April 2024 | Issue 63

THIS MONTH IN INJURY SCIENCE AT PENN

Managing research team well-being, a new leadership appointment, and two distinguished teaching awardees...
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FEATURED

Injury and violence research team well-being

As violence and injury scholars, our research exposes our team members to traumatic material through data collection and analysis. Millan AbiNader is leading a study to better understand what supervisors do to promote the well-being of their research team members and how effective they perceive those strategies to be.
If you supervise at least one person (including students, research assistants, research staff, and co-investigators), please consider completing this brief survey (5-10 minutes) to share how you have dealt with this issue. This survey should take 5-10 minutes to complete and collects no identifying information. A public report will be made available at the end of the study, you’ll find a link at the end of the survey if you’re interested in receiving the report.

If you’re interested in participating, please click here.

Recruiting for a study, program, or event?
The Penn Injury Science Center has multiple channels to help you get the word out, contact us.
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UPCOMING EVENTS

April 10 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Penn Injury Distinguished Lecture Series

ARCH Building, Room 108 (virtual option)

The Penn Injury Science Center and the Crime and Justice Policy Lab are excited to welcome Dr. Dan Semenza as part of the Penn Injury Distinguished Lecture Series on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 @ 12pm-1pm in the ARCH Building Room 108. Dr. Semenza is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice and the Department of Urban-Global Health at Rutgers University, as well as Director of Interpersonal Violence Research at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center.

RSVP on the event page – in-person space is limited; a virtual option is available for those who cannot join in-person. Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees.
April 15 - 17

SAVIR 2024

Chapel Hill, NC

The theme for the 2024 SAVIR Annual Conference is "Advancing injury prevention through community-engaged research”. The conference will highlight ways in which researchers are engaging communities in a meaningful way to advance injury and violence prevention.

Be sure to follow @PennInjury on X to see presentations and conference updates from Penn Injury scