Injury Prevention and Driving Simulation Lab

This lab is dedicated to understanding and preventing injuries and deaths in the population that often result from two common causes: transportation and substance use.

The Injury Prevention and Driving Simulation Lab is affiliated with the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Most people do not know that injuries are the third leading cause of death across the lifespan in the United States. The sad truth is that many injuries are preventable.  If someone is going to incur an injury, it is often caused by a motor vehicle collision or the result of substance use.  Dr. Rudisill’s Injury Prevention and Driving Simulation Lab conducts epidemiologic research to better understand and typify injuries to prevent them from occurring.  The lab uses different methodologies including experimental studies (clinical trials), observational studies, and qualitative methods.  The lab is also equipped with two different STISIM driving simulators.  If you are interested in learning more about our work, please feel free to check out our website!

About Dr. Rudisill

As an injury epidemiologist, Dr. Rudisill is immensely passionate about injury research. Her research typically focuses on 1) transportation-related injuries and medical care, 2) substance use, 3) the intersection between medical conditions, substance use (i.e., prescription and non-prescription medication, supplement, nutraceutical use), and driving safety, 4) the impacts of health policies on injuries (i.e., distracted driving, cannabis use laws, etc.), 5) illnesses and injuries in rural and medically underserved populations.

Dr Rudisill is also the Principal Investigator of a 300 person, parallel, three-arm, double-blind, randomized clinical trial investigating the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on driving performance that is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Toni Rudisill

Lab Personnel

Researchers

Toni Rudisill’s photo.

Associate Professor, Ph.D. Program Director - Epidemiology
West Virginia University
Polina Krom’s photo.

Researcher
West Virginia University
Cynthia Fisher-Duda’s photo.

Clinical Research Specialist
West Virginia University

Students

Meiling Zheng, MPH, MS’s photo.

Meiling Zheng, MPH, MS

PhD Student
West Virginia University
Yilin Cai, MBA, MS’s photo.

Yilin Cai, MBA, MS

PhD Student
West Virginia University
Mohini Banerjee, BDS, MPH’s photo.

Mohini Banerjee, BDS, MPH

Doctoral Student
West Virginia University