Last April, the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (FIPI) launched with a $4.5 million investment from the CU School of Medicine to work toward preventing firearm-related injuries and deaths in homes and communities across Colorado and the U.S. through collaboration, research, and education.

Colleen Miracle | April 23, 2024

Cheers erupted from a crowd gathered at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on April 19 as leaders at the CU School of Medicine and the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) signed an educational partnership agreement, a historic moment that will open a breadth of opportunities for both institutions.

Tayler Shaw | April 23, 2024

Bethany Kwan, PhD, MSPH, associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and an ACCORDS investigator, and Matthew DeCamp, MD, associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine and the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, received a $2.1 million funding award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

Melissa Santorelli | April 23, 2024

A team of researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative and collaborators published a study in JAMA Network Open today on the impact of Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) in Colorado’s “Second Amendment Sanctuaries.”

Colleen Miracle | April 01, 2024

Speakers at the CU Climate & Health Program’s symposium called for stronger local partnerships to address adverse health impacts.

Mark Couch | March 07, 2024

While critical care, a sub-specialty of emergency medicine, remains a male-dominated field, a team of women physicians at the University of Colorado School of Medicine are hoping to close the gender gap through their leadership.

Colleen Miracle | March 06, 2024

In 2021, approximately 70% of U.S. service members who died by suicide did so with a firearm, most commonly a personal, rather than military-issued, firearm. National leaders and public health experts, including the White House in January 2024, have encouraged approaches to promote secure storage of home firearms. Researchers are now interested in who is the most effective messenger to encourage secure storage. 

Colleen Miracle | February 22, 2024

The constant change in climate and increasing need for medical personnel on military battlefields across the globe opens opportunity for new research on medical care in extreme temperatures. Research collaborators working with the University of Colorado Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research are helping to improve the future of combat care with revolutionary research on arctic medicine.

Mara Kalinoski | February 16, 2024

The University of Colorado School of Medicine is proud of our faculty's work that contributes to UCHealth's annual rankings on the U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals. These rankings are important as many students, residents, faculty, and patients consider these rankings when deciding where to train, practice and receive care.

School of Medicine | February 01, 2024

For the first time in Colorado, a survey has been conducted to gather residents’ perceptions and beliefs around firearm injury risk, ownership, storage, and opportunities for prevention. The survey, which will be repeated yearly, will help inform ongoing firearm injury prevention strategies and advance the understanding of firearm-related topics that pertain to Colorado.

Colleen Miracle | January 10, 2024

With Colorado home to six military bases, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has become a hub for active-duty medical students, fellows, and collaborators. With a commitment to providing a supportive learning and work environment, the CU Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research has grown its research scholar and fellow programs along with supporting active-duty and National Guardsman research collaborators.

Colleen Miracle | January 05, 2024

In 2023, the University of Colorado Department of Emergency Medicine celebrated the launch of the CU Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative and the Program for EMS and Prehospital Care, while introducing brand new research in emergency airway management, mental health, critical trauma care, and more.

Emergency medicine faculty grew education and collaboration efforts by bringing renowned, national leaders in medicine to campus, hosting seminars and discussions on firearm injury prevention, leading a toxicology fellowship, presenting research at conferences worldwide, and mentoring military collaborators, researchers, and students.

Colleen Miracle | December 18, 2023

Each year, an estimated five million Americans age 60 or older will experience some form of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Daniel Lindberg, MD, professor of emergency medicine in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has seen an increase reflected in elder abuse cases in the emergency department at UCHealth.

Colleen Miracle | November 30, 2023

Last Friday was a valuable learning opportunity for some students and residents in the University of Colorado School of Medicine and other schools on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. 

