The Emergency Medicine Saint John Research Program, affiliated with Dalhousie University and Horizon Health Network, was established in 2010 with a mission to investigate patient-oriented outcomes and to achieve improved patient care through research and knowledge translation. The program leads emergency medicine research in New Brunswick in partnership with Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, and partners with other programs across the Maritimes, through the Dalhousie University Department of Emergency Medicine (DalEM) Research Council.

Led by program director Dr. Kavish Chandra, along with Senior Research Advisor, Dr. Paul Atkinson, and supported by Pam McDougall our research co-ordinator, the research team consists of several physicians, nurses, residents and medical students. The program has a successful publication record, and members have presented original research at local, national and international conferences. We have investigated strategies to reduce burnout in the ED staff; examined protocols to improve outcomes in cardiac arrest and shock. We have also compared Trauma outcomes between advanced and standard systems, as well as looking at clinical issues such as pain control, shoulder dislocation, sedation for children among others. Our current areas of research include medical education, airway, social determinants of health, point of care ultrasound, trauma systems and injury prevention, as well as several areas in emergency medicine. Our education research has led to curricular advancements in undergraduate and postgraduate programs. We partner closely with the Dalhousie Departments of Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine.

We provide invaluable research and training opportunities for medical students at Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, as well as residents in emergency medicine and family medicine. We have also supervised research projects for UNB masters students, nursing staff and prospective medical students. We have developed partners with local, national and international institutions and are involved in several multicenter studies.

We are involved in research administration at regional, national and international levels. Dr. Chandra is the current chair of the New Brunswick Trauma Program Research Sub-committee, and past chair of the DMNB Eeducation Research Group. Dr. Atkinson served as chair of the CAEP Research Committee and was the first chair of the NB Trauma Program Research Sub-committee. He is currently Assistant Dean, Research, DMNB.

In 2014, the team received the Grant Innes Award for top research at the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) national conference, and in 2015 placed second. Students and residents in the program have been awarded Top Medical Student Research Project in Emergency Medicine (CAEP 2015 & 2016), top family medicine research project (Dalhousie University 2014, 2015 & College of Family Physicians 2015). Dr. Atkinson received the 2019 Dr. Ian Stiell Researcher of the Year award from the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians.

Dr. David Lewis – PoCUS, Informatics, Sports Medicine

Dr. Tracy Meyer – Opioids, Harm Reduction, Poverty Reduction

Dr. Rachel Goss – Quality Improvement, Head Injury

Dr. Chris Vaillancourt –  Allergy, Undergraduate Studies

Dr. Jay Mekwan – Airway, Simulation, ECMO

Dr. Peter Ross – PoCUS, Postgraduate Studies

Dr. Joanna Middleton – EMS, Trauma

Dr. Tushar Pishe – EMS, Trauma

Dr. Cherie-Lee Adams – Quality, Knowledge Translation, Critical Thinking

Dr. Jo-Ann Talbot – Knowledge Translation, Education

Dr. Robin Clouston – Crowding, ED flow, OBGYN

Dr. Rose McCloskey   – ALC patients, Violence, Nursing studies

Dr. James French – System improvements 

Dr. Mark McGraw – Informatics

August 2023

Congratulations to @EMSaintJohn‘s @kavishpchandra on his prestigious ResearchNB Clinical Research Scolarship award.

Read more here.

July 2023

Congratulations to @EMSaintJohn‘s @kavishpchandra on his appointment as @TraumaNB Research Sub-committee chair

Read more here.

Feb 2022

Congrats to @PaulAtkinsonEM as the @NBHRF mentor of the month.

More here:

June 2019 

Congratulations to @EMSaintJohn’s @PaulAtkinsonEM Dr. Paul Atkinson, Emergency Medicine Research Program Director at Horizon’s Saint John Regional Hospital, who was recently awarded the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP)’s Annual Ian Stiell Researcher of the Year Award. The peer-nominated award recognizes outstanding contribution to emergency medicine, including advocacy, education, research and professional practice.

Read more here.

May 2019

Congratulations to the @SJRHEM and @networkSHoC research team who were awarded the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation Research Team of the Month award for April 2019.

Read more here.

• DalEM Research Council – University Department of Emergency Medicine Research
• Current Research Projects – Link to the Saint John section of the DAL online database of current projects
• Publications and Presentations – Link to the Saint John section of the DAL online database of publications and presentations
• Dal Med NB Research – Link to Dal research resources in New Brunswick

• Planning a Research Project – A brief how-to guide to planning a research project in Saint John
• CREO (Comprehensive Research Education Online) – An online course from the IWK
• The Research Guide – A primer for residents, other health care trainees, and practitioners
• Resident Project Proposal Form and Timelines – An overview of the iFMEM resident research project timelines
• Dal FM Resident Supervisor Toolkit – Resident Project Supervisor links and resources

• Emergency Medicine New Brunswick  – Research Day – All the details for our annual provincial Emergency Medicine Research Day
• Grants and Prizes – A list of past/current grants and academic research prizes awarded to researchers in our program
• Posters and Presentations – A collection of our recent research posters and presentations available for viewing/download
• Dal EM Research Day – The Dept of EM annual research day held each May in Halifax, NS

• In Case You Missed It… – Biannual EM review summaries, the full series.
• Public Information Page – See the Emergency Research profile on the Hospital Foundation website

Each year we supervise several Research in Medicine (RIM) students from Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick. Previous RIM students have received local, regional and national research awards.

Find out more here about what is required as a RIM mentor, and an overview of the program.

Please contact Pam McDougall for RIM project information. 

We are members of several research networks including the Dalhousie University Emergency Medicine Research Committee, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Research Committee, the Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (Can-ROC), and the New Brunswick Trauma Program. Research partnerships have been established with Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick; Departments of Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Infectious Diseases & Pediatrics, Public Health, and Psychology; Horizon Health Network Research Services; Universities of New Brunswick, Manitoba, Calgary, Memorial, Cape Town, and Cambridge; the Canadian Centre of Vaccinology, the International Federation for Emergency Medicine; and staff of the Saint John Regional Hospital ED. The site also initiated the formation of a Dalhousie DEM Ultrasound Research working group which has evolved into a national PoCUS research section of the CAEP Ultrasound Committee. We are the home site for the SHoC research network

• Dalhousie University Dept of Emergency Medicine
• Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick
• Dalhousie University Dept of Family Medicine (Research)
• Horizon
• University of New Brunswick 
• New Brunswick Trauma Program 
• Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians  
• Can-ROC  (Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium)
• SHoC Research Network

• Studies
• Publications