About Us
A Brief History
The WVU Injury Control Research Center (ICRC) was formally established in September 2004. Despite this relatively recent occurrence, the Center has been built upon a long-standing commitment to injury control within the University and upon a proven track record of productivity and accomplishments. In 1992, WVU established the Center for Rural Emergency Medicine (CREM). CREM’s mission was to study and improve the delivery and effectiveness of emergency care in rural environments and underserved areas. Beginning in 1993, CREM received designation as an Injury Control Training and Demonstration Center (ICTDC) and received funding from CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) to conduct injury focused training, intervention programs, and research. The majority of programmatic activities were directed towards the training of rural health care providers and first responders. These initiatives included education on primary injury prevention and a variety of programs designed to improve acute care delivery to rural trauma patients. From 1993 through 2004, the WVU ICTDC conducted an extensive outreach effort that included the provision of nearly 3,800 courses, training over 35,000 individuals in the West Virginia region.
While the overwhelming emphasis of the ICTDC over the years was on training, a number of important research themes were identified including occupational and recreational injuries, rural emergency preparedness, and emergency department-based alcohol intervention studies. Faculty and staff with research expertise were recruited to the Center and these investigators quickly established a track record of scholarly work. This sustained record of accomplishment and productivity led to our successful application to establish an NCIPC-supported ICRC in 2004. In addition, this history within the University coupled with a renewed University emphasis on scientific discovery, has provided an ideally supportive environment for the continued success and growth of the ICRC.
Current Status
The ICRC is an interdisciplinary program involving faculty who represent multiple colleges, schools, academic departments, centers, institutes and offices from across the University. The Center is housed within the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center at WVU, which also houses the School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Pharmacy, and School of Nursing. Led by an experienced Center Director, ICRC faculty have demonstrable expertise in the disciplines of medicine, public health, health services research, sociology, nursing, communications, behavioral science, and biostatistics. All ICRC-affiliated faculty members also have primary academic appointments in relevant University departments.
In addition to the WVU faculty, the ICRC maintains an expansive network of collaborating external faculty affiliates. We believe strongly in the power of collaboration and value the additional depth and breadth of expertise provided by our affiliated faculty. Please review the Faculty & Staff section of our web site for a description of current faculty affiliations.
As a CDC-supported ICRC, we strive to maintain a comprehensive injury research portfolio. The research we conduct and support is intended to address national priorities for injury control while simultaneously emphasizing topics that are most relevant to West Virginia and the surrounding Appalachian region.
Mission
The mission of the WVU ICRC is to advance the science and practice of injury control through research, education and information dissemination.
Aims
The specific aims of the ICRC are to:
(1) Conduct and stimulate interdisciplinary injury control research, with emphasis on injuries affecting high-risk rural populations;
(2) Promote scholarship and leadership in injury control by educating the next generation of West Virginia University graduate students and medical students in the science and practice of injury control;
(3) Provide accurate and timely information on the health and economic burden imposed by injuries and the effectiveness of preventive interventions through a range of dissemination activities; and
(4) Maintain an organizational structure that supports our mission and enhances Center growth, quality and efficiency through an evaluation and review process.