The Prehospital Medicine Research Group is currently conducting a number of ongoing studies funded by internal and external grants and awards:
Specialty Training at Rural Sites (STARS) – Pediatric Prehospital Care
This project aims to close a critical gap in rural pediatric emergency care by providing advanced, hands-on training to EMS providers in rural communities. The new program is led by the BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine in partnership with Berlin EMS and Southern Green Lake County Ambulance, and is supported by a pilot grant from the Orion Initiative.
Unlike traditional simulation programs that require EMS personnel to travel to urban centers, STARS-Pediatric Prehospital Care is a mobile training initiative that brings education directly to rural communities. This allows EMS personnel to train alongside UW–Madison faculty experts in pediatric emergency medicine and EMS systems, while practicing real-world scenarios to prepare for the moments that matter most.
Starting in January 2026, Green Lake EMS providers received advanced pediatric simulation training using robotic manikins so they can provide the cutting-edge care that could be essential to their patients.
Related story: Department receives Orion Initiative grant to improve rural emergency care for children
CARES (Cardiac Arrest Registry for Enhanced Survival)
Our participation in CARES (Cardiac Arrest Registry for Enhanced Survival) began in 2016 with expert guidance from our EMS researchers. This was a collaborative effort nationwide between the Dane County Emergency Management office, numerous EMS agencies, several local hospitals, and the CARES leadership team. Participation in this out-of-hospital cardiac arrest registry will enable us to compare patient populations, interventions, and outcomes locally to the national benchmarks with the goal of identifying opportunities to improve quality of care and ascertain whether resuscitation is provided according to evidence-based guidelines.
Local Fire/EMS Career Pathway Program
The BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine is partnering with the Madison Fire Department to pilot a career pathway internship program to open doors to local firefighting and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) careers in Dane County. The project is funded by a Community Impact Grant from the Wisconsin Partnership Program.
The full-time, paid internship combines hands-on field experience, structured mentorship, academic advising and tuition support. Interns work alongside Madison Fire crews while progressing toward an associate degree at Madison College, gaining both practical skills and professional credentials.
By the end of the program, interns will be well positioned to enter competitive, full-time Fire and EMS roles — helping address workforce needs while supporting their transition into stable, mission-driven careers.
Related story: Community partnership creates new pathway into fire and EMS careers
Paramedic-Coached ED Care Transitions to Help Older Adults Maintain their Health
Part of the NIH-funded Emergency Departments LEading the Transformation of Alzheimer’s and Dementia care (ED-LEAD) study, researchers will implement a large nationwide trial that will provide insight as to how standard of care interventions found to be beneficial in smaller, single-site trials may be effective in more diverse settings.
In the CPTI, persons with dementia and their care partners receive individualized coaching from a trained community paramedic during one home visit within 5 days of being discharged from the ED and up to three follow-up phone calls. Coaching may include education on managing medications, coordinating outpatient follow-up, identifying red flag symptoms, maintaining a patient-centered health record, and referring individuals to resources as needed.
Related story: Emergency departments seek to transform Alzheimer’s and dementia care through $55M national research grant
Estimated Time Savings Using Lights and Sirens During Ambulance Transport
This pilot grant-funded study of more than 26,000 ambulance transports in and around Madison, Wisconsin, evaluates the time saved by using lights and sirens. The study uses a contemporary driving model to estimate non-emergency travel times and comparing them against actual transport durations.
The study demonstrates a scalable, low-cost analytic approach using publicly accessible mapping technology that EMS systems nationwide could replicate to generate local evidence. Findings will contribute to ongoing discussions about optimizing prehospital care practices by balancing urgency with safety, and may help inform future evidence-based guidelines on the selective use of lights and sirens in EMS.
Related story: UW study on ambulance safety earns top honor at national EMS conference