Our point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) research program is at the forefront of both educational and patient care studies. We are dedicated to improving patient outcomes by advancing ultrasound use in clinical practice through comprehensive educational initiatives and rigorous research. Our studies span from hands-on ultrasound training for health care providers to clinical applications in emergency and critical care settings. This dual focus ensures that we not only enhance the skill sets of practitioners but also directly translate these skills into improved diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities for patient care.

In addition to educational and patient care studies, our research encompasses cutting-edge technology, including the development of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for ultrasound. Over the past two years, our program has received more than a million dollars in federal funding from the NIH and Department of Defense, supplemented by industry-sponsored technology research. STILL UP TO DATE? Our AI research focuses on creating multi-modal AI models, wearable ultrasound devices and robotic ultrasound systems. These innovations aim to revolutionize the use of ultrasound in medical practice, ensuring precise, efficient and accessible diagnostic tools for health care providers worldwide.

The EMS group has a long history of performing practice-changing, funded EMS research initiatives through partnerships across the University of Arizona and with collaborative research groups across the country. Over the past five years, the EMS group has dramatically increased the amount of funding at the College of Medicine – Tucson, having been awarded over $5.5 million in research grants from various funding agencies. STILL UP TO DATE? Ongoing EMS research includes:

• active enrollment in two large multi-center research studies focusing on pediatric prehospital patient care (PediDOSE and PediPART)
• rural health initiates to improve the quality of EMS care across rural Arizona (AzQUALITy)
• targeting substance use disorder by training first responders to use naloxone and providing them with leave-behind Narcan kits
• participation in collaborative efforts with the LITES network to improve prehospital trauma care

In addition to this funded research, the Division of Emergency Medical Services actively participates in multiple non-funded initiatives looking to improve prehospital operations and evaluate the translation of new science into clinical care.

Our department has a strong presence in critical care research, led by Vice Chair for Research Jarrod Mosier, MD. The university is a partner hub in the CORE-EM hub alliance for the Strategies to Innovate Emergency Care Clinical Trials Network (SIREN), the premier network conducting trials in neurologic, cardiac, trauma, respiratory and hematologic emergencies. We were also a site for the Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL) network, have conducted important COVID-19 trials in the ACTIV networks, and continue our work with the Strategies and Treatments for Respiratory Infections and Viral Emergencies (STRIVE) and Investigating Respiratory Viruses in the Acute Ill (IVY) networks. 

Our department has had profound influence on airway management in critically ill and injured patients. This area of focus is led by Professor of Emergency Medicine John Sakles, MD, who was one of the first to publish on the safety of rapid sequence intubation outside of the operating room. Our faculty have been heavily involved in airway management research to establish the role of video laryngoscopy, the importance of first pass success and defining the physiologically difficult airway. In 2023, a patent was awarded to our faculty members for a mixed reality simulator that blends the virtual and physical environments for training and research in airway management.