SUPPORTING EMERGENCY-MEDICINE RESEARCH - DEVELOPING THE INFRASTRUCTURE

The long-term goals of developing research within the specialty of eme rgency medicine (EM) include the following: 1) to continue to improve the quality and quantity of EM research in order to ultimately improve emergency patient care; 2) to maximize the research potential of emer gency health care professionals in order to develop new emergency rese arch talent and enthusiasm; and 3) to establish the academic research credentials of the specialty of EM in order to become competitive for federal research funding, and further improve emergency patient care. This article addresses the process by which the infrastructure for EM research can be developed at academic medical centers and provides rec ommendations. The roles of the academic chair, research director, seni or researcher, and departmental faculty are discussed.