Our Research
HHRI operates as the research arm of the HCMC, the flagship acute care and teaching hospital of the Hennepin Healthcare System. Our researchers are practicing physicians and medical professionals. They use their impressive medical backgrounds to advance medical knowledge and improve the care their patients receive.
We are currently conducting research in four main focus areas of medicine and healthcare, which are as follows:
Acute Care / Trauma
HHRI Investigators are seeking solutions to the complex challenges faced in providing emergency treatment and critical care. We are actively pursuing innovative therapies to improve patient care and outcomes for life-threatening and time-sensitive conditions that are the result of disease or trauma and during recovery from surgery. HHRI's currently conducting acute care and trauma research in the following areas:
Cardiac Biomarkers
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Emergency Medicine
Neurosurgery
Orthopaedics & Biomechanics
Trauma & Burn
Traumatic Brain Injury
Addiction
Drug addiction is the number one preventable cause of death in the adult population in the US. Tobacco, alcohol, illicit drug and prescription abuse often lead to a downward spiral in heath and self-care and can be a primary cause of disease as seen in alcohol induced liver cirrhosis or the spread of HIV through contaminated intravenous needles. The indirect costs of drug addiction to society are estimated to be around $700 billion annually. HHRI investigators are exploring the underlying causes of addiction and translating their scientific findings into improved therapies to prevent and treat addiction in the areas of Addiction Medicine, Opioid Addiction, and Tobacco Treatment.
Addiction Medicine
Reducing the Impact of Tobacco-related Diseases
Tobacco Cessation / Behavioral Health
Tobacco Treatment Research
Health Services
Researchers at HHRI are improving patient care for individuals and the community as a whole. Our investigators are studying ways to more effectively deliver high-quality health care, manage costs and improve patient outcomes in the following fields of medicine:
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
Berman Center for Clinical Outcomes and Research
Cancer
Children’s Issues
Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG)
Dementia & Aging
Diabetes & Obesity
Gastrointestinal & Liver Disease
Health, Homelessness, and Criminal Justice (HHCJ)
Heart Disease & Heart Failure
Kidney Disease
Organ Transplantation
Sleep Disorders
Infectious Diseases
HIV/AIDS is a modern-day pandemic with an estimated 36.7 million people across the globe living with the disease. The HIV/AIDS research program at HHRI supports and collaborates with numerous local and national organizations to study the most applicable, pertinent and cutting-edge drugs, strategies and therapies to improve the quality of life for persons living with the HIV infection. Our studies focus on expanding our understanding of the HIV disease process, improving health outcomes, preventing the spread of HIV and helping to develop strategies to cure the HIV infection.