Debbie Madhok, MD, a scholar of the National Foundation of Emergency Medicine, received a grant to study the impact of Stay-At-Home orders on the incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Emergency Departments across the county. 

TUCSON, Ariz. — To encourage COVID-19 related research, the National Foundation of Emergency Medicine (NFEM) has awarded emergency medicine research across the country. Debbie Madhok, MD, an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, received a $10,000 grant from the foundation to study incidence of TBI during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to evaluation if there is a difference in incidence of TBI during the pandemic compared to one year before.  

The first goal of the study is to describe the variation in volumes and types of TBI across NFEM sites before, during, and immediately after COVID-19 lockdown orders. Dr. Madhok will examine data for emergency department visits for TBI at all NFEM sites. The research team will compare TBI variation from March through June 2020 to the time period of November 2019 through February 2020. Dr. Madhok hypothesizes there will be a reduction in total volume of TBI; however, there will be an increase in specific injuries, such as falls at home and bicycle-related injuries.  

The second aim of this study is to highlight communities at risk of preventable TBI during COVID-19 lockdown. To accomplish this aim, the research team will assess differences in sex, age, race, ethnicity, employment status, and time from injury to presentation for all TBIs during the two study periods. Dr. Madhok hypothesizes there will racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences in preventable TBI during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“Understanding the changing epidemiology of TBI during the COVID-19 pandemic may help reduce hospital admissions and aid in resource planning as additional surges of COVID-19 may necessitate re-implementation of lockdown orders.” Dr. Madhok says. “This will be the first study of its kind and will capture a national sample.” 

This multisite study will enhance collaboration across NFEM sites. Depending on the study findings, the research team may suggest evidence-based updates in public health measures such as fall prevention strategies and encouraging helmet use, as well as targeting certain communities at heightened risk of preventable TBI during a pandemic. 

About the NFEM Scholar/Mentor Program  

Dr. Madhok is part of NFEM’s Scholar/Mentor Program. The Scholar/Mentor Program is a 2-year program that matches junior faculty members in an academic track in Emergency Medicine with mentors at their institution. This program provides an opportunity for scholars from 10 partner institutions to work on translational medicine research and foster professional development. Dr. Madhok is one of nine scholar-mentor pairs who will receive funding for their COVID-19 related research projects. Dr. Madhok is mentored by Robert Rodriguez, MD, a Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.  

Read more about other COVID-19 related research other NFEM scholars are involved in here. 

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About the National Foundation of Emergency Medicine   

The National Foundation of Emergency Medicine was founded in 2010 in order to encourage and support the development of career academic emergency medicine scientists. The Scholar/Mentor Program has been running for 3 years, producing three cohorts of scholars and mentors from 10 partner institutions across the United States.   

NFEM Board of Directors include Michael Rolnick, MD, David Taylor, MD, Harvey Meislin, MD, David Sheehan, Esquire, and Charles Cairns, MD, who reviewed and approved the eight grant proposals by nine Foundation Scholars interested in COVID-19 related research. Karen Lutrick, PhD is the NFEM Director of Programs and Operations. Dr. Lutrick coordinated the grant application process and will provide support and guidance to the scholars as they begin their research projects.    

The National Foundation of Emergency Medicine’s mission is to:  

•       Serve as a national platform for the improvement and expansion of research in Emergency Medicine 
•       Advance best practices and clinical excellence in Emergency Medicine 
•       Identify and support emergency medicine academic physicians to engage in and fund multi-institutional testing and research 

For more information, email: info@NFOEM.com (Follow us on Twitter).