/EINPresswire.com/ -- DENVER, CO--(Marketwired - October 28, 2016) - Denver Health (DH) and the University of Colorado School of Medicine (SOM), along with two other prestigious trauma research institutions, have been awarded a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) contract that could lead to $90 million in research over the next decade to improve trauma care for civilians and military personnel.

The contract will launch with a $10.7 million project where DH and SOM will work with the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Oregon, to establish a nationwide network of trauma systems capable of conducting detailed research to improve injury outcomes. The Linking Investigations in Trauma and Emergency Services (LITES) network will collect extensive data from thousands of trauma cases across the country.

"LITES will allow us to access information across the broad spectrum of trauma care, from the pre-hospital setting through hospital discharge and beyond," said Dr. Ernest E. Moore, principal investigator for the Colorado consortium, trauma surgeon at Denver Health, and professor of surgery at the School of Medicine. "Our immediate goal will be to evaluate the information coming in and our sense is that after accruing and harmonizing the data, we'll be able to launch subsequent projects, including randomized clinical trials, at the DOD's request."

The four organizations, all of which have collaborated previously, will provide leadership and oversight to the LITES network. Five additional trauma centers -- the University of Texas at Houston, Vanderbilt University, University of Louisville, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Arizona -- will share trauma data with the system.

"The initial data collected will help us to identify any regional variations in the ways trauma injuries are managed," said Dr. Mitchell Cohen, director of surgery at Denver Health and professor of surgery at CU School of Medicine. "Using that data will allow us to design future research projects to determine best practices and ultimately improve survival rates following critical injury." Other key participants on the Colorado team include Dr. Ani Banerjee, Dr. Chris Silliman, Dr. Angela Sauaia, and Dr. Jason Haukoos, who are all members of the CU School of Medicine faculty.

The initial phase of LITES is expected to last six -18 months, with future studies and clinical trials being conducted over the next ten years. The goal, established by a recent report published in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, is to achieve zero preventable deaths after injury and minimal trauma related disability.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity under Contract No. W81XWH-16-D-0024-0001. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity.

Denver Health is the Rocky Mountain Region's Level I academic trauma center, and the safety net hospital for the Denver area. The Denver Health system, which integrates acute and emergency care with public and community health, includes the Rocky Mountain Regional Trauma Center, Denver's 911 emergency medical response system, Denver Health Paramedic Division, nine family health centers, 17 school-based health centers, the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, NurseLine, Denver CARES, Denver Public Health, the Denver Health Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Center for Medical Response to Terrorism, Mass Casualties and Epidemics.

Faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine work to advance science and improve care. These faculty members include physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Health, Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver Health, National Jewish Health, and the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The school is located on the Anschutz Medical Campus, one of four campuses in the University of Colorado system. To learn more about the medical school's care, education, research and community engagement, visit its web site.