title: "It takes a village" to raise research productivity: Impact of a Trauma Interdisciplinary Group for Research (TIGR) at an urban, Level 1 trauma center.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few interdisciplinary research groups include basic scientists, pharmacists, therapists, nutritionists, lab technicians, as well as trauma patients and families, in addition to clinicians. Increasing interprofessional diversity within scientific teams working to improve trauma care is a goal of national organizations and federal funding agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This paper describes the design, implementation, and outcomes of a Trauma Interdisciplinary Group for Research (TIGR) at a Level 1 trauma center as it relates to increasing research productivity, with specific examples excerpted from an on-going NIH-funded study.
  
  
  METHODS
  We utilized a pre-test/post-test design with objectives aimed at measuring increases in research productivity following a targeted intervention. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis was used to develop the intervention which included research skill-building activities, accomplished by adding multidisciplinary investigators to an existing NIH-funded project. The NIH project aimed to test the hypothesis that accelerated biologic aging from chronic stress increases baseline inflammation and reduces inflammatory response to trauma (projected N=150). Pre/Post-TIGR data related to participant screening, recruitment, consent, and research processes were compared. Research productivity was measured through abstracts, publications, and investigator-initiated projects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Research products increased from N =12 to N=42; (~ 400%). Research proposals for federal funding increased from N=0 to N=3, with success rate of 66%. Participant screenings for the NIH-funded study increased from N=40 to N=313. Consents increased from N=14 to N=70. Lab service fees were reduced from $300/participant to $5/participant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adding diversity to our scientific team via TIGR was exponentially successful in 1) improving research productivity, 2) reducing research costs, and 3) increasing research products and mentoring activities that the team prior to TIGR had not entertained. The team is now well-positioned to apply for more federally funded projects and more trauma clinicians are considering research careers than before.
authors.affiliation: Georgia Regents University, 987 St. Sebastian Way, EC-4505, Augusta, GA 30912, 706.721.6799; bnesmith@gru.edu.
authors.forename: Elizabeth G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Nesmith
authors.affiliation: Georgia Regents Medical Center, 1120 15 St, BA-4411, Augusta, GA 30912, 706.721.3153; rmedeiro@gru.edu.
authors.forename: Regina S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Georgia Regents Medical Center, 1120 15 St, BA-4411, Augusta, GA 30912, 706.721.3153; cferdinand@gru.edu.
authors.forename: Colville H B
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ferdinand
authors.affiliation: Georgia Regents Medical Center, 1120 15 St, BA-4411, Augusta, GA 30912, 706.721.3153; mhawkins@gru.edu.
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.affiliation: Georgia Regents Medical Center, 1120 15 St, BA-4411, Augusta, GA 30912, 706.721.3153; sholsten@gru.edu.
authors.forename: Steven B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Holsten
authors.affiliation: Georgia Prevention Institute, Institute of Public and Preventative Health, 1120 15th St., HS-1640, Augusta, GA 30912, 706.721.5014; ydong@gru.edu.
authors.forename: Yanbin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Georgia Prevention Institute, Institute of Public and Preventative Health, 1120 15th St., HS-1640, Augusta, GA 30912, 706.721.4534; hzhu@gru.edu.
authors.forename: Haidong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
keywords: interdisciplinary communication; multiple trauma; research activity; trauma centers; wounds and injuries