Medical College of Wisconsin’s Comprehensive Injury Center Selected as Injury Control Research Center by CDC

MCW chosen as one of only 11 institutions nationwide and will focus on reducing injury disparities.

Milwaukee, Sept. 18, 2024 – The Comprehensive Injury Center (CIC) at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) was recently designated an Injury Control Research Center (ICRC) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Representing the injury prevention and control field’s national designation, being named an ICRC recognizes the CIC’s leadership, nationally known expertise, and skill in building impactful partnerships to advance injury and violence prevention efforts.

As a newly designated ICRC, the Comprehensive Injury Center at MCW will receive $4.25 million over the next five years and its primary focus will be reducing disparities in injuries that occur in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin.

Injury is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. for adults and is the leading cause of death in children. Significant disparities exist when it comes to who is injured and how, when and to what extent people recover. The burden of injury is greatest for specific racially, ethnically and socioeconomically marginalized individuals. Milwaukee County consistently ranks among the top for highest burden of injury types in Wisconsin.

“We know that injury and violence disproportionately impact certain groups. With this funding, we will be able to significantly advance the injury science research at the Medical College of Wisconsin to prioritize health equity and reduce injury disparities,” said Dr. Terri deRoon-Cassini, ICRC principal investigator and professor of surgery (trauma and acute care surgery) and director of the Comprehensive Injury Center at MCW. “As one of only 11 research institutions in the country to be designated as an ICRC, this presents a unique opportunity for us to take MCW’s Comprehensive Injury Center to the next level, increasing our investment in injury research and boosting our engagement with communities and organizations most impacted by injury and violence.”

Specifically, the CDC funding will enable the CIC to further collaborate with community partners, public health agencies and healthcare systems to identify and reduce disparities in the burden of injury, as well as to disseminate research findings and share injury data in support of communities working to reduce injury disparities. Additionally, the CIC will develop, implement, and evaluate training and education for audiences in the community engagement, research, public health and clinical aspects of injury science. The funding will also support four large-scale research projects focused on prevention of traumatic brain injury, opioid overdose, firearm violence and suicide.

“The Medical College of Wisconsin’s selection as an Injury Control Research Center underscores our unwavering commitment to addressing the most pressing issues that impact the communities we serve,” said John R. Raymond, Sr., MD, president and CEO of MCW. “Every research breakthrough, every partnership, and every solution we uncover brings us closer to a future in which everyone will live in a safe and thriving community, regardless of background or circumstance.”

ICRCs put research into action to prevent injuries and violence and are a key component of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The other 10 institutions that received ICRC designation include:

• Columbia University
• Emory University
• Johns Hopkins University
• University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
• University of Iowa
• University of Michigan
• University of North Carolina
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Texas Health Science Center - Houston
• University of Washington

For more information on the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin and its ICRC designation and funding, visit the CIC website.