Crash Injury Research

Presented by: Alicia Chavez, Senior Research Analyst; National Study Center for Trauma & EMS

Room 205

The CIREN process combines prospective data collection with professional multidisciplinary analysis of medical and engineering evidence to determine injury causation in every crash investigation conducted.

The mission of the CIREN is to improve the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of motor vehicle crash injuries to reduce deaths, disabilities, and human and economic costs.

The current CIREN model utilizes two types of centers, medical and engineering Medical centers are based at level one trauma centers that admit large numbers of people injured in motor vehicle crashes, such as R. Adams Cowley at the University of Maryland. These teams are led by experienced trauma surgeons and emergency physicians. The teams will also include a trained crash investigator and project coordinator. Engineering centers are based at academic engineering laboratories that have extensive experience in motor vehicle crash and human injury research. Engineering teams’ partner with trauma centers or emergency rooms to enroll crash victims into the CIREN program. Engineering teams are led by highly experienced mechanical engineers, typically trained in the area of biomechanics. Engineering teams also include trauma/emergency physicians, a crash investigator and a project coordinator. Either type of team typically includes additional physicians and/or engineers, epidemiologists, nurses and other researchers.