Research projects

• Principal investigator: Comstock; Co-investigators: Arakkal and Bihl
• About the project: High School RIO™: Reporting Information Online is the internet-based data collection tool used in the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. This study, currently the only surveillance study of all time-loss injuries in a national sample of U.S. high school athletes, was first implemented during the 2005/06 academic year and has been maintained annually. We capture athletic exposure (number of athlete practices and number of athlete competitions per week), injury (body site, diagnosis, severity, etc) and injury event (mechanism, activity, position/event, field/court location, etc.) data weekly throughout the academic year using certified athletic trainers (ATCs) as data reporters. By understanding the who, what, why, where and how of injuries, we can offer recommendations to make sports as safe as possible for student athletes

Which sports are studied

Study reports

Below are links to the annual summary reports from the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. 

Original High School RIO™ study of 100 nationally representative schools reporting for the initial 9 sports of interest:

• 2005-06
• 2006-07
• 2007-08
• 2008-09
• 2009-10
• 2010-11
• 2011-12
• 2012-13
• 2013-14
• 2014-15
• 2015-16
• 2016-17
• 2017-18
• 2018-19

Expanded High School RIO™ study of a convenience sample of US schools reporting for all sports of interest:

• 2008-09 Convenience Sample
• 2009-10 Convenience Sample
• 2010-11 Convenience Sample
• 2011-12 Convenience Sample
• 2012-13 Convenience Sample
• 2013-14 Convenience Sample
• 2014-15 Convenience Sample
• 2015-16 Convenience Sample
• 2016-17 Convenience Sample
• 2017-18 Convenience Sample
• 2018-19 Convenience Sample

• Principal investigator: Betz
• Funding agency: American Foundation on Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
• Funding period: October 11, 2011 to January 31, 2014
• Aim: To describe the behaviors of Emergency Department (ED) physicians, nurses and other staff in relation to suicide prevention and “means restriction”—limiting access to firearms and other highly lethal methods of suicide—and to examine how these behaviors are affected by the implementation of a suicide assessment and intervention program for ED patients.

• Principal investigator: Runyan; Co-investigators: Betz, Brooks-Russell, and Tung
• Funding agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Funding period: December 2014 to November 2016
• Aim: To examine, in the Mountain West, the potential adoption of emergency department discharge practices that include counseling on limiting access to guns during times of mental health crisis. Also, we will examine the practices and perspectives of law enforcement, gun retailers, and shooting range proprietors about offering temporary safe storage of firearms for families of suicidal patients.

• Principal investigators: Brooks-Russell and Kosnett
• Funding agency: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
• Funding period: April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020
• Aim: This study acute consumption of marijuana by occasional and daily marijuana users predicts surveywithin-subject change in driving performance.
• How to participate:
  • If you are interested in participating in the study, please take this survey to determine your eligibility.​​
  • If you are an adult aged 25 to 45 with an active driver’s license who currently use cannabis (by smoking or vaping), or have ever used cannabis, you may be eligible. Adult drivers who do not currently use cannabis are also being recruited to serve as control subjects. 
• What is involved:
  • Participation in this study will involve two visits to our research lab, located three miles west of the CU Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO. The two visits will take place within a 1-week period, with a stipend of up to $140 for completion of both visits. The first visit (approximately 1.5 hours) will confirm eligibility, obtain informed consent, and include a few initial assessments. The second visit (approximately four hours) will include assessments designed to assess driving performance and/or impairment that will measure reaction time and attention, among other things. The study will also include up to two blood draws.
• Have questions? Contact us.
  • Ashley Brooks-Russell
    • Email: ashley.brooks-russell@cuanschutz.edu
    • Phone: 303-724-8437
  • Michael Kosnett
    • Email: michael.kosnett@cuanschutz.edu 

• Principal investigator: Betz
• Funding agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Institute on Aging (NIA; Paul Beeson Career Development Award)
• Supplemental funding from: American Foundation on Aging Research (AFAR)
• Funding period: August 15th 2013- May 31st 2018
• Aim: To apply the model of a clinical decision rule to a public health intervention, through tiered assessment of brief older driver screening in ambulatory care settings followed by referral for more comprehensive testing.

• Principal investigators: DiGuiseppi and Betz
• Funding agency: Columbia University via AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
• Funding period: October 1, 2013 to present
• Aim: To generate empirical evidence for understanding the dynamics, mechanisms, determinants, and consequences of mobility in senior drivers and for developing effective interventions to ensure safe mobility for older people.  With a prospective cohort design, the AAAFTS Senior Driver Cohort Study will involve enrolling a sample of at least 3,000 active drivers from five states located across the U.S. and following them for a minimum of five years.

• Principal investigator: Betz
• Funding agency: University of Massachusetts via National Institutes of Health (NIH/NIMH)
• Funding period: September 2009 to September 2014
• Aim: In a multi-site study, to (1) develop and test a standardized approach to screening ED patients for suicide risk using a tool suitable for systematic use in general medical EDs; (2) refine and test an ED-initiated intervention to reduce suicidal behavior and associated morbidity and mortality among people who self-identify or screen positive for suicidal ideation; and (3) complete a comparative economic analysis of treatment as usual, screening, and the intervention.

• Principal investigator: Betz
• Funding agency: University of Massachusetts via National Institutes of Health (NIH/NIMH)
• Funding period: June 2015 to May 2019
• Aim: In a multi-site study, to use Lean approaches to (1) implement a new, best-practice Safety Plan Intervention for suicidal ED patients and (2) sustain universal suicide screening in ED patients long-term (up to four years after initial implementation).

• Principal investigator: Betz
• Funding agency: American Foundation on Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
• Funding period: October 11, 2011 to January 31, 2014
• Aim: To describe the behaviors of Emergency Department (ED) physicians, nurses and other staff in relation to suicide prevention and “means restriction”—limiting access to firearms and other highly lethal methods of suicide—and to examine how these behaviors are affected by the implementation of a suicide assessment and intervention program for ED patients.

• Principal investigator: Runyan; Co-investigators: Betz, Brooks-Russell, Tung
• Funding agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Funding period: December 2014 to November 2016
• Aim: To examine, in the Mountain West, the potential adoption of emergency department discharge practices that include counseling on limiting access to guns during times of mental health crisis. Also, we will examine the practices and perspectives of law enforcement, gun retailers, and shooting range proprietors about offering temporary safe storage of firearms for families of suicidal patients.

• Funding agency:  American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Funding period: 10/1/2016-9/30/2019   
• About the project: The SAFETY Study is a collaboration between Northeastern University, the Colorado School of Public Health, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The project aims to understand parent responses to safety counseling in the emergency department (ED). Ultimately, our goal is to help prevent youth suicide by strengthening counseling for parents of adolescents who visit the ED for a mental health emergency. The SAFETY Study is working with several Colorado Hospitals. The study has received approval from the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board (COMIRB protocol #17-0205). If you have questions about the study please contact Sara Brandspigel at sara.brandspigel@ucdenver.edu or 303-724-6998.