SUMMARY
The primary research focus of Ronna L. Campbell, M.D., Ph.D., is the emergency management of anaphylaxis.
Dr. Campbell studies the implementation and efficacy of practice interventions to increase appropriate anaphylaxis management in the emergency department. She evaluates the clinical criteria for the diagnosis of anaphylaxis and determines the safest routes for epinephrine administration. She also studies risk factors for increased reaction severity and biphasic reactions. In addition, Dr. Campbell collaborates with allergists and immunologists to develop practice guidelines and evaluates outcomes after an emergency department visit for anaphylaxis.
Dr. Campbell has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and abstracts. She is an internationally recognized researcher in the field of anaphylaxis and has contributed to multiple topics in emergency medicine research.
Focus areas
Emergency department diagnosis and treatment of anaphylaxis. Dr. Campbell focuses on anaphylaxis and makes major contributions to improving emergency care for patients with anaphylaxis.
She was the initial author of the first joint task force practice parameter on anaphylaxis specifically developed for emergency anaphylaxis management. The parameter was chosen by the American Board of Pediatrics as one of eight articles included in the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Reference List for Self-Assessment in 2016. News about the publication was disseminated by multiple media sources, including National Public Radio and U.S. News and World Report, reaching an estimated 100 million people. The parameter was in the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric. Altmetric shows how much attention a study gets.
Incidence of emergency department visits for anaphylaxis. Dr. Campbell has studied the increasing rate of emergency department visits for anaphylaxis. She used national claims data from OptumLabs, which included information on more than 56,000 people with anaphylaxis, making it one of the largest anaphylaxis studies to date. Dr. Campbell's research demonstrated that from 2005 to 2014, the overall rate of anaphylaxis visits in U.S. emergency departments doubled and rates among children nearly tripled.
This study was featured on 54 news outlets and ranked in the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric, with a score of 471. An Almetric score of 471 is exceptional. It was featured in the June 2017 issue of the American Medical Group Association Practice Journal, which circulates to approximately 70,000 doctors, and was highlighted in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Practice 2017 Year in Review.
Evaluating criteria for diagnosing anaphylaxis in the emergency department. Dr. Campbell has assessed the accuracy of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (NIAID/FAAN) clinical diagnostic criteria for anaphylaxis. This study — as well as her subsequent prospective validation of the NIAID/FAAN criteria — was foundational in demonstrating the clinical utility of the NIAID/FAAN standards. These criteria are now accepted internationally and are used clinically for the diagnosis of anaphylaxis.
This study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology with an impact factor 14.11. The impact factor shows its scientific importance and a score of 14.11 is remarkable. It was accompanied by a companion editorial underscoring the importance of the data and providing historical context. The publication was included in the annual Best Articles in Pediatric Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology supplement to Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It also was highlighted in the New Research section from the journal the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Significance to patient care
Anaphylaxis is underdiagnosed and undertreated in the emergency setting. Dr. Campbell's research helps increase the recognition, treatment and follow-up of this life-threatening emergency.
Professional highlights
- Last author, Increasing Emergency Department Visits for Anaphylaxis, 2005-2014, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 2017.
- First author, Emergency Department Diagnosis and Treatment of Anaphylaxis: A Practice Parameter, Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 2014.
- Spokesperson, Communicating With First-Time Anaphylactic Patients, American College of Emergency Physicians Webinar, 2013.
- First author, Evaluation of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network Criteria for the Diagnosis of Anaphylaxis in Emergency Department Patients, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2012.
- Co-author, Second Symposium on the Definition and Management of Anaphylaxis: Summary Report — Second National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease-Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network Symposium, 2006.