784,000
• Emergency Medicine Research Scholars Pilot Program, funding: $100,000
• Cardiff, 2015 – 2017, supporting agency: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• PIVOT, 2017 – 2020, supporting agency: Bureau of Justice Administration, funding: $257,885
• Reach One Each One, 2016-2017, supporting agency: Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, funding: $24,300
• Partnerships for Healthy Communities: Strengthening Rural Communities Through Child Abuse Prevention, 2017, supporting agency: Georgia State Office of Rural Health, funding: $12,521.86
• Developing a contaminated femur fracture model in the rodent, 2015-present, supporting agency: Emory Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Seed Grant, funding: $9,500
• Evaluation of Local Vancomycin Powder on osteoblastic function and healing in a rodent ankle arthrodesis model, 2016-present, supporting agency: AOFAS, funding: $20,000
• Emory Orthopaedics Seed Grant and EMCF grant: Thromboelastography in Orthopaedic Pelvic Trauma $9500 and $30,000
• Department of Defense: Evaluating the Diagnostic Performance of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) in the Setting of Acute Compartment Syndrome (ACS) in Traumatized Lower Extremities $1M
• Foundation for Orthopaedic Trauma: Reducing opioid utilization in the emergency management of common Orthopaedic manipulations $14,000
• Christopher Wolf Crusades: Life Pain Specialists (LPS) with a focus on patient pain management and prevention of substance misuse $100,000
• Georgia Trauma Foundation: Defining psychosocial risk and high risk/high need patients in trauma $259,024.00
• Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN), 2017-2022, supporting agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: $3.93M
• Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) Pedestrian Crash Pilot Study, 2018-2020, supporting agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: $169k
• Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory (IPRCE), 2019-2024, supporting agency: CDC, $4.2M (this is housed at Grady and includes multiple research projects that involve GMH trauma patients, and education and outreach efforts that include GMH staff and target injury prevention).
• Emergency Department Firearm Assessment, Screening, and Treatment (FAST) Trial, supporting agency: Emory Medical Care Foundation: 2019-2020, $30k
• The Rural Emergency Department Firearm Assessment, Screening, and Treatment (FAST) Trial, supporting agency: Emergency Medicine Foundation-AFFIRM medical student research grant, 2020, $5k
• Screen-Inform-Prevent, supporting agency: Emergency Medicine Foundation- medical student research grant, 2018, $5k
• TRACK-TBI (Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge on TBI), supporting agency: NIH, NINDS, One Mind and (multiple others) per subject payment through UCSF.  2017-2020.
• Hypothermia for Patients requiring Evacuation of Subdural Hematoma (HOPES), 2016-2019, Sponsor: Vivian L. Smith Foundation: Per patient reimbursement
• A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Multidose, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Phase 2 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous BIIB093 for Patients with Brain Contusion (ASTRAL). Sponsor:  Biogen 2020 to present, Per patient reimbursement
• SCI hypothermia: Systemic Hypothermia and acute spinal cord injury, 2017-present: Sponsor: DOD (U Miami prime).  Per patient reimbursement
• Discovery of Biomarker Signatures Prognostic for Neuropathic Pain after Acute Spinal Cord Injury.  2019 to present, Sponsor (NIH, UT Houston Prime), per patient reimbursement
• Study of Surgical Decisions and Biomarkers in Severe TBI.  Sponsor: DOD, 2015-present. Per patient reimbursement
• Brain Oxygen Optimization in Severe TBI Phase-3 (BOOST), 2019 supporting agency: NIH (via University of Michigan), $40k
• LITES Network – Task Order – Pre-Hospital Airway Control Trial (PACT), 2019-present, DOD. (U Pitt MC Prime), per patient fee.