Emory University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine
Department of Emergency Medicine

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Department of Emergency Medicine

Research

Faculty and fellows in the Medical Toxicology section have multiple active research projects, with a particular focus on Addiction Medicine, Global Health, and the human health effects of radiation. Fellows have participated in write-ups related to public health investigations. Faculty have received external research funding from federal organizations including NIH, CDC, and HRSA. In addition to fellows, trainees of all levels including medical students, residents, and pharmacists also commonly participate in research projects.

Recently, the section was selected as a site for the ED-INNOVATION study, a multisite NIH-funded randomized clinical trial assessing the efficacy of extended-release buprenorphine in emergency department patients.



Notable Achievements:

Dr. Matthew Dernbach received a 2024 NIDA-ACMT mentor facilitated training award, was selected for the ACMT ANTIDOTE program, and was also named a board intern with the Journal of Medical Toxicology.

Dr. Mayank Gupta was awarded best presentation by a fellow at the 2024 American College of Medical Toxicology Annual Scientific Meeting for his presentation “Octreotide administration methods in sulfonylurea poisoning: A Retrospective Chart Review.”

Dr. Salman Ahsan was awarded best poster at the 2023 North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology for his presentation “Predictors of supratherapeutic serum lithium concentrations: a retrospective chart review.”

Conference Presentations

Current and former fellows have presented their work at national conferences including:

  • North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology
  • American College of Medical Toxicology Annual Scientific Meeting
  • American Society of Addiction Medicine
  • American College of Emergency Physicians


Publications - Original Research

The team’s work has been published in Medical Toxicology journals including Clinical Toxicology and  Journal of Medical Toxicology, as well as more widely circulated journals such as JAMA Network Open, American Journal of Public Health, Chest, and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).      

 Selected recent publications (medical toxicology fellows are underlined):  

  1. Dernbach M, Smith R, Carpenter JE. A framework for suicide risk screening following overdose. JAMA Psychiatry 2025. 82(2):105-106. PMID: 39602104.
  2. Kuai D, Rivera Blanco LE, Krotulski A, Walton S, Denn M, Kelly B, Kiernan E, Steck A, Carpenter JE. “Strips”: Identification and Health Risks of an Emerging Means of Drug Use in Correctional Facilities. JAMA Network Open 2024. 7(12): PMID: 39714837.
  3. Rivera Blanco L, Kuai D, Titelbaum N, Fiza B, Reehl D, Hassan Z, Dbouk N, Krotulski AJ, Logan BK, Walton SE, Liu I, Yu M, Carpenter JE. Death From Bongkrekic Acid Toxicity: First report in North America. Toxicology Communications 2024. 8(1): 2377524.
  4. Dernbach MR, Drexler K, McCord E, Carpenter JE. A Source Control Model for Treatment-Resistant Substance Use Disorder. Journal of Addiction Medicine 2024. 18(5): 483-485. PMID: 39012014
  5. Dernbach MR, Kiernan EA. Locus of Control. The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. 2024 Mar;52(1):90-2.
  6. Dernbach MR and Carpenter JE. Case Files of the Emory University Medical Toxicology Fellowship: A Patient Presents to the Outpatient Toxicology Clinic with Delusions of Being Poisoned. Journal of Medical Toxicology 2024. 20(2): 233-244. PMID: 38378951
  7. Ahsan A, Illg ZN, Moran TP, Morgan BW, Carpenter JE. Predictors of prolonged supratherapeutic lithium concentrations: A retrospective chart review. Clinical Toxicology 2024. 62(9):550-556. PMID: 39105464.
  8. Kuai D, Leng E, Kiernan E. Marchiafava-Bignami disease as a cause of toxic leukoencephalopathy in a 27-year-old patient: a case report. Toxicology Communications. 2024 Dec 31;8(1):233584
  9. Illg Z, Carpenter J, Moran TP, Kiernan E, Murray BP. Hydrofluoric Acid Ingestions: Retrospective evaluations from cases reported to the NPDS 2007-2017. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open 2023. 4(5): e13059. PMID: 37886718.
  10. Suen K, Guzman-Soto A, Nogee D, Filkins P, Walsh C, Moran T, Carpenter JE. Logistical Holes in Whole Bowel Irrigation. Toxicology Communications 2023. 7(1):2137922.


Funding Highlights

  • REAL TTIME, a 4-year $2 million HRSA grant led by Dr. Kiernan studying a novel poison-center based approach to buprenorphine inductions in rural emergency departments (NCT05711056) 
  • LINCS UP, a 3-year $2.2 million CDC grant led by Dr. Carpenter studying peer recovery coaches in the emergency department both in-person and via telehealth (NCT05847621)
  • We are an active site for CHOICE-STAR, an NIH-funded clinical trial evaluating methods to reduce hospital readmissions for patients with injection-opioid related infections (NCT06513156)
  • Emory EM was a site in the ED-INNOVATION clinical trial (NCT04225598) and Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) fentanyl analog study
  • Former site for ACMT FACT study