While there are several independent research initiatives within the department, including research in pediatric trauma, evaluation of acute coronary syndromes and acute poisoning, the focus of research in the department is the VCURES center, or the Virginia Commonwealth University Reanimation Engineering and Shock center.

It is a ground-breaking collaborative research consortium which was founded by the Department of Emergency Medicine along with the Departments of Surgery and Anesthesiology and has grown to include over 40 schools and departments throughout the University.

The already aggressively funded center is focused on research on Shock and other hypoperfusion and hypoxic states including hemorrhagic shock, sepsis, sickle cell anemia, and congestive heart failure. Most of the department’s financial support comes from grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. The center is performing innovative research in the areas of non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring, goal-directed resuscitation, hemostatic measures to be used by the military and civilian Emergency Medical Services, and the use of hemoglobin substitutes to name a few examples.

All of the centers projects are open to resident participation.There is also an opportunity for a research fellowship for graduates of Emergency Medicine residency program funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department’s Emergency Medicine Foundation.