C. Edward Dixon, PhD directs the Department of Neurological Surgery’s Brain Trauma Research Center (BTRC) at the University of Pittsburgh. The BTRC is a multidisciplinary, multidepartmental research program funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health, aimed at improving outcome following severe traumatic brain injury. Research conducted both at our Center and at other brain injury research programs clearly demonstrates the potential for improving outcome using therapies designed to treat biochemical derangements that occur following impact to the brain. In order to identify the most critical of these sequelae of brain injury and to find newer therapies that are effective in treating them, the BTRC has established several basic science head injury laboratories and clinical research projects.

David O. Okonkwo, MD, PhD, leads the department’s efforts in Clinical Neurotrauma Research. The clinical brain injury research is wide spanning and includes the conduct of randomized clinical trials studying novel brain monitoring and biomarkers. The Department of Neurological has pioneered efforts using hypothermia and cerebral blood flow monitoring in the treatment of severe head injury and has conducted landmark investigations into the mechanisms of induction and recovery of head trauma and secondary injury.

The Center for Injury Research & Control (CIRCL) is an interdisciplinary academic research program involving many schools and departments at the University of Pittsburgh. The center conducts and promotes injury control research, gathers and disseminates information on injuries, provides training for health professionals, and informs public and community leaders on injury control issues. The mission of CIRCL is to understand injuries and reduce their occurrence, severity and consequences through development of multi-disciplinary research and educational and training activities. Neurotrauma-related projects conducted this year include studies to improve the diagnosis and prognosis in inflicted head trauma in infants and examining genetic and neuroendocrine determinants of outcomes after TBI in adults.

The Safar Center for Resuscitation Research is directed by Patrick Kochanek, MD, of the Department of Critical Care, and has a strong collaborative and productive relationship with several members of the Brain Trauma Research Center. Neurosurgical faculty C. Edward Dixon, PhD, and Larry W. Jenkins, PhD, serve as associate directors of the Safar Center. This facility includes basic science laboratories directed by Drs. Dixon and Jenkins. The mission of the Safar Center is to improve understanding of the mechanisms of secondary injury after traumatic brain injury, cardiopulmonary arrest, severe hemorrhage from whatever cause, and to contribute to the development and implementation of novel and increasingly more effective therapies.