This document summarizes the career of Dr. Rebecca Cunningham in academic emergency medicine and injury prevention research over nearly 30 years. It describes her progression from emergency medicine residency training in the late 1990s to becoming Vice President for Research. As an emergency physician, her research initially focused on preventing firearm injuries and violence among youth. This expanded to larger community-based intervention studies and developing emergency medicine training programs in Ghana. Her current role continues to support injury prevention research and new initiatives in areas like hydrogen energy and bridging the funding gap for university startups.

1. Reflections on a
Research Career in
Academic Emergency
Medicine
Rebecca Cunningham, M.D.
Vice President for Research
William G. Barsan Collegiate Professor of Emergency Medicine
Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education

2. Health Care and Emergency
Medicine are a Window into
our Community.
A window we are privileged to see.

3. From the start, a view of
Emergency Medicine focused
on a public health, upstream
approach.
How to keep people out of our
trauma bay.

4. EMERGENCY MEDICINE
A PERFECT CAREER MATCH
Emergency Medicine
"The love of running toward
crisis"
"Love of being the safety
net for the communities
and people"
Dr. William G. Barsan described emergency medicine providers (before 1980) as
"upstarts." A mix of idealists eager to serve the underserved without regard to financial
benefit. Entrepreneurs forming group practices to retail emergency services. Doctors
who enjoyed the relatively regular hours or the thrill of the unexpected. Or both.
1996-1999
Residency in the Section of Emergency Medicine (in
the Department of Surgery)
July 1, 1999
Emergency Medicine became a Medical School
Department; my first day as Attending M.D. in U-M ED

5. 1996
DICKEY AMENDMENT
1999
START POSTDOC RESEARCH

6. after a firearm-related injury 52%**
"Many of the patients at highest risk for violence utilize the ED as their
primary or sole access point to the health care system"
97% of injured patients in EDs are treated and released
"Although some EDs attempt violence prevention, many still provide no
evaluation of risk for future violent injury"
We "treat and street" and are surprised when they come back re-injured
BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRAUMA BAY
THE PREVENTION OF VIOLENT INJURY AMONG YOUTH
R. Cunningham, Lynda M Knox, J. Fein, S. Harrison, K. Frisch, M. Walton, R. Dicker, Deane Calhoun, Marla Becker, S. Hargarten

7. IN 2002
Clear research in medicine and clinical
protocol in child abuse and elder abuse
Completely missing was research in the
realm of teen peer and partner violence
Most of the deaths were by gun, but this
was 2002
We did not say the F word (firearm) - we
said "violence"

8. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
WHERE THE PIPELINE GETS LEAKY
Solutions
Peer networks and financial
incentive for research
YOUNG GROWING
FAMILY
STUDENT DEBT NEW MORTGAGE

9. Screen and Intervention Violence Prevention
for Youth 14-18 seeking ED care

10. Compare youth with assault
injury and youth with other
reasons for ED visit
Identify risk factors and
context of event causing
injury to inform intervention
Understand
characteristics of youth
with assault injury

11. Multifaceted youth violence prevention
program testing six interventions focused
at multiple ecological levels in an
intervention neighborhood as compared
to a comparison neighborhood
Community Policing
Clean and Green Initiatives
SafERteens/ Sync (ED-based BI)
Youth Empowerment Solutions
Father and Sons
Targeted Outreach Mentoring
YVPC Director PI Zimmerman/Co-Director
Cunningham. Grant # U01 CE001957: CDC

12. EMERGENCY ROOM INTERVENTIONS
IS THIS EMERGENCY MEDICINE?

13. KOMFO ANOKYE TEACHING HOSPITAL (KATH)
GHANA EMERGENCY MEDICINE COLLABORATIVE

14. U-M Emergency Medicine helped develop
program in collaboration with the Ghana
College of Physicians and Surgeons
First Trainees begin in October, 2009 at
KNUST/Komfo Anoyke Teaching Hospital
Barsan, Donkor, Oteng, Carter and more
Launch of first Emergency Medicine
Residency in Ghana

15. INJURY PREVENTION RESEARCH AT U-M
1985
Injury in America
published
1997
Ron Maio
U-M IRC founded
2010
Merge to form U-M
Injury Center
2019-2024
Now U-M Injury
Prevention Center
Renewed
2012
U-M Injury Center
receives CDC
funding
2006
Cunningham
starts as Director
EM based IRC
.5 RA and high
hopes
1987
First 5 CDC Injury
Centers funded

16. AND LIFE GOES ON ...

17. 2016
A GOOD TIME FOR A SABBATICAL?

20. 1999-2020
CURRENT CAUSES OF
DEATH IN CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENTS IN THE U.S.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE, 2022
GOLDSTICK, CUNNINGHAM, CARTER

21. GUN VIOLENCE CONTINUES
AND CAREER RETURNS TO WHERE IT BEGAN

23. As one of the nation's leading public research
universities, innovative work led by the University of
Michigan addresses emerging challenges, spurs new
technologies and drives the economy.
Catalyze Support Safeguard
The Office of the Vice President for Research partners with units across
all three campuses to catalyze, support and safeguard U-M research.

24. OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH
INSTITUTE FOR FIREARM INJURY PREVENTION
Launched as a presidential initiative in 2019, the institute
engages the breadth of expertise across U-M, with input from
nonacademic stakeholders, to generate knowledge and
advance solutions that will decrease firearm injury nationwide.

25. OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH
MI HYDROGEN
With growing interest around wider
adoption of hydrogen and its potential
economic and environmental benefits,
U-M launched a new initiative in 2022 to
address knowledge gaps and develop
strategies to help society transition
toward an energy future that is
equitable, affordable, clean and secure.

26. OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH
BOLD CHALLENGES
Launched as a universitywide initiative in 2021, OVPR recently designed a
new phase to support researchers across disciplines in their pursuit of
large-scale awards from government, industry and foundations.
Building Trustworthy Environments Strength Through Sustainability
Smart Health Systems
2023 Research Themes

27. The Accelerate Blue Fund, launched in 2019, aims to bridge
the funding gap between initial launch and angel/VC
funding for startups based on U-M intellectual property.

28. EMERGENCY MEDICINE TRAINING
IS
MANAGEMENT TRAINING

29. WEB
research.umich.edu
SOCIAL
@StrohCunningham