Dr. Bulger’s research group is focused on the following goals:

1. Identifying and testing new therapeutic approaches to the management of severe injury and critical illness.
2. Optimizing prehospital care after injury and defining the optimal field triage strategy for injured patients by EMS.
3. Identifying and testing new therapeutic approaches to the management of necrotizing soft tissue infections
4. Working with multiple professional organizations to develop and implement a National Trauma Research action plan for the US

Shahram Aarabi, MD, MPH Assistant Professor UCSF East Bay, Department of Surgery
Sam Arbabi, MD, MPH, Professor, UW Department of Surgery
Joe Cuschieri, MD, Professor, UW Department of Surgery & Adjunct Professor of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine
Ashley Emery, PhD, Professor, UW Mechanical Engineering
Joel Gross, MD, Professor, UW Department of Radiology
Laura Hennesey, RN, Research Nurse Supervisor, UW Department of Surgery
Patricia Klotz, RN, Research Nurse Supervisor, UW Department of Surgery
Sam Mandell, MD, Associate Professor, UW Department of Surgery
Ronald V, Maier, MD, Professor, UW Department of Surgery
Craig Newgard, MD, MPH, Professor, Oregon Health and Sciences University
Michelle Price, PhD Coalition for National Trauma Research
Fred Rivara, MD Professor, UW Department of Pediatrics
Bryce Robinson, MD, Associate Professor, UW Department of Surgery
Ronald M. Stewart, MD, Professor & Chair, Department of Surgery, UT Health San Antonio
Nathen White, MD, Associate Professor, UW Department of Emergency Medicine

Atox Bio, Ltd.
Department of Defense
Medic One Foundation
National Institutes of Health

The Value of Emergency Care For Injured Older Adults

NIH AHRQ (Newgard) (Bulger, Site PI)

Multicenter Phase 3 trial of a novel drug for patients with Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections, AtoxBio Ltd (PI: Bulger) 2015-present (Bulger, site PI and national PI)

Therapeutic Limb Cooling to Prevent Amputation in prolonged Damage Control Resuscitation, Department of Defense DM160405 PI: Bulger, EM

Development of a National Trauma Research Action Plan

Department of Defense:  Co PIs: Bulger EM, Price M

1. Bulger is the PI for a Phase 3 multicenter clinical trial of a novel drug therapy for Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection which involved over 60 clinical sites in the US and Europe. The enrollment for this trial has been completed and results should be available soon. The Phase 2 study for this drug was the first randomized controlled trial in this patient population and suggested a good safety profile for the drug and demonstrated a reduction in the development of organ failure.
2. Bulger has led several clinical trials in collaboration with the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium to optimize the prehospital and early hospital resuscitation and management of patients with hemorrhagic shock and/or severe traumatic brain injury.
3. Bulger served as the PI for the Seattle site of the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network for 10 years which resulted in several multidisciplinary projects defining mechanism of injury in motor vehicle crashes. Two of these studies which were focused on spinal injuries in rollover collisions have contributed to new standards to increase the roof strength in passenger vehicles beginning in 2016.
4. Bulger is leading a national effort supported by the Department of Defense to develop a National Trauma Research Action Plan which will provide a road map for the future of trauma research and a platform to advocate for increased funding and coordination of trauma research at the federal level.
5. Bulger has worked closely with Dr. Craig Newgard from Oregon Health Sciences University on a series of investigations evaluating the CDC decision scheme for EMS triage including a special focus on geriatric patients. These data will support a national update to the triage tool in 2020.
6. Bulger is collaborating with Dr. Fred Rivara’s research group at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center and with investigators from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma to develop public health interventions to support Firearm Injury Prevention.

