"I am extremely grateful to have been awarded the OTA Resident Research Grant for my project with the working title of, “A novel approach to determining muscle viability using an oximeter.” For one, I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful mentor like Dr. Ostrum, who supports me in my endeavors to become a physician scientist. Through working with him and applying for the OTA grant, I quickly realized that the trauma society as a whole is a tightknit community which values critical questioning and the advancement of collective intelligence. My project involves taking muscle specimen from the operating room, having a laboratory personnel perform the preservation process, and then looking at the specimen under the microscope. The OTA funding makes a study like this possible, even starting at resident level. It is due to opportunities like this that make me inclined to be more creative in study design, rather than limiting myself to retrospective chart reviews because I am worried about the cost.
We are currently in the process of data collection, and I am so thrilled to see what kind of results we will be looking at. If the oximeter readings show a correlation with histopathological muscle viability, it may be a step forward in creating a more evidence-based criteria for muscle viability determination. Once again, I am appreciative of OTA for supporting us in research that could potentially change practice guidelines and standard of care. Because of such positive experience early on in my residency, I have been more inclined to a) pursue a career in trauma, and b) to keep research as a vital component of my future career."