Research Fund

The first step in raising a large endowment is establishing credibility. SAEM has in the past played an important role in emergency medicine research funding, but to reach the next level and have a greater impact we must demonstrate that our members are passionate about research training, and are willing to support the SAEM Research Foundation. One of the first things that corporations, foundations, or individual donors ask when they are deciding whether to contribute to a charitable fund is: "How much do that organization's members support the effort?" A Research Foundation with solid support from members is more likely to be supported by outside sources. In this regard, the amount of money contributed by members is not as important having a high proportion of members who contribute.

Establishing a strong, self-perpetuating research base with a cadre of well-trained investigators is the last step in the long process of achieving academic excellence in emergency medicine. The early academic emergency physicians gave their hearts and souls to put us in a position of respectability in clinical care, teaching, and administrative activities in our nation's medical centers. Now, we must be passionate in moving toward that level of respectability in research. Part of that passion must be financial support, and that is why we ask for your hard-earned money.

The Research Foundation welcomes contributions from the SAEM membership and others. SAEM covers all administrative costs of the Research Foundation, so that 100% of every contribution is used to build the Research Foundation and fund the SAEM grant programs. Contributions can be made by sending a check to SAEM Research Foundation, or calling the SAEM office (517) 485-5484.

The most important reason to contribute to the SAEM Research Foundation is the opportunity to improve patient care. The Research Foundation provides funding to train emergency physicians to lead the way in research that will benefit emergency patients. 

The SAEM Research Fund provides funding to develop the research and educational careers of young Emergency Medicine academicians. Part of the strategic plan of the Research Fund was that the emphasis of the Fund would be the support of training grants, not grants dircted towards a specific area of research. This approach of supporting research training and research fellowships to enhance research skills is based on the simple and well-substantiated concept that a concentrated research training period early in a physician's career translates into increased success and productivity as a researcher later.

Establishing a strong, self-perpetuating research base with a cadre of well-trained investigtors is the last step in the long process of achieving academic excellence in Emergency Medicine. In a few short years since the Research Fund was founded it has had a remarkably positive impact on the academic careers of young emergency physicians. Already those supported by the Research Fund have contributed to new knowledge in Emergency Medicine and have gone on to careers as successful physician scientists. Contributing to the Research Fund is a great way to nurture the academic future of Emergency Medicine.

The vision of the Research Fund is:

• That well-trained, ethical, and productive investigators will conduct Emergency Medicine research. Because of their knowledge and contributions, Emergency Medicine specialists will be involved in the planning and conduct of virtually all research related to Emergency Medicine, whether the research is investigator-initiated and supported by federal state, or local agencies, or initiated and supported by industry.

The mission of the SAEM Research Fund is:

• To improve the care of patients in the ED and pre-hospital settings through medical research and scientific discovery.
• To enhance the research capability within the field of Emergency Medicine through financial support of investigators.
• To enable investigators to gain knowledge and skills related to the responsible and ethical conduct of research; research design; funding mechanisms; practical aspects of data collection, management and analysis; and the publication and dissemination of new information.

Financial Growth of the Research FundThe Research Fund was established in 1998 with an initial organizational commitment from SAEM of $1,000,000. Since then, the Fund has continued to grow - built with the support of dedicated members and others, organizational reserves, and investment income. In 2003 SAEM initiated a formal membership "giving campaign" that has been endorsed by nearly every past president of SAEM, UAEM, and STEM and has raised approximately $125,000. The organizational contributions from 2003 through 2005 have totaled more than $850,000. The assets of the Research Fund now total $4,626,925.85 as of December 31, 2005. 

Since 1990, SAEM has provided more than $3,000,000 to fund nearly 225 grants. Yet every year more high quality grant applications are received than can be funded. A complete list of grant recipients can be found on the SAEM website. Currently, SAEM funds the following grants at a cost of over $430,000 per year: 

• One Institutional Research Training Grant: $75,000 per year (2 year grant)
• One Research Training Grant: $75,000 per year (2 year grant)
• One Scholarly Sabbatical Grant: $60,000 per year
• One EMS Research Fellowship: $60,000 per year
• Five EMF/SAEM Medical Student Research Grant: approximately $7,200 per year
• Ten Medical Student Interest Group Grants: approximately $6,000
• Ten Medical Student Interest Group Grants: $5,000
• Two ACMT/SAEM Spadafora Medical Toxicology Scholarship Grants: $1,250

100% of the contributions to the Research Fund are used to build the Research Fund and directly supprt the training grants. SAEM donates all administrative costs of the Research Fund.

The financial goal of the Reseach Fund is to become a self-sustaining endowment that will provide funding for many more grants than is currently possible. While that goal is not yet a reality, the growth of the Research Fund has been impressive, and with your help, the goal is attainable.

SAEM's mission is to improve patient care by advancing research and education in Emergency Medicine. SAEM was established in 1989 by the amalgamation of the Society of Teachers of Emergency Medicine and the University Association for Emergency Medicine. Even then SAEM provided limited grant funding through the Emergency Medicine Foundation. Grants included the EMF/SAEM Innovations in Medical Education Grants, the EMF/SAEM Medical Student Research Grants, and the EMS Research Fellowship. In the mid-1990's SAEM began funding geriatric emergency medicine grants.

In the early years of the Society, SAEM's emphasis was on providing a forum for the presentation of original research and education in Emergency Medicine through the development of the SAEM Annual Meeting. In 1994 SAEM expanded its emphasis to provide a forum for the publication of original research and education by establishing the peer-reviewed journal, Academic Emergency Medicine.

In 1998 the Board of Directors agreed that SAEM should do more to fund research and established the Research Fund with an initial organizational commitment of $1,000,000. At that time, the Resident Training Grant, the Scholarly Sabbatical Grant , and the Medical Student Interest Group Grants were developed. The original goal was to support 10 scholarly awards by the year 2004, and a target of five million dollars was established. 

Later, it became apparent that one year of training would not be sufficient for academic emergency physicians, especially when compared to the research training that is provided to investigators in other specialties. In 2001 SAEM expanded the grants program by increasing the Research Training Grant from a one-year to a two-year grant and establishing the two-year Institutional Research Training Grant. Funding for these grants was increased to $75,000 per year. In addition, the funding for the EMS Research Fellowship Grant was increased to $60,000.

In 2002 the Board of Directors set a target of increasing the annual grant funding to 3 Research Training Grants, 2 Institutional Reseach Training Grants, and 2 Scholarly Sabbatical Grants by 2006 -- while maintaining the funding levels for the remaining grants. To fund these grants would require nearly $1,000,000 per year. The Board realized that several more million dollars would be required to meet these goals.

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(Note: This information is previous to the formation of the Research Foundation in 2008 and provided for historical purposes.)