Greg Glasgow | November 21, 2023

Last month, the Cape-Colorado-Combat (C3) Global Trauma Network received two research grants totaling $4.7 million from the United States Department of Defense (DoD). One study will assess how timing of wound care and antibiotics impact infectious complications and multi-organ failure in patients with high-risk injuries. The second will assess timing of critical interventions in patients with life-threatening bleeding from trauma, known as hemorrhagic shock. Both four-year projects will build on the C3 Network’s decade-long experience in collaboratively studying injured patients in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Colleen Miracle | November 10, 2023

Last Thursday, the University of Colorado Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research hosted United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Lester Martínez-López, MD, MPH, on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Colleen Miracle | November 07, 2023

The Pragmatic Research and Trials Core was announced earlier this summer to expand support services for faculty on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. R. Mark Gritz, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Health Care Policy and Research at the CU School of Medicine and ACCORDS director of operations, will lead the new core within ACCORDS.

Melissa Santorelli | November 03, 2023

A light rain began to patter on the yellowing fall leaves as, one by one, dozens of people – many in white lab coats and green scrubs – lay down on concrete benches or the grass. Others sat with their heads bowed, as if to meditate, or pray, or ponder the pain and injustice that had brought them there.

Mark Harden | October 12, 2023

Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, has been elected as a new member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Betz, director of the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative and professor of emergency medicine in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is the sixth faculty member from the CU School of Medicine to receive the honor from NAM. Becoming a NAM member is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Colleen Miracle | October 09, 2023

The effects of climate change continue to rise across the globe, with increased occurrences of extreme and intense weather. The consequences not only impact the environment, but the changes pose a significant threat to our health.

Mara Kalinoski | October 04, 2023

She was only 22 when Kathleen Flarity began attracting attention. As one of nine women in a U.S. Army airborne class of 500 men, Flarity and her fellow female service members were being pushed hard in an environment not yet welcoming of their gender.

Debra Melani | September 25, 2023

Preventing suicide among military service members and their family members is one of the top priorities for the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The 2021 DoD Annual Suicide Report found that 70% of suicides among service members are enacted with a firearm, as are 60% of suicides among service member spouses.

Colleen Miracle | September 22, 2023

Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, director of the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative and professor of emergency medicine in the CU School of Medicine, led a study that examined Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) cases for older adults in six states. The study was funded by the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research and published earlier this month in the journal Clinical Gerontologist.

Colleen Miracle | September 20, 2023

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine continue to inform medical practice on military battlefields and provide time-sensitive solutions. Faculty in the CU Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Department of Anesthesiology, and their research teams are leading a myriad of projects to improve care for critically ill, trauma, and burn patients, as well as investigating mental health and resiliency care for military communities.

Colleen Miracle | August 25, 2023

The negative impacts of opioids and drug overdoses continue to rise, and toxicologists are helping to lead the way to address the crisis.

Colleen Miracle | August 16, 2023

Christopher Knoepke, PhD, MSW, LCSW, law enforcement lead for the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative, received a two-year grant from the Fund for a Safer Future and is leading a project with the Colorado Attorney General’s office and law enforcement agencies throughout the state to create new videos and discussion guides on extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs).

Colleen Miracle | August 15, 2023

Denver-area magazine 5280 released its list of top doctors for 2023, and CU School of Medicine faculty members continue to be ranked among the best. Congratulations to the more than 200 CU School of Medicine faculty members honored with the title "Top Doctor."

School of Medicine | July 31, 2023

The United States has more than 10 times the number of mass shooting incidents than other developed countries, yet little research has shown the distribution and types of shootings, geographically.

Colleen Miracle | July 26, 2023

For patients with severe respiratory failure, tracheal intubation is a life-saving procedure. Health care providers perform intubation in critical care settings using one of two devices: direct or video laryngoscopes.

Colleen Miracle | July 10, 2023

Following worldwide concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on mental health, Ian Stanley, PhD, assistant research professor of emergency medicine in the CU School of Medicine and psychological health lead for the Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research, began investigating whether the pandemic impacted military veterans differently than non-veterans.

