RESEARCH
Unlocking Potential: Integrating Non-Clinical Faculty to Enhance Emergency Medicine
SAEM PULSE | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2024
By Alexis Zebrowski, PhD, and Priyanka Vakkalanka, PhD, on behalf of the SAEM Research Committee
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In the fast-paced and unpredictable environment of emergency medicine (EM), nonclinical faculty play an essential role in enhancing value within the department. These experts — often trained in fields such as epidemiology and biostatistics — contribute fundamental skills in research, data analytics, and education, ensuring that patient care and research efforts are both efficient and effective. Nonclinical faculty can support operational needs and foster a collaborative culture with clinical and administrative staff. They drive initiatives that optimize efficiency, enhance education for trainees, and contribute to research efforts
that advance the field. This article explores the roles of nonclinical faculty in EM, highlighting the importance of having these faculty members on the team and their pivotal role in integrating analytics within the department.
Research
Nonclinical faculty in EM often hold doctoral degrees (e.g., Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Public Health, Doctor of Science) that enable them to pose research-driven questions using advanced analytical approaches. They think, write, and analyze for a living. Unfortunately, the proportion of PhD faculty in emergency medicine is smaller than in any other medical specialty. EM
ranks last among clinical specialties across several National Institutes of Health (NIH) metrics and has been identified as a target for improvement by the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine (AACEM). Nonclinical faculty can collaborate with clinical faculty to achieve the 2030 target goals in EM set forth by the AACEM Research Task Force regarding NIH funding targets (See Figure 1). Nonclinical faculty can also serve as methodological collaborators on large grants. Their contributions include developing scholarly products (e.g., grants, manuscripts, presentations at scientific meetings), facilitating direct access