HIV project wins Lifespan research award

JUDGE BRUCE M. SELYA, left, described Clayton  Merchant as
JUDGE BRUCE M. SELYA, left, described Clayton Merchant as "the embodiment of the type of young investigator for whom this award was created and of whom we are so proud." /

PROVIDENCE – An emergency physician who has worked on improving HIV screening, exposure management, post-exposure prophylaxis and HIV-related screenings in the ER was recently recognized with Lifespan’s Excellence in Research Award.
Dr. R. Clayton Merchant is an attending physician in emergency medicine at Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of emergency medicine and community health at The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University.
A graduate of the Emory University School of Medicine, he completed his residency in emergency medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and was then a research fellow in emergency medicine and infectious diseases at Brown.
Merchant’s research focuses on HIV and emergency rooms, including how to screen, manage and evaluate patients with substance abuse and sexually transmitted diseases and how to deal with health care workers’ exposure to blood and other body fluids.
The Lifespan award, which is named after Judge Bruce M. Selya, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, recognizes research excellence by independent investigators and is meant to enhance the visibility and role of research within the Lifespan community.
At a ceremony to present the award, Lifespan President and CEO George Vecchione noted that in a time of reduced funding from the National Institutes of Health, researchers throughout the Lifespan hospitals have continued to draw financial support for innovative work, submitting 811 grant proposals in fiscal year 2008 – the most in 15 years.
Lifespan is Rhode Island’s largest health care system, including Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children’s Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Bradley Hospital and Newport Hospital. It is affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. For more information, go to www.lifespan.org.

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