News Release
New Research Published in JAMA Surgery Finds Asian, Black and Hispanic People Less Likely to Receive Helicopter Transport to Trauma Care
Study Authored by New Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Anesthesiology at Montefiore Einstein, Olubukola O. Nafiu, M.D., F.R.C.A, M.S
January 22, 2025 (BRONY, NY)

Trauma survival depends on timely specialized care, particularly for patients needing emergency surgery. Helicopter transport is essential for these vulnerable patients, providing rapid access to life-saving interventions. A recent paper by researchers from the Department of Anesthesiology at Montefiore Einstein, published in JAMA Surgery, highlights disparity in the use of this essential mode of transportation.
Olubukola O. Nafiu, M.D., F.R.C.A., M.S., the newly appointed vice chair of research in the Department of Anesthesiology at Montefiore Einstein, along with his team, conducted an analysis of more than 341,000 severely injured adults across 458 trauma centers in the U.S. and found that Asian, Black and Hispanic victims of trauma were significantly less likely to receive helicopter transport to a trauma center compared with white patients.
The study, led by Christian Mpody, M.D., Ph.D., a Montefiore Einstein anesthesiology resident, uncovered significant racial disparities in trauma transport care. At centers with both helicopter and ground transport options, white patients requiring urgent surgical or ICU care received helicopter transport at substantially higher rates (21.8%) compared to Asian (6.8%), Black (8.7%), and Hispanic (11.2%) patients. This disparity persisted despite comparable clinical indications for rapid transport across all groups.
“Trauma is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. and helicopter transport can make the difference between life and death by getting patients to the right care as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Nafiu, the senior author on the paper. “Our study highlights the need to develop targeted interventions to address inequities in emergency care.”
The authors suggest that a multifaceted approach, including enhanced training of EMS personnel, implementation of structured protocols and use of evidence-based triage criteria could improve access to helicopter transportation for more minority patients.
Dr. Nafiu joins Montefiore Einstein after five years at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He is a practicing pediatric anesthesiologist and a clinical researcher with a health equity focus. Dr. Nafiu’s goal is to understand and address the root causes of health disparities. He will help to expand the work of the Anesthesiology Department at Montefiore Einstein, which is rapidly becoming a leading name in the use of large administrative databases to answer complex health disparity and other perioperative questions.
Dr. Nafiu received his medical degree from University of Ibadan in Nigeria and completed his residency and fellowship training at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.