Colleen Miracle | June 26, 2023

Supporting a family member who is struggling with mental health becomes even more crucial when the family member has access to a firearm. Many firearm suicide attempts are made hastily, after only deliberating a few minutes to a few hours, and 90% of attempts are fatal.

Colleen Miracle | June 05, 2023

The University of Colorado School of Medicine has officially launched the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative, bringing CU Anschutz experts together to serve as a trusted community and national resource for firearms-related research and solutions.

Colleen Miracle | April 24, 2023

On Monday, the Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research welcomed NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, MD, to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where he presented at a distinguished leader seminar on “The Challenges of Medical Care in Space: A Perspective From Low Earth Orbit and the Future of Human Spaceflight."

Colleen Miracle | April 12, 2023

According to the 2020 Department of Defense (DoD) Annual Suicide Report, approximately 60%-80% of suicides among service members are enacted with a firearm. The DoD and other stakeholders recommend lethal means safety counseling (LMSC), a type of intervention intended to reduce firearm suicide risk among military service members.

Colleen Miracle | April 06, 2023

On Wednesday, The Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research hosted leaders from Uniformed Services University (USU) on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus for a research affiliation agreement ceremony to highlight the continued research partnership between USU and the CU School of Medicine.

Colleen Miracle | March 17, 2023

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow came to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on Friday for presentations on two initiatives that received Community Project Funding in the federal budget approved by Congress in December.

Mark Couch | February 24, 2023

Emergency medical services (EMS), or prehospital care teams, are the first medical contact for people needing immediate care and because of that they can have significant impact on how treatment will continue. Due to environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic factors, some patients don’t get the care they need, presenting EMS leadership with challenges to improve access to quality and equitable care.

Colleen Miracle | February 21, 2023

Ramona Koren remembers “falling apart” when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a decade ago. Her life turned upside down, and she had “no clue” what to do next.

Chris Casey | February 15, 2023

Today’s world is riven by Russia’s war in Ukraine, dangers from biological and chemical weapons, increasing rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and growing challenges for first responders and medics dealing with high-stress situations.

Chris Casey | February 14, 2023

In her two decades of working in emergency medicine, Jacqueline Ward-Gaines, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has devoted much of herself to almost every patient scenario imaginable and seen dozens of cohorts graduate medical school and complete their residencies. Consequently, she has also come face-to-face with disparities and biases that exist in health care.

Colleen Miracle | February 01, 2023

Last week, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), launched a first-of-its-kind national data dashboard of non-fatal opioid overdoses across the country.

Colleen Miracle | December 16, 2022

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has identified firearm suicide prevention as a key priority, but critical gaps remain in preventing deaths by firearm among service members. According to the 2020 DoD Annual Suicide Report, approximately 60-80% of suicides among service members are enacted with a firearm.

Colleen Miracle | December 06, 2022

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow visited the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on Monday to learn more about current programs and research on the campus that address the U.S. military’s medical needs, including solutions in combat casualty care, critical and emergency care, surgical trauma, and acute mental health. The Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research hosted the visit that included additional CU leadership and research groups for a supportive discussion on current military medical challenges.

Colleen Miracle | December 02, 2022

Cooking during the holidays is a timeless tradition, often an opportunity to share recipes and gather with family and friends. While the holidays are peaceful and joyous for many, the emergency room (ER) staff will tell you a different story.

Colleen Miracle | November 22, 2022

On Veterans Day, we honor those who serve and have served in the U.S. military. For two University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers, Veterans Day is also a time to reflect on the importance of mental health support for veterans at risk for suicide. Through intervention strategies and close collaboration with veterans and clinicians, they are working on strategies and tactics to prevent veteran suicides by firearm.

Colleen Miracle | November 11, 2022

A free Firearm Injury Toolkit was unveiled this week to help more states find voluntary firearm storage sites while setting up online support maps that can help save lives.

