As part of Iowa’s only comprehensive academic medical center, the Department of Emergency medicine actively participates in biomedical research. Three PhDs and three research assistants are dedicated to the following projects:

• Cardiovascular Research Laboratory
  This long-term research project, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is investigating the effects of morphine-like hormones released during stress and exercise, which in turn protect the heart and brain from ischemic events. Since 1996, this project has been supported by the American Heart Association, Worchester Foundation for Biomedical Research, and the National heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

• Infectious Disease Research Laboratory
  This work is a collaboration between Veterans Affairs, Iowa City Health Care System investigators and the UI Department of Emergency Medicine. It is currently funded by a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases grant that establishes a center for Excellence in Biodefense in the Great Plains Region. UI researchers are investigating several therapies, including perfluorocarbon liquid ventilation, which could eventually be used in addition to antimicrobials in the treatment of severe respiratory infections.