The USF Emergency Medicine Research Awards Program is a structured, faculty-led initiative dedicated to identifying and advancing nominations for local, regional, national and international awards in emergency medicine and for our department's Emergency Medicine Research Excellence Awards. The program operates with a commitment to rigorous, transparent evaluation to ensure that every nomination submitted on behalf of our department represents the strongest possible case for recognition. The Research Awards Program aims to:

• Recognize and elevate faculty scholarly achievements

• Identify competitive award opportunities across emergency medicine's leading professional societies

• Prepare and submit high-quality, strategically crafted award nomination packages

• Foster a departmental culture in which research excellence is supported and celebrated

• Advance the national reputation and visibility of USF Emergency Medicine research

External award opportunities

The Research Awards Committee maintains an active, continuously updated list of award opportunities drawn from national and specialty organizations across the emergency medicine landscape. Opportunities are announced to department members as award cycles open, with full details, eligibility criteria, and timeline guidance provided for each.

Faculty and staff are often the first to encounter recognition opportunities through their specialty areas, professional networks, and society memberships. If you are aware of an award that may be a strong fit for a member of our department, we invite you to share it with us.

Emergency Medicine Research Excellence Awards

The Emergency Medicine Research Excellence Awards are the USF Department of Emergency Medicine’s internal recognition for scholarly achievement. Presented annually, the awards honor faculty members whose research contribution over the past year has advanced knowledge, improved patient care, or brought meaningful distinction to our department and the field of emergency medicine.

Eligible work spans the full breadth of research scholarship. The award is open to all faculty regardless of career stage or research track, reflecting our belief that exceptional scholarship can emerge from anywhere within the department.

USF Emergency Medicine Research Awards Committee

Membership of the USF Emergency Medicine Research Awards Committee represents a range of disciplines, career stages, and research backgrounds within the department. The committee operates with a formal process for nomination evaluation, conflict management, and proposal development. The committee provides both scholarly oversight and dedicated administrative support to each nominee.

Contact

• Committee Chair: Dr. Bernice McCoy — blopez1@usf.edu

• Research Awards Program: EMResearchAwards@usf.edu

Yiwen Zha has been a valuable contributor to the Department of Emergency Medicine research community since joining USF nearly two years ago. As the first staff member hired into the AQUASS Lab, she has been a foundational partner in building the lab’s infrastructure, workflows, collaborative culture, and operations.

Yiwen plays a major role in our large-scale anthropology hyperbaric oxygen therapy study focused on traumatic brain injury recovery, where she manages and coordinates approximately 1,200 longitudinal interviews over a three-year period. Beyond her operational leadership, she actively contributes to scientific advancement surrounding multidimensional TBI analyses and neuroplasticity research.

When asked, colleagues who work with Yiwen described her as enthusiastic, thoughtful, collaborative, and exceptionally dependable. One colleague noted that she “elevates every project she supports” and strengthens collaboration across teams, while another highlighted her professionalism, attention to detail, and willingness to support others.

Yiwen is currently completing a graduate certificate in Neuroscience and Aging, holds master’s degrees from both Harvard University and Vanderbilt University, and plans to pursue a PhD in Epidemiology in the coming years.