Em. Med. Annual Report 2011 - Hennepin County Medical Center

The Research Associate Program
In the Fall of 2000, 29 undergraduates and seven medical students arrived at Hennepin County Medical
Centerʼs (HCMC) Emergency Department to begin the Research Associate (RA) Program. The program
was developed by Drs. Jim Miner and Michelle Biros to promote clinical research in our busy Emergency
Department. The students came from many different backgrounds and academic institutions, but shared
one thing in common – an interest in medicine and improving patient care through research. Joseph
Mayerle, a current resident who participated in the program starting in 2004 when he was an
undergraduate at Boston College, described the program as a “one-of-kind thing. I really, really looked
around the country for opportunities, but there is nothing else like this and I am so glad to be a part of this
program.” Today, Mayerle is in his second year of residency in Emergency Medicine at HCMC and will be
one of our Chief Residents next year.
Since 2000, the RA program has grown to 70 volunteers, consisting of medical students and
undergraduate students, who volunteer in four to eight hour shifts to work on clinical studies in the ED. In
addition, Research Associates are trained in subjectsʼ rights and human subjects research prior to
involvement in clinical research. RAs are responsible for approaching patients to tell them about the
study, gain consent, and collect data. Scheduling and communication with the volunteers in the HCMC
Research Associate Program is done through the program website at www.hcmced.org. Many of the RAs
go on to medical school, PA school, or nursing school. Fifteen medical students starting in the University
of Minnesota Medical School Class of 2014 had been part of the RA program. Johanna Moore, a recent
graduate from HCMCʼs Emergency Medicine Residency Program, and our current Research Fellow, was
an RA during all four years of medical school.
The RA program is very competitive, with about 100 applicants a semester. The RAs have the opportunity
to interact one-on-one with patients, shadow doctors, and attend Stab conference and research lectures.
The research associates meet with Dr. Miner to discuss ongoing research projects and for lectures on
general topics in clinical research. The studies that the RAs are involved in range from looking at ways to
manage pain to investigating new treatments for shock. The program has become an important part of both
our Departmentʼs success in research and in exposing future doctors to Emergency Medicine Research.
Becca Nelson
RA Coordinator
Research
Associates,
Summer 2010
Department of Emergency Medicine Activities Report | 2009-2010 | 39