Laura Kelley | October 11, 2022

The focus on providing care for those on the front lines continues to grow with more investments in research to improve care for service members on battlegrounds. That research was on full display at this year’s Military Health Science Research Symposium (MHSRS), hosted by the Department of Defense (DOD), where researchers and faculty members from the University of Colorado Department of Emergency Medicine presented new scientific findings. 

Colleen Miracle | September 30, 2022

The University of Colorado School of Medicine has established an Endowed Chair in Climate Medicine to provide transformational training for physicians to address the health consequences of climate change.

Mark Couch | September 08, 2022

An important step in addressing the growing crisis of suicide by firearm among active-duty military servicemembers involves asking not only why these deaths are happening, but how.

Rachel Sauer | June 09, 2022

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) signed an official Educational Partnership Agreement on May 18. The agreement will facilitate collaborations between military personnel and CU, including joint research, internships and ongoing relationships with DHA experts.

Laura Veith | May 20, 2022

Adit Ginde, MD, already had a hunch that most hospitalized trauma patients were receiving too much oxygen, but when the U.S Department of Defense came to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus looking for solutions to problems around battlefield oxygen, he saw the chance to put his theory to the test. 

Greg Glasgow | March 16, 2022

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has been designated an Age-Friendly University for its leadership in research, education and care for older adults.

Julia Milzer | January 11, 2022

The University of Colorado Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus have become the first research university in the state to attain status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), according to a recent designation by the U.S. Department of Education.

Staff | October 26, 2021

A research-based training program for South African paramedics led by the University of Colorado School of Medicine is improving South African trauma care while also identifying innovations that U.S. military combat medics could use to treat battlefield wounds.

Mark Couch | October 12, 2021

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have been awarded a $1.7 million National Institutes of Health grant for a national study designed to improve firearm safety for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

School of Medicine | September 17, 2021

Celebrating exceptional women on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus? No problem.

Kiley Carroll | August 31, 2021

Dr. Bebarta was awarded a highly competitive NIH R21 research grant to study the use of thiosulfate for chlorine gas exposures, which can cause deadly respiratory symptoms in military or industrial exposures.

Unknown Author | August 19, 2021

Ligia Batista-Silverman has received one of three injury and violence prevention awards from the Program for Injury Prevention Education and Research (PIPER).  

Ms. Batista-Silverman is a medical student who also works as a program coordinator for the Lindberg lab. Her project “Evaluating Contacts of Children Presenting for Suspected Physical Abuse: Understanding Disparities, Preventing Injuries” is the first to obtain external funding for the CAPNET research network. She will measure compliance with guidelines for injury testing in the siblings and other contacts of abused children.

Unknown Author | June 02, 2021

The nation has been coping with the pandemic for more than a year, and in this time, researchers have learned a great deal about how to treat COVID-19. Yet they have also been faced with what they still must learn, including how to reach the individuals who have been most dramatically impacted by the disease.

Unknown Author | March 18, 2021

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) has been shown to improve outcomes for patients dealing with substance use disorder. The University of Colorado Department of Emergency Medicine is a leader in bringing MAT to the emergency setting, but there is much work to do before MAT is available to most emergency patients.

Dr. Comstock, in partnership with the Hoppe Lab, was awarded the EMF/NIDA Mentored Training Award in Substance Use Disorders Science Dissemination to fund their project: Defining and Addressing Barriers to Buprenorphine Prescribing in Emergency Departments Across a Healthcare System. 

Unknown Author | December 11, 2020

Providers don protective gear before entering procedure rooms where the enemy lurks. They spend their days under rapid fire, battling to save patients’ lives while protecting their own. The ever-present enemy rules their workdays and even follows them home.

Debra Melani | December 03, 2020

Kathleen Flarity, DNP, PhD, the Deputy Director of the COMBAT Center, was recently promoted to the Rank of Brigadier General and will serve as the interim Command Surgeon for the US Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC). 

