The Emory Center for Injury Control: Vision and Priorities for Reducing Violence and Injuries through Interdisciplinary Collaborations

Abstract

Injury is the leading cause of death in the United States for persons between the ages of 1 and 44 1. We see evidence of the scope and burden of injuries in the emergency department (ED), where annually an estimated 41.4 million patients are seen with injury-related visits, accounting for over one-third of ED presentations 2. While many disciplines are involved in injuryrelated research, prevention, and practice, emergency physicians are on the frontlines of this epidemic, and they treat patients with preventable injuries as well as those with the sequelae of violence. Emergency physicians are also in a unique position to prevent future injuries and to reduce the consequences of existing injuries especially through screening and brief interventions, and the use of a teachable moment for the benefit and future safety of their patients 2. It is because emergency medicine is so integrated and important for injury prevention and research 3 that we wante