The Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Pilot Program has played a crucial role in advancing research efforts aimed at improving emergency cardiovascular care. By providing critical early-stage funding and infrastructure, the Wake Forest CTSI enables researchers like Nicklaus Powell Ashburn, MD, MS to rapidly test innovative interventions, laying the groundwork for larger, National Institute of Health (NIH) funded studies.
The Wake Forest CTSI Ignition Award enabled Dr. Ashburn and his team to quickly evaluate an intervention within Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist’s emergency department. This initial testing phase was essential in securing Dr. Ashburn’s NIH/NHLBI K23 funding, as the preliminary data collected through the Wake Forest CTSI Ignition Award were highly regarded by reviewers. One of the key interventions emerging from this research is the Emergency Medicine Risk Assessment for Lipid Disorders (EMERALD) Intervention. This program aims to close a significant gap in care for patients who visit the emergency department with chest pain who have unrecognized or unmanaged cardiovascular disease risk. The intervention consists of several components, such as obtaining a lipid panel in the ED, statin prescriptions for at-risk patients, lifestyle modification recommendations, and referrals to preventive cardiovascular care specialists.
Critical funding played a key role in the team’s success. The NIH/NHLBI K23 award provides 75% protected research and career development time, enabling Dr. Ashburn to conduct the trial while building expertise in biostatistics, clinical trial design and operations, and preventive cardiology. This support substantial enhances the Emergency Medicine Cardiovascular Research Team’s capacity to conduct rigorous, high-impact clinical research. The success of this research initiative is grounded in the strength of a multidisciplinary team composed of experts in emergency medicine, cardiology, biostatistics, social sciences, qualitative methods, and public health. Research staff are also instrumental, as they are key to patient enrollment and trial management.
The Wake Forest CTSI Ignition Award allowed for early testing of the EMERALD Intervention on a smaller patient cohort. The resulting preliminary data proved essential in securing the K23 award. Together, these funding mechanisms catalyzed collaboration across multiple departments—including Emergency Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Family and Community Medicine, Biostatistics and Data Science, Implementation Science, and Social Sciences and Health Policy. This interdisciplinary synergy laid the foundation for a comprehensive and effective approach to improving patient care. Dr. Ashburn emphasized the importance of having a faculty-level biostatistician involved in research projects. This collaboration helps ensure rigorous design, data collection, analysis, and reporting of findings, which are essential for producing reliable and impactful research. Mentorship, provided through both the K23 and CTSI awards, has been crucial in shaping researchers’ careers. For aspiring researchers, Dr. Ashburn shared valuable advice on perseverance:
- Develop a robust team of supporting mentors.
- Start writing well ahead of deadlines to ensure a high-quality submission.
- Prepare for rejection and keep refining proposals, as persistence is crucial in research.
The CTSI Ignition Awards Program has significantly contributed to advancing emergency cardiovascular care research. Through funding, mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration, it has enabled groundbreaking interventions such as the EMERALD Intervention. For researchers seeking to make a meaningful impact, engaging with the Wake Forest CTSI program is an essential step toward success. If you are interested in collaborating with the Wake Forest CTSI, please review and request our services here. If you are interested in collaborating with the Wake Forest CTSI, please review and request our services here. If you are considering our pilot program and wish to apply for funding, please find the details here.