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Current
CIRCL Research Projects
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Faculty
University of Pittsburgh Faculty are involved in many diverse
injury-related research activities spanning many different disciplines.
CIRCL supported projects are listed
below.
To see a list of all
University faculty members (whether CIRCL affiliated or not), by key terms
of their research interests and to access their personal web pages and
publication lists, use these links to search the
Pitt
Faculty Research Interests (FRIP) database:
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Violence,
Child abuse,
Domestic violence,
Suicide,
Safety,
Trauma,
Wounds and injuries,
Accidents,
Seat belts,
Falls,
Brain injuries,
Athletic injuries,
Back injuries,
Poisoning, or
all these terms at once (over 100 faculty).
Projects
Click
here to display a list
of Injury Research Projects at the University of Pittsburgh from 1999
to 2003.
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Survey of Injury Prevention
Activities in PA ED: Successes, Barriers and Opportunities |
Hank Weiss,
MPH, PhD - Principal Investigator
Director, Center for Injury Research and Control
Associate Professor,
Department of Neurological
Surgery
University of Pittsburgh
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The purpose of this survey is to identify and
describe the breadth and depth of injury prevention programs
currently in use and to delineate important implementation barriers.
For that reason, we are asking you to complete a brief (20 minute)
online survey. There are no foreseeable risks associated with this
project. Your name and contact information is requested if we need
to clarify or verify your responses. All responses are confidential
and results will be kept under lock and key. Your participation is
voluntary, and you don't have to answer these questions if you don't
want to. This study is being conducted by Dr. Harold Weiss at the
University of Pittsburgh in cooperation with the Pennsylvania
Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians; he can be
reached at 412.648.2600 if you have any questions. Also see
attached: A Survey of Injury Prevention Activities in Pennsylvania
Emergency Departments. |
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Why Some Generations are More Violent
Than Others: A Contextual Developmental Model for Understanding
Crime Trends |
Anthony Fabio, MPH, PhD -
Principal
Investigator
Center for Injury Research and Control
Department of Neurological
Surgery
University of Pittsburgh
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The purpose of
the grant, "Why Some Generations Are More Violent Than Others": A
Contextual Model for Understanding Crime Trends, is to study trends
in youth violence and to determine the role of social influence on
violence in adolescents over time. Using data from the Pittsburgh
Youth Study, a study of 1,517 inner-city boys from Pittsburgh,
between the ages of 7 and 25 to better understand how and why boys
get involved in delinquent behaviors. Dr. Fabio will look at two age
groups from the study: those 7 years old at the beginning of the
study in 1987, and those aged 13 years at the beginning of the
study.
The older group reported higher rates of violence than the younger
group throughout the study. The primary question that Dr. Fabio and
his colleagues plan to answer is whether this difference is due to
some inherent distinction between the groups, or to some special or
cultural factor such as poor economy, increased gang participation
or drug dealing that played a greater risk during the time that the
older group was growing up. Understanding these differences may help
to predict future increase in violence. |
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Improving the
Diagnosis and Prognosis of Inflicted Head Trauma in Infants |
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Patrick Kochanek, MD - Principal Investigator
Director, Safar
Center
Professor and Vice Chair
Department of Critical Care Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
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Thomas J. Songer, PhD - Co-investigator
Assistant Professor, Epidemiology
University of Pittsburgh
Department
of Epidemiology
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Rachel Berger, MD - Co-Investigator
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Children’s Hospital of
Pittsburgh
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Inflicted traumatic
brain injury (iTBI) is the leading cause of death from brain injury in
infants and young children. Proper diagnosis of iTBI is difficult even for
experienced, astute physicians because its presentation can be subtle and
important historical data are often lacking. Preliminary data in children
show that serum levels of specific biomarkers are sensitive indicators of
both inflicted and non-inflicted TBI. The hypothesis of this project is
that increased levels of these serum biomarkers can be used to indicate
brain injury in a population of infants at increased risk for iTBI. A
positive serum biomarker level does not imply a diagnosis of child abuse;
however, a positive test would suggest the presence of brain injury and the
need for further evaluation. If this approach is successful, it could
potentially help in reducing the incidence of misdiagnosis of iTBI and
ultimately prevent severe or fatal re-injury of these infants.
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The Impact of
Neuroendocrine Hormones & Pathophysiology & Outcomes After TBI |
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Amy Wagner, MD - Principal Investigator
Department of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation
University of Pittsburgh
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Ross Zafonte, DO
- Co-Investigator
Chairman, Department
of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Professor, University of Pittsburgh
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Sue Beers, PhD - Co-Investigator
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh |
Hulya Bair, MD -
Co-Investigator
University of Pittsburgh
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Anthony Fabio, MPH, PhD -
Co-Investigator
Center for Injury Research and Control
Department of Neurological
Surgery
University of Pittsburgh |
Sarah Berga, MD -
Co-Investigator
Emory University
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Traumatic brain
injury (TBI) is an epidemic in the United States, and over five million
people live with disabilities associated with their injury. Approximately
25% of the population with TBI is female, and clinical research studies
indicate that women may have worse outcomes compared to men with similar
injuries. However, bench research studies indicate that ovarian hormones
are “neuroprotective” and seem to reduce a variety of the adverse
biochemical events associated with acute TBI. The purpose of this project
is to evaluate the disparity between “acute neuroprotection” for females and
increased risk for poor outcomes by studying a clinical population with
severe TBI and determining how sex hormone levels affect clinical markers of
injury as well as functional outcomes. This information will shed new light
on possible gender differences in the evolution of TBI and in how men and
women recover. This work will also be valuable for investigators in order
to appropriately incorporate gender into their research design when testing
interventions that reduce the effects of injury and promote recovery after
TBI.