1. Bulger EM, May S, Brasel KJ, Schreiber M, Kerby JD, Tisherman SA, Newgard C, Slutsky A, Coimbra R, Emerson S, Minei JP, et al. Out of Hospital Hypertonic Resuscitation following Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A randomized, placebo controlled trial. JAMA 304:1455-1464, 2010.
2. Bulger EM, May S, Kerby J, Emerson S, Stiell IG, Schreiber MS, Brasel KJ, Tisherman SA, Coimbra R, Rizoli S, Minei JP, Hata JS, Sopko G, Evans DC, Hoyt DB and the ROC Investigators. Prehospital Hypertonic Resuscitation following Traumatic Hypovolemic Shock: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial. Ann Surg, 23:431-441,2011.
3. Bulger EM, Tower CM, Warner KJ, Garland T, Cuschieri J, Rizoli S, RHind S, Junger WG. Increased Neutrophil Adenosine A3 Receptor Expression is Associated with Hemorrhagic Shock and Injury Severity in Trauma Patients, Shock 36 (5): 435-439, 2011.
4. Mandell S, Kaufman R, Mack CD, Bulger EM. Mortality and Injury Patterns Associated with Roof Crush in Rollover Crashes. Accident, Analysis and Prevention 42:1326-31, 2010.
5. Ayoung-Chee P, Mack CD, Kaufman R, Bulger EM. Predicting Severe Injury using vehicle Telemetry Data. J Trauma 74 (1): 190-194, 2012.
6. Kaufman RP, Ching RP, Willis MM, Mack CD, Gross JA, Bulger EM. Burst Fractures of the Lumbar Spine in Frontal Crashes. Accident, Analysis and Prevention 59:153-163, 2013.
7. Bulger EM, Maier RV, Sperry J, Joshi M, Henry S, Moore FA, Moldawer LL, et al. A Novel Drug for the treatment of Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections: Results of a Phase 2a Randomized Controlled Trial of AB103: a CD28 Co-stimulatory Receptor Antagonist. JAMA Surgery 149:528-536, 2014.
8. Newgard CD, Holmes JF, Haukoos JS, Bulger EM, Staudenmeyer K, Wittwer L, Stecker E, Dai M, Hsia RY. Improving Early Identification of the High-Risk Elderly Trauma Patient by Emergency Medical Services. Injury 47:19-25, 2016.
9. Newgard CD, Sanchez BJ, Bulger EM, Brasel KJ, Byers JE, Sheehan KL, Guyette FX, King RV, Mena-Munoz J, Minei JP, Schmicker RH, and the ROC Investigators. A Geospatial Analysis of Severe Firearm injuries compared to other Injury Mechanisms: Event Characteristics, Location, Timing, and Outcomes. Acad Emerg Med, epub ahead of print, 2016
10. Newgard CD, Rongwei F, Lerner EB, Daya M, Jui J, Wittwer L, Schmidt T, Zive D, Bulger EM, Sahni R, Warden C, Kupperman N. The Role of Guideline Adherence in Improving Field Triage. Prehospital Emergency Care, Sep-Oct;21(5):545-555, 2017.
11. Bulger EM, Rasmussen TE, Jurkovich GJ, Fabian TC, Kozar RA, Coimbra R, Costantini TW, Ficke J, Malhotra AK, Price MA, Smith SL, Cioffi WG, Stewart RM. Implementation of a National Trauma Research Action Plan (NTRAP). J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2018 Jan 24, epub ahead of print.
12. Tessler RA, Arbabi S, Bulger EM, Mills B, Rivara FP. Trends in Firearm Injury and Motor Vehicle Crash Case Fatality by Age Group, 2003-2013. JAMA Surg, 154 (4): 305-310, 2018.
13. Bulger EM, Kuhls DA, Campbell BT, Bonne S, Cunningham RM, Betz M, Dicker R, Ranney M, Barsotti C, Hargarten S, Sakran JV, Rivara FP, James T, Lamis D, Timmerman G, Rogers SO, Choucair B, Stewart RM. Proceedings from the Medical Summit on Firearm Injury Prevention: A Public Health Approach to Reduce Death and Disability in the US. J Amer Coll Surg 229 (4): 415-430, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2019.05.018
14. Newgard CD, Caughey A, McConnell J, Lin A, Eckstron E, Griffiths D, Malveau S, Bulger EM. Comparison of Injured Older Adults incided in vs excluded from Trauma Registries with 1 year followup. JAMA Surg; 154 (9), Sept 2019.
15. Hink AB, Bonne S, Levy M, Kuhls DA, Allee L, Burke PA, Sakran J, Bulger EM , Stewart RM, and the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. Firearm Injury Research and Epidemiology: A Review of the Data, their limitations, and how trauma centers can improve firearm injury research. J Trauma Acute Care Surg, epub 2019.
16. Newgard CD, Lin A, Eckstron E, Caughey A, Malveay, Griffiths D, Zive D, Bulger E. Comorbidities, Anticoagulants, and Geriatric-Specific Physiology for the Field Triage of Injured Older Adults. J Trauma Acute Care Surg, epub ahead of print, 2019

Dr. Eileen M. Bulger’s UW Medicine Biography >>