Message from the CAEP Research Committee Chair

Research is the primary driver of progress and innovation in Emergency Medicine. It can improve the way we work in the emergency department and impacts the care that patients receive across Canada and the world. Where would we be without clinical decision rules, evidence-based practice guidelines, new uses for Point of care ultrasound and a better understanding of the causes and potential solutions for ED overcrowding and access block?  Those examples serve only to name a few. 

Canada is very fortunate in being able to lay claim to an impressive cadre of EM researchers and for a research output that per capita, is unparalleled with any other country in the world.  The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) is firmly committed to the advancement of EM research in Canada through its support of young researchers.

CAEP administers an annual grant competition, which provides funding for five of the most promising grant proposals submitted.  The annual scientific meeting also provides an important venue for the dissemination of research activity in Canada and beyond with over 160 submissions accepted for presentation in 2010.  All accepted abstracts receive that designation after being scored through an online submission and scoring system designed specifically for CAEP’s needs.  Travel support is also provided to the top 10 research submissions by residents who are members of CAEP.

We aim to facilitate the collaborative exchange of ideas among emergency medicine researchers, and to support the further development of research programs across Canada. We hope to encourage participation in research by more emergency physicians, whether as researchers, reviewers or recruiters.

The CAEP Research Committee oversees all of this activity in conjunction with CAEP office staff and welcomes input and suggestions as to how to advance the research enterprise in our specialty.

Paul Atkinson
CAEP Research Committee Chair
Director of Research, Emergency Medicine, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB
Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Dalhousie University
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Memorial University
committees@caep.ca