Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2009

Mentor: Joseph P. Minei, MD
Department: Surgery
Room number: E5.514
Mail Code: 9158
Phone number: X8-7295
E-mail: joseph.minei@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Radiation exposure from diagnostic studies after trauma

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): pending

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects): Patient-based research

Brief Description of Project: After severe injury, patients undergo many diagnostic radiological tests to identify potential injuries. It is our hypothesis that patients with more severe injury will sustain greater radiation exposure. We plan to do a retrospective study that looks at injury severity as the independent variable and radiation exposure as the dependent variable. This analysis will be controlled for many potential confounding variables that are associated with trauma. The findings may lead to new diagnostic protocols that attempt to limit radiation exposure in the evaluation of injured patients.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:
Eastman, AL, Muraliraj, V, Minei JP. CTA-BASED SCREENING REDUCES TIME TO DIAGNOSIS AND STROKE RATE IN BLUNT CERVICAL VASCULAR INJURY. J Trauma (accepted for publication) 2009