Research Learning Series (RLS) - What Your Research Team Wishes You Knew

Moderator: Cole Ettingoff, MPH

Panelists: Julie Stilley, PhD, Rebecca Cash, PhD, NPR, and Valerie Mika, MS

Objectives:

Recognize the important role of non-clinical researchers within emergency medicine research and the wealth of knowledge they offer
Identify best practices for optimizing working relationships between clinical and non-clinical researchers

Authors

Cole Ettingoff, MPH

Medical Student

Trinity School of Medicine
Cole Ettingoff is a medical student at Trinity School of Medicine. He serves on several SAEM committees, chairs the ACEP Social EM Section working group on program evaluation and implementation, and leads several projects within NAEMSP. Prior to medical school, Cole worked in public health; first for the city of San Francisco, where his focus was on social determinants of health and improving quality of care. Then, in Montgomery County, Maryland, Cole helped lead the county-wide COVID task force and helped build a mobile integrated health program. He has been active in several leadership roles in the American Public Health Association and the American Association of Public Health Physicians, including chair of APHA's 2024 Symposium on Responding to Behavioral Health Emergencies. He is passionate about improving the quality of care for acute conditions in the prehospital and ED settings. He has a special interest in integrating the principles of EM, EMS, and public health in embracing EM's role as the ultimate safety net to collaborate and offer improvements for health outcomes.
Julie A. Stilley, PhD

Director of EM Research

University of Missouri
Julie Stilley, PhD, is an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Missouri and the Director of Emergency Medicine Research. Originally trained as a traditional bench scientist, she was invited to restructure the Research Division in the Department of Emergency Medicine in the School of Medicine. There she facilitates all aspects of research from state-wide EMS programs, grant-funded projects and collaborations, medical student and resident research mentorship, and investigator-initiated or sponsored clinical trials. She has experience in a wide variety of research activities, but finds mentorship most rewarding.
Rebecca Cash, PhD, MPH, NRP

Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine

Harvard Medical School

Rebecca Cash, PhD, MPH, NRP, is an assistant professor of emergency medicine (EM) at Harvard Medical School. She received her undergraduate degree from Boston University, her Master of Public Health from the University of Louisville, and her PhD in epidemiology from The Ohio State University. Dr. Cash completed an emergency medical services (EMS) research fellowship at the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians during her doctoral training.
Dr. Cash has over a decade of experience working in EMS, first working on an ambulance as an emergency medical technician and paramedic, and now as an EMS researcher. Her research focus is on describing and understanding the EMS workforce, occupational health and safety of EMS professionals, and prehospital care. She is particularly interested in the sleep health and cardiovascular disease risks of EMS professionals. Dr. Cash is currently a faculty member of the Emergency Medicine Network (EMNet), a multi-center collaboration that aims to improve public health through projects in emergency care.
Valerie Mika, MS

Administrative Director for Research

Wayne State University
Valerie Mika is the Director of Clinical Research Operations in the Department of Emergency Medicine Research at Wayne State University. She overlooks operations at Detroit Receiving Hospital, Sinai Grace Hospital, and Harper University Hospital. She has been working in the Department for the past 16 years. She received her B.S. in Biomedical Physics with University Honors and her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering at Wayne State University. Valerie has helped submit three large NIH funded consortium grants that have been funded in the department. She is currently finishing up her PhD in Biomedical Engineering. Valerie’s passion is emergency research.