AMC is one of the largest commands in the US military, and oversees a budget of $781M with $1.6B in assets in support of 6,250 personnel to lead en route combat casualty care for the future battlefield.  She is the first woman to hold this senior leadership position.

Unknown Author | October 22, 2020

As we learn more and more about the dangers of opioid pain medications, alternative approaches for chronic pain are desperately needed, especially for older patients where the side effects of pain medications can be the most problematic. Dr. Lauren Abbate received a grant from the Emergency Medicine Foundation to study non-pharmacologic treatments, including exercise and weight management, for non-traumatic knee pain in older veterans.

Unknown Author | October 09, 2020

The C3 (Cape-Colorado-COMBAT) Global Trauma Network was awarded a pair of research grants funded by the US Department of Defense to study trauma outcomes in the Western Cape of South Africa over a 5-year period. The study is nicknamed “EpiC” (the official title is, “Epidemiology and Outcomes of Combat-Relevant Prolonged Trauma Care: a Prospective Multicenter Prehospital Study in South Africa.”)

In this exciting study, the co-PI’s, Dr. Nee-Kofi Mould-Millman and Dr. Adit Ginde, have brought together a large team of multi-disciplinary collaborators and co-investigators from the University of Colorado, Denver Health, the US military, and multiple institutions in South Africa, led by Stellenbosch University. This EMS-trauma-emergency medicine collaborative project leverages 6-years’ worth of research experience and infrastructure built by the team.

The study will help answer several high-priority questions on how time and early resuscitative interventions impact morbidity and mortality in critically-injured trauma patients. The answers to these questions are needed to improve care of injured military and civilian populations, worldwide. The team plans to recruit about 100,000 trauma patients in their exceptionally high-trauma environment in the Western Cape of South Africa. 

The research team anticipates that this project will lay the foundation for additional focused studies on specific trauma sub-populations, for example, persons with severe traumatic brain injuries and those with hemorrhagic shock.

Internal Article | September 09, 2020

Trends in Emergency Department Visits and Hospital Admissions in Health Care Systems in 5 States in the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US

JAMA Network | August 03, 2020

With support from the Colorado Department of Public Safety, and in partnership with the Division of Geriatrics, Drs. Lindberg and Yannetsos will establish a statewide Vulnerable Elder Protection Team (VEPT). One of only a few such teams in the country, this program will leverage the success of our world-class forensic nurse examiner program and the model of the child protection team, established at the University of Colorado more than 50 years ago. 

Unknown Author | August 01, 2020

Until now, technological upheavals have emanated from the usual hubs, such as Cupertino, Calif., (Google) and Seattle (Amazon). More and more, however, the best minds are coming to Colorado, where the healthcare space sits ripe for innovation.

Chris Casey | February 11, 2020

In 2019, nearly 31,000 people have died due to gun violence. Suicide by firearm represents nearly two-thirds of those deaths. As an emergency physician at CU Anschutz, Emmy Betz, MD, sees multiple patients with suicidal thoughts on every ER shift. “It’s a huge part of my job,” Betz said. “Sometimes I have to stop being a doctor and just be a person, to let people know I’m glad they came in and that tomorrow will be better.”

Guest Contributor | October 22, 2019

The explosion of big data promises potential breakthroughs in disease treatments, but, just as in the development of new drugs, scientists and clinicians must exercise caution in how they apply algorithms and other technologies, according to a CU Anschutz panel of experts.

Chris Casey | February 21, 2019

Congratulations to Nee-Kofi Mould-Millman, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine, who has been selected to take part in the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program. Nee-Kofi’s project, “Implementing a Novel Prehospital Shock Care Training Program in a Resource-Constrained African Setting,” will be conducted at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program is designed to avert Africa’s brain drain, build capacity at the host institutions, and develop long-term, mutually beneficial collaborations between universities in Africa and the United States and Canada. It is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and managed by the Institute of International Education in collaboration with United States International University-Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Unknown Author | May 06, 2016