MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 17 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:
Ben Zarzaur, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of Surgery in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, is the recipient of a $300,000 research grant from the National Trauma Institute (NTI). Dr. Zarzaur's study is one of nine awarded grants this year by NTI, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding trauma research in the United States in an effort to reduce death and disability, and the associated costs, related to trauma injury.
Dr. Zarzaur will study blunt splenic injury (BSI), which affects nearly 39,000 adults in the United States each year due to traumatic incidents such as car crashes and falls. Dr. Zarzaur seeks to fill a gap in medical knowledge regarding the risk of sudden spleen rupture for BSI patients after they have been discharged from the hospital. Zarzaur's team will follow 1,000 patients with BSI from 11 trauma centers across the country for six months in order to obtain an accurate estimate of the six-month risk of spleen rupture after BSI. His team will also seek to enumerate the factors associated with delayed splenic rupture and determine which of several treatments are best for patients with a BSI. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) is providing coordinating support for the study and served as the source through which the participating trauma centers were recruited.
'This research will be significant because we expect it to lead to the development of strategies to reduce risks for adults with BSI while preserving the most spleens,' said Dr. Zarzaur. 'We are grateful to NTI for providing the funds required to pursue this much-needed trauma research and to AAST for acting as the conduit for the connection to NTI.'
NTI is committed to facilitating translational research - that is, research whose results may affect the practice of medicine and patient outcomes in the near-term. Dr. Zarzaur's study and the other eight funded by NTI in this cycle will get under way this year and may be completed within one year. Preliminary results from the principal investigators may be presented at the NTI's Annual Trauma Symposium in 2012.
To sign up to receive announcements related to research funding opportunities, visit the NTI website at www.nationaltraumainstitute.org and go to the Research page.
About the National Trauma Institute
The National Trauma Institute (NTI) is a non-profit organization that assembles public and private resources to support trauma research across the country, sets a national trauma research agenda, and supports military and civilian innovation and collaboration in trauma care and research. This year, NTI will distribute $2.46 million in grants to nine important studies. Since 2008, the organization has awarded $4 million to 16 studies taking place in 20 states. To learn more about NTI, visit www.nationaltraumainstitute.org.
About the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com
Sheila Champlin, 901/448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu; Dena Owens, 901/448-4957, dnaons@uthsc.edu.
