Each fellow is required to complete one research project from idea inception to manuscript submission.
A structured research curriculum with associated timeline and dedicated meetings built into the academic calendar ensures success. Fellows work with the program director and faculty mentors to: develop a scientific question; generate a hypothesis; write a protocol to be approved by the Internal Review Board; perform data collection and analysis; submit an abstract to a national meeting; present the project at the year-end fellow/resident graduation; and submit a manuscript.
Ongoing research and grant funding at IU School of Medicine has led to employment of four full-time research coordinators and two research assistants allocated only to the orthopaedic trauma service. This improves the efficiency of the research projects and provides the fellows with ample administrative support to complete projects in a timely fashion.
As the director of the research program, Dr. Todd McKinley has been successful in securing over $10 million in grant funding to support the program.

Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital is an active member of METRC, the Major Extremity Trauma and Rehabilitation Consortium, serving as one of six ‘anchor’ sites. A list of ongoing and previous investigations through METRC is provided below.
The department has many established national collaborations with the following institutions: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, University of Iowa, Uniformed Services University, University of Aachen, Germany, United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, McMaster University, University of Maryland / Shock Trauma Center.