Sam R. Sharar

My research interests are both laboratory and clinical. In the laboratory I have studied interactions between circulating leukocytes and vascular endothelium, specifically the role leukocyte-endothelial adhesion plays in a variety of tissue injuries in vivo. The ultimate goal of these studies is to define therapies that will prevent or ameliorate injuries such as reperfusion injuries (e.g., hemorrhagic shock, replantation, transplantation, stroke, traumatic head injury), atherosclerosis, asthma, and acute lung injury (ARDS). My bench research includes studies with 1) flow cytometry of leukocytes, endothelial cells, their apoptosis, and their aggregates, 2) in vitro leukocyte-endothelial or leukocyte-platelet adherence under flow conditions using flow chamber analysis and videomicroscopy, and 3) cell protein/RNA analysis by Northern blot and immunocytochemistry. Animal injury models used include hemorrhagic shock/resuscitation, extremity ischemia-reperfusion injury, stimulated leukocyte recruitment/emigration, and bacterial infections (pulmonary, peritoneal, and subcutaneous).

My clinical research interests are: 1) the management of burn pain, particularly in pediatric patients. This clinical research examines both pharmalogic and non-pharmalogic (e.g., virtual reality) techniques applicable to both inpatients and outpatients; 2) the development of new technologies for diagnosis and treatment of acute trauma victims, including portable, hand-held ultrasound equipment with telemedicine capabilities, and high-frequency ultrasound (HIFU) for operative and non-operative treatment of traumatic liver and spleen injuries; 3) the appropriate training of prehospital and hospital personnel for the treatment of adult and pediatric trauma, and the develoment of efficient systems for trauma care and education.

Academic Experience:
Residency, General Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1983-1985;
NIH/NRSA Research Fellowship, Trauma & Burns, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1985-1987;
Residency, Anesthesiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1987-1990;
Fellowship, Pediatric Anesthesia, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1989-1990;
Honorary Clinical Fellow, Functional Brain Imaging, University of Cambridge, England, 2002.