When Francine Bomar fell and hit her head, she feared a long ER wait and a CT scan—but instead, she became one of the first patients at Michigan Medicine to benefit from a groundbreaking new blood test for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Introduced in December 2024 and developed by Dr. Fred Korley and his team, the test rapidly detects two brain-specific proteins, providing results in 15 minutes and reducing the need for CT scans. In just a few months, it has already helped avoid 95 unnecessary CTs. With strong clinical support and funding from the Department of Defense, researchers are now developing a handheld version, aiming to make personalized, efficient brain injury care accessible everywhere.

Michigan Medicine was abuzz April 9 as the Department of Emergency Medicine hosted its 10th Annual William G. Barsan Emergency Medicine Research Forum — a celebration of innovation, research, and teamwork.

2025 Emergency Medicine Department Intern Class of 2025

Taylor Krupp, a Michigan Medicine Emergency Department nurse, has helped save countless lives in the emergency room, but he never imagined he’d have to use his skills on a family member when a game of pickleball became a life-or-death situation.

In this episode of Well-Being at Michigan Medicine, Chief Well-Being Officer Elizabeth Harry, M.D., welcomes Chief Transformation Officer Amy Cohn, Ph.D., to discuss complex health care issues, operations research, provider well-being and staff scheduling. A significant part of the conversation touches on operational improvements, including a key example of improving a call system at Michigan Medicine. Cohn’s team identified that excessive messages from a centralized call center were frustrating providers. Through collaboration with staff, they discovered that while many providers wanted these messages reduced, others found them valuable. The solution was to switch from a push to a pull system, where providers could access important information when they needed it, reducing interruptions while still enhancing communication. In the interview, Cohn and Harry discuss a holistic approach to problem solving, emphasizing collaboration, respect and ensuring that staff can perform their roles effectively and with a sense of agency.

This month on UMich Med Mosaic, we meet Sam Lehn, Rodriguez Roberts II and Alexander Young, all medical students at the University of Michigan Medical School. Each decided to become a doctor after pursuing careers in fields spanning public policy, teaching, consulting and film production. Hear why they decided to make the big switch, how they went about it, and in what ways they’re bringing their previous career experiences into their medical school journey.