Studying critical illness and injury presents significant challenges for clinical research — both logistically and operationally. Emergencies like stroke, overdose and cardiac arrest unfold in seconds, before a patient is stabilized or admitted to the hospital.
For time-sensitive conditions like these, research on diagnoses, treatments and systems of care during the earliest and most critical stages of disease is essential to improving patient care and outcomes, according to a 2006 report from the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine). But opportunities to collect data, obtain consent or begin interventions can be difficult, given the urgency and unpredictability of these conditions and the complexity of emergency care environments in which they are first treated.
As the entry point to the health care system for adult and pediatric patients experiencing acute medical, surgical and psychiatric emergencies, as well as for patients with complex, undifferentiated complaints of varying acuity, the Emergency Department (ED) is uniquely situated to carry out research that can only be captured in real time during unscheduled medical encounters.
But unlike any other clinical setting, the volume and complexity of patient care in the ED can vary considerably from one moment to the next.
The challenge lies in bridging the critical need for rapid research that can only take place in the ED and the high level of coordination required between clinicians and researchers within one of the most dynamic and high-stakes areas in medicine, according to Dr. Manish N. Shah, professor and chair, BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, and an emergency physician with UW Health.
“Emergency care research informs and improves diagnostic approaches and treatments that save lives across the continuum of care,” Shah said. “There was never a question of if we needed to drive research in our emergency departments at UW — it was a matter of building and scaling an effective, high-quality program fast enough to meet the critical demand for services.”
The Emergency Department Research Coordinator (EDRC) Program was created at the Department of Emergency Medicine in 2016 to safely conduct research that depends on early identification and timely intervention.
Ten years on, the program has enrolled more than 11,500 participants into 45 federal, foundation and industry-sponsored research projects. It remains the only centralized research service at UW that is carefully and seamlessly integrated into the emergency care environment to execute high-impact research activities with precision and complete situational awareness.
The program is staffed by a team of clinical research coordinators and nurses who receive specialized, intensive training to deliver high-quality research support that adheres to best practices and regulatory requirements. Services include protocol consultation, patient screening and enrollment, data and biospecimen collection, quality oversight and more.
“Working directly with care team members within the ED allows research coordinators to respond with the same urgency as their clinical partners and to plan participant interactions strategically, without jeopardizing patient care,” said Dr. Jesús Treviño, assistant professor of emergency medicine and EDRC Program medical director.
Treviño adds that the EDRC Program is also highly adept at coordinating clinical trials where investigational products or interventions may need to be prepared in advance of patient arrival by ambulance or helicopter Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Centralized emergency medicine research services are the standard in hospitals and academic medical centers worldwide, according to Shah, a leader in geriatric emergency medicine research. He says ED-based research services broadly enable clinical and operational investigations — from sepsis, stroke and trauma to behavioral health, systems of care and biomarker development.
“These services are also critical for public health research like injury prevention and addressing substance use disorders and emerging infectious diseases,” he said, adding that the ED’s position at the intersection of acute and hospital-wide services also makes it central to enrollment for translational research with wider impact.
“The variety of symptoms and conditions seen in the ED reflects a broad, representative patient population that is ideal for studies spanning a wide range of disciplines and conditions,” Shah said. “Our cutting-edge EDRC Program serves as a critical institutional resource that supports acute, trauma and emergency care research led by departments and centers across the health system and university.”
The EDRC Program coordinates research activities at two UW Health facilities with access to approximately 250,000 patients and visitors eligible to participate in research each year.
University Hospital
Part of the UW–Madison medical campus, University Hospital is a Level I Trauma and Burn Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center and regional referral hospital with frequent transfers for advanced care. The BerbeeWalsh Emergency Department manages the region’s most serious and complex acute medical conditions, including traumatic, infectious, oncologic and cardiac emergencies. Adjoining is the American Family Children’s Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department, where coordinators enroll pediatric patients and their caregivers in research studies. Together, the two EDs provide care to more than 70,000 adult and pediatric patients each year.
After nearly a decade facilitating research trials at University Hospital, the EDRC Program has expanded services to East Madison Hospital, a state-of-the-art community hospital on Madison’s far east side. Treviño says the move, which occurred in July of 2025, will accelerate meaningful innovations in emergency care across the region.
“Integrating high-impact research infrastructure with frontline emergency care at East Madison Hospital is a meaningful step for the EDRC program and strengthens our efforts to unite academic rigor with community partnership,” he said.
East Madison Hospital
As a Level IV Trauma Center and Acute Stroke Ready Hospital, the East Madison ED serves approximately 44,000 adult and pediatric patients each year by triaging and stabilizing individuals who are ill or injured across all levels of acuity. As patient volumes at East Madison continue to rise (ED visits were up 23 percent in 2024), new treatment rooms opening in 2026 will further expand care and research capacity.
The EDRC Program supports both investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored trials, developing partnerships that advance science and bring new therapies and diagnostics to patients. The program supports multiple studies simultaneously and has contributed to multiple multicenter trials culminating in authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
For more information about emergency care research services available at University Hospital or East Madison Hospital, investigators and industry sponsors are encouraged to contact Phoebe Natzke, research services manager, at pnatzke@medicine.wisc.edu or (608) 262-1452.
Additional information, including studies currently enrolling, can also be found on our website: Emergency Department Research Coordinator (EDRC) Program.
About the BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine
The BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine was founded in 2014 to advance emergency health care in Wisconsin and beyond. Today, the department is a nationally recognized leader shaping the science and practice of emergency medicine through rigorous research and discovery, comprehensive medical education and training, and compassionate patient care.
As an academic unit of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the department leads clinical, educational and research efforts across UW Health emergency departments and regional prehospital services, with innovation, service and social impact at the center of its mission. The department is equally committed to cultivating a people-first culture that strengthens its teams, supports communities and fuels lasting change.