UC San Diego Health’s faculty in the Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns and Acute Care Surgery is dedicated improving health outcomes for critically injured patients and those in acute surgical need.
Our success is due in large part to our collaborative energy and partnerships – bringing together experts in academic medicine, basic scientists, epidemiologists, public health professionals, partner universities, EMS, pharmacy groups, school districts, fire departments and law enforcement, city and county government officials, religious institutions, social service agencies, and most importantly, the public.
Research is divided into clinical, basic science, and prevention strategies. Much of division’s research is done under the umbrella of the Injury Epidemiology Prevention and Research Center.
Injury Epidemiology Prevention and Research Center
The ultimate goal of UC San Diego Injury, Epidemiology, Prevention, and Research Center is to make our communities safer and to decrease the burden of injuries to our society. The center:
- Conducts trauma research and injury prevention.
- Partners with organizations conducting injury prevention research and intervention.
- Designs and provides professional training and fellowship opportunities.
- Conducts literature reviews to identify best practices in trauma and injury prevention.
- Develops outcome measures and evaluation plans for injury prevention programs.
- Advises organizations and task forces regarding trauma/injury prevention.
Read more about trauma prevention and visit the IEPRC website.
Clinical Research
Current clinical research efforts include:
- Review of elderly trauma patients taking medications that affect coagulation.
- Immune system studies on hospitalized patients in traumatic shock or sepsis.
- Comparing outcomes for those who have experienced lower extremity blast injury in military and non-military situations.
- Identifying patterns in trauma injury and outcomes in the elderly.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of decompressive craniectomy on patient outcomes
- Determining what factors lead to abdominal wounds failing to close during the initial hospitalization following trauma.
- Review of preventable deaths, errors and delays causing mortality in a level 1 trauma center.
- Determining the efficacy and safety of intervenous progesterone use in those who have experienced severe traumatic brain injury.
Read more about the division’s clinical research.
Basic Science
Current research in basic science includes:
- Developing a greater understanding of the blood brain barrier in order to develop diagnostic and therapeutic agents that target specific areas of the brain.
- Transforming potential biotherapeutics, such as peptides, growth factors, gene therapeutics and stem cells, into wound treatments.
Read more about basic science.
Publications
Scientific Articles in Trauma
View titles and abstracts of scientific articles at PubMed written by UC San Diego Health’s trauma, burn and surgical critical care specialists.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are highly regulated health research studies that move advances in the treatment of disease and injury forward into clinical practice. They offer people the chance to receive newly developed therapies and provide crucial information for improving care. The Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care and Burns is conducting clinical trials in a broad spectrum of critical care topics. Find clinical trials at UC San Diego Health currently seeking participants.
Search Clinical Trials