Two HES Employees Recognized as EMS10 Innovators

Two members of the Department of Health and Exercise Studies have been awarded the 2015 EMS10 Innovators in EMS award for their work with the Foundation for Prehospital Medicine Research.

Ginny Renkiewicz and Sara Houston, both trained paramedics, established the Foundation for Prehospital Medicine Research, an organization which introduces pre-medicine and paramedic undergraduate students to a data-driven, analytical approach to studying Emergency Medical Services. Each year the foundation sponsors and hosts the EMS Research Summit, affording students the opportunity to gain hands-on clinical research experience, working alongside research professors, EMS providers, and biostatisticians to analyze EMS data and conduct research that many will opt to publish prior to graduation.

With the guidance of experts in the field, students gain the practical experience they’ll need to be competitively recruited and excel after graduation. Undergraduate students and novice researchers are placed into groups with biostatisticians. Prior to the summit, each group is provided with real data that is used to identify a topic for research, which will be conducted over the two day period of the event. The first day is spent learning about the research process, such as how to pick variables, inclusionary/exclusionary criteria, etc. Most of the second day is devoted to writing abstracts and creating sample presentations that are shared at the end of the day. This process helps familiarize students with the culture of research presentations at other state or national conferences.

The EMS Research Summit is an excellent opportunity for students to make valuable connections with industry professionals. To date, Renkiewicz and Houston have taken six paramedic students to the Summit, which is held during the state EMS conference. Since the inception of the EMS Research Summit in 2012, more than 20 abstracts and nearly half a dozen full manuscripts have been published in Prehospital Emergency Care, the preeminent journal in the field of prehospital care.

The EMS 10 is a global award for innovation in the field of prehospital medicine, awarded by the Journal of Emergency Medical Services and sponsored by medical equipment company PhysioControl. Ten individuals from around the world are selected to receive the award each year.