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Managing
Return-to-Play Decisions Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury |
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Mark Stevenson, MD
- Principal Investigator:
Director, Injury Prevention and Trauma Care Division
The George Institute for International Health
Affiliated with The University of Sydney, Australia
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Michael Collins,
PhD - Co-Investigator
Assistant Professor Orthopedic Surgery
Assistant Director, UPMC
Sports Medicine Concussion Program
University of Pittsburgh |
Mark Lovell, PhD
- Co-Investigator
Assistant Professor Orthopedic Surgery
Director, UPMC Sports
Medicine Concussion Program
University of Pittsburgh |
Caroline Finch,
PhD
- Co-Investigator
University of Sydney, Australia
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Contact sports, such
as football, carry a high risk of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). These
injuries have the potential for adverse long-term effects. Despite the
potential to significantly reduce the adverse outcomes of mTBI, there are
conflicting guidelines about when a player should return to play. The aim
of this study is to estimate the incidence of mTBI among high school and
non-elite Australian football players and to develop guidelines to manage
return-to-play decisions following mTBI.
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The Impact of
Pregnancy-Associated Crashes on Birth Outcomes and Infant Survival |
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Hank Weiss,
MPH, PhD - Principal Investigator
Director, Center for Injury Research and Control
Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery
University of Pittsburgh
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Motor vehicle crashes are the leading
cause of maternal death during pregnancy, the leading cause of hospitalized
trauma during pregnancy, and the leading cause of traumatic fetal injury
mortality. Three percent of all pregnancies may be involved in a
police-reported crash. This will be a retrospective study of approximately
14,000 female drivers in Pennsylvania who were pregnant at the time of a
police-reported motor vehicle crash. The project will use modern data
linkage methods to better understand and quantify the impact of
pregnant-driver crashes on birth outcomes including fetal and infant
survival, low birth weight and prematurity. Crash factors, including
severity and geometries, will be derived from police reports. Information
regarding maternal injuries will be identified from linked police, EMS and
hospital data. Infant birth and fetal death certificates will provide
information on adverse reproductive outcomes and those will be correlated
with crash and injury factors as predictors.
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Infant Head
Injury Risk in Falls Using Experimental and Computational Models |
Gina Bertocci, PhD
- Principal Investigator
J.B. Speed School of Engineering
University of Louisville
Louisville KY 40292
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Mary Clyde
Pierce, MD - Co-Investigator
University of Louisville
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The purpose of this
project is to develop and validate computer simulation models to investigate
head injury risk associated with common pediatric falls in one-year-old
children. This will be accomplished by modeling common fall scenarios
involving a one-year-old child using computer simulation techniques;
conducting experiments to validate a computer simulation models using an
anthropomorphic test dummy representing the one-year-old child; and
conducting analyses to determine the influence of various fall environment
factors and initial conditions on head injury risk.
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Pilot Project
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In addition to these projects, Ernest
Deemer, MS, PE, was the principal investigator on a pilot study titled
"Improving Biofidelity of the Hybrid III Three-Year-Old for Long-bone
Fracture Prediction." The goal was to better understand the types of
pediatric injuries associated with common household falls. These same falls
are often falsely reported scenarios in child abuse. By using a
biomechanical approach to investigate falls, we may provide the first step
in aiding in the diagnosis of child abuse. |
Graduate Student
Researcher Information
Publications
Health
Care Costs Associated with Violence in Pennsylvania
A
Population-Based Comparison of Assault Injury Patterns Among Hospitalized Pregnant
Women Compared to all Women of Reproductive Age
Injuries
are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in women of reproductive age.
Injuries to pregnant women increase the risk of fetal loss and pre-term labor.
However, little population-based work has been conducted quantifying the
incidence of hospitalized assaults among pregnant women and research has not
confirmed whether pregnant women are at greater risk for serious violence. The
study tests the hypothesis that the hospitalization rate for assault will be
higher among pregnant women than all women of reproductive age. E-coded (cause
of injury) hospital discharge data will be obtained from selected state hospital
discharge databases. The combined data set will cover at least 20 percent of the U.S. population for 1997, representing
ascertainment of hospitalized injury for over 15 million person-years of
exposure, half-a-million pregnancies, and approximately 4,000 injuries. Data
will be solicited from those states that have mandated E-coding for 2 years or
more, an E-code completeness rate of 90% or better, expected charge information,
and at least 5 diagnosis fields to search for pregnancy related ICD-9-CM codes.
Using a modified ICD-9-CM code selection criteria, combined with injury
identification through diagnosis and E-codes, all women ages 15-44 discharged
with both a pregnancy and an injury related diagnosis will be identified for
descriptive and comparative analyses using rate calculations based on estimated
person years of exposure. This research will promote the use of a standard
technique to measure the burden of the most severe non-fatal violence against
pregnant women, on a state-by-state basis. These
measures can be used for generating hypotheses, prioritizing control programs
and targeting specific demographic and geographic populations for preventive
efforts. It will also result in creation of a large population based sample of
injuries and assaults against women useful for other summary reports and
researchers.
Final Report
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