SAEMF/ARMED Pilot Grant - $25,000

"Blood-Based Biomarker Assessment in Geriatric Falls with Head Impact"

The study is directly relevant to emergency medicine as it seeks to improve diagnostic strategies for older adults with head trauma by integrating objective physiologic and biomechanical data, ultimately aiming to reduce missed or delayed diagnoses of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in the emergency department. This project will provide critical pilot data to support future applications for larger-scale studies and independent funding. It will also allow the investigator to further develop research skills in human subjects’ research, biomechanical modeling, biomarker analysis, and data integration.

Recipient(s)

  • Katherine Dickerson Mayes, MD, PhD

    Katherine Dickerson Mayes, MD, PhD

    Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

    "Blood-based Biomarker Assessment in Geriatric Falls with Head Impact"

    Katherine Mayes, MD, PhD, is an emergency medicine physician and researcher at Virginia Tech Carilion, where she contributes to clinical care and translational neurotrauma research. Her work focuses on precision diagnostics for traumatic brain injury, integrating biomarker science with biomechanical engineering approaches.

    Dr. Mayes earned her PhD in neuroscience from the University of St Andrews in Scotland as a Bobby Jones Scholar and her medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine. She completed her emergency medicine residency at the Harvard-affiliated Mass General Brigham program, where she served as chief resident.

    Her research is conducted in collaboration with the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, with the goal of advancing diagnostic tools and improving outcomes in traumatic brain injury.