The BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine offers efficient and effective research services that support the conduct of high impact clinical and translational research.
Emergency Department Research Coordinator (EDRC) Program
Established in 2016, the EDRC Program is a cutting-edge clinical research study coordination service available to researchers across University of Wisconsin–Madison. Our team of highly trained staff is integrated into the BerbeeWalsh Emergency Department at UW Health to screen, consent, and enroll patients into research studies.
EDRC team members can collect behavioral and survey data using measurements, standardized surveys, and qualitative interviews, and partner with nursing staff to collect and store biological specimens, including blood, saliva, and urine.
We are able to support research projects funded by federal, foundation, and industry sponsors, including device trials and development of other diagnostic tools. Investigators from UW–Madison, other universities or private companies may request our services.
Contact Us
Request a consultation:
Phoebe Natzke, MS
Research Services Manager
pnatzke@medicine.wisc.edu
608-262-1452
Our Services & Capabilities
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
We make participant recruitment and data collection from a diverse patient population in the ED a reality
Each year, more than 100,000 patients and visitors are eligible for enrollment in research. This diverse population spans all ages and a wide range of clinical and demographic characteristics. ED staff can obtain consent, perform simple study procedures, or secure permission to contact. With support from UW Health’s Translation Services, we also engage individuals with non-English language preference in screening and recruitment.
We ensure study protocols are feasible for recruiting in a fast-paced clinical environment
All research protocols to be implemented by the EDRC Program are reviewed by a team of Department of Emergency Medicine research faculty to ensure they meet appropriate rigor and feasibility for successful recruitment.
EDRC Program staff partner with emergency department clinical staff to effectively recruit patients into appropriate research opportunities during the patient’s stay in the ED.
Our staff receive training and have the know-how to appropriately engage with patients and their families during complex healthcare experiences.
We strategize methods to deliver efficient mechanisms for participant recruitment
Our staff have experience recruiting across a broad range of studies, patient populations, acuities, and study teams. We understand the factors that influence successful recruitment and partner with investigators to develop strategies for appropriately approaching patients during their stay in the emergency department.
We rigorously adhere to study protocols and accurately complete study procedures
Our staff are trained in HIPAA compliance and safeguard all patient and research participant Protected Health Information (PHI). Investigators can be confident that research coordinators follow protocols precisely as approved by the UW IRB or other governing body.
We perform informed consent, enroll patients using multiple electronic data capture systems, and ensure staff are proficient with study-specific tools. Our team also collects, processes, and stores biological specimens, including blood, saliva, and urine.
We advance quality improvement projects and initiatives
In addition to supporting novel research, the EDRC Program assists with quality improvement projects and initiatives at UW Health, such as conducting patient surveys regarding implementation of the Healthcare Fraud And The False Claims Act (FCA), assisting nursing staff with completing COVID-19 forms early in the pandemic, and supporting care teams with infection control measures and isolation precautions.
Recruitment Sites
UW Health University Hospital
The BerbeeWalsh Emergency Department (ED) at University Hospital cares for an average of 180 patients daily, delivering patient-centered emergency care within UW Health’s integrated system. As one of only two academic medical centers in Wisconsin, our ED is certified as a Level I Trauma and Burn Center and serves as a busy quaternary care hub.
Adjoining the UH ED is the American Family Children's Hospital Pediatric ED, where our research coordinators are able to enroll pediatric patients and their care providers into studies.
UW Health East Madison Hospital
Our emergency department in East Madison cares for 32,500 adult and pediatric patients each year, with capacity for up to 32 beds during surges. The facility is a verified Level IV Trauma Center and Acute Stroke Ready Hospital, where our clinical care team routinely stabilizes and triages critically ill or injured patients, many of whom require transfer to higher-level facilities for definitive care.
Serving a diverse community with expanding specialties, the emergency department is adapting to rising patient volumes, with new patient rooms opening in 2026.
Studies Currently Enrolling
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Characterizing Oral and Swallowing Function in Older Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department
Aim: The goal of this project is to characterize oral and swallowing function in older adults presenting to the ED with a broad variety of acute medical conditions. The study will evaluate the relationship between oral and swallowing function and nutrition, respiratory function, frailty, and microbiome profiles.
Our services: Research coordinators identify eligible patients, administer surveys, and perform study procedures that include spirometry, orofacial muscular pressure assessments, saliva collection, oral health exams.
PI: Michael Pulia, MD, PhD, associate professor with tenure, BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Clinical Diagnostic Performance of the SpinChip High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin I Test
Aim: The aim of this study is to demonstrate the clinical performance of the SpinChip hs-cTnI test. The study evaluates the test’s effectiveness when using Li-heparin whole blood and Li-heparin plasma samples obtained from adults presenting to the Emergency Department with symptoms suggestive of an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Our services: Research coordinators screen, recruit, and enroll eligible patients presenting with symptoms of a myocardial infarction to test their whole blood and plasma samples on the investigational device.
Lead researcher: Jesús Treviño, MD, MBA, assistant professor, BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Diagnostic and Prognostic Utility of Rapid, Whole Blood Point-of-Care Biomarker Testing in Acute Civilian mTBI
Aim: The goal of the POINT-mTBI Focused Program is to validate the clinical utility of rapid, whole blood, point-of-care (POC) biomarker testing in military, civilian, and sport-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The collective effort will involve POC biomarker testing in individuals who meet the US Department of Defense definition of mTBI and are representative of the millions of military service members, hospital emergency department patients, and athletes affected by mTBI each year in the U.S.
Our services: Research coordinators will enroll patients with mild TBIs and test whole blood samples on an investigational device.
PI: Marin Darsie, MD, assistant professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine, Neurology, & Neurosurgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Implementing MedSMA℞T Families in the Emergency Department Setting: A Game- based Approach for Improving Opioid Safety Among Adolescents and Parents
Aim: This study evaluates a game-based learning program aiming to improve prescription opioid safety for adolescents and their families as well as facilitate parent-teen conversations about prescription opioid medication safety.
Our services: Research coordinators screen and recruit eligible patients presenting to the emergency department.
Lead researchers: Olufunmilola Abraham, professor and chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice & Science, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy; and Allie Hurst, MD, MS, assistant professor, BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Operationalizing Sex Trafficking Screening in an Academic Emergency Department: A Quality Initiative
Aim: This project initiates child sex trafficking screening using a prior, electronic, validated screening tool in the pediatric emergency department at the American Family Children’s Hospital using quality improvement methodology.
Our services: Research Coordinators identify adolescent patients to approach in the emergency department for completion of this screening tool based on their clinical presentation or high-risk indicators noted in their medical history that may indicate likelihood of sex trafficking. In the patient room, EDRCs allow the patient to confidentially complete the brief survey asking about health and safety. The survey is administered on a tablet, which has been demonstrated to increase survey completion and response truthfulness.
Primary researcher: Allie Hurst, MD, MS, assistant professor, BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Rhinovirus Hospitalization and Investigation of Nasal-Airway Omics
Aim: The RHINO Study aims to understand how rhinoviruses cause severe respiratory illness and to determine the overall burden of rhinoviruses as a leading cause of acute, severe respiratory infections that require hospitalization.
Our services: Research coordinators screen, recruit, and enroll pediatric patients admitted to American Family Children’s Hospital emergency department with acute respiratory infections to determine the exact proportion caused by rhinoviruses.
Researchers: Ellen Wald, MD, professor and chair emerita, and Greg DeMuri, MD, professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Research Coordinators & Nurses
Helena Ikenberry
Elizabeth Johnson, BSN, RN
Jennie Matthews
Alexis Oliver
Natasha Pedone-Kahle, BSN, RN
Aria Peng
