Research In Action

Today is the 7th annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day, a day for honoring survivors and the memory of gun violence victims, as well as for acknowledging the public health epidemic of gun violence. CHOP's Center for Violence Prevention is proud to support these efforts and recognize our colleagues and partner organizations who work tirelessly to prioritize the safety of children and young adults.

Taking a Public Health Approach to Reduce Violence in Philadelphia

I serve as the Injury Prevention Program Manager for Philadelphia's Health Department. The Injury Prevention Program was developed in the summer of 2019. Housed within the Health Department’s Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, this program works to create a safe environment for all residents of Philadelphia. The program also partners with the city’s Office of Violence Prevention on the Philadelphia Roadmap to Safer Communities, the city’s 5-year plan to address gun violence. I am a co-chair of the Roadmap team.

There has been a growing recognition of the need to take a true public health approach to reducing violence. This involves a population-based focus on preventative measures, assessing the effectiveness of strategies on the ground, and scaling effective programs. Integrating the efforts around violence prevention throughout the city to ensure the best possible outcomes for Philadelphia residents is a key objective.

Gun Safety and Advocacy Resources

In honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, we’re also highlighting new resources and blogs about gun safety and advocacy.

Preventing Unintentional Firearm Injury & Death Among Youth: Examining the Evidence

This Evidence to Action brief, co-authored by PolicyLab and CVP, evaluates existing research on firearm legislation and identifies gaps, highlights priorities for future research funding and scholarship, and proposes evidence-based, public health approaches to prevent unintentional firearm injury and death in children and teens.

Virtual Conversation: Firearm Policies to Protect Youth — Building on Research to Inspire Action

Building on the Evidence to Action brief, watch a recording of PolicyLab and CVP’s virtual conversation with health care providers and policy and research experts.

Gun Safety: Tips from CHOP Experts

This educational handout, developed by CVP’s gun violence experts, provides options for safe storage of firearms, suggestions on how to talk about gun safety with children and other adults, and relevant facts and statistics.

Teens Share Key Information about Access to Firearms

This blog post discusses a CHOP study that explored teen gun access and co-existing behavioral health risk factors to develop action steps on curbing injuries and fatalities from firearms.

To find an event near you for Wear Orange Weekend (June 4-6), sponsored by Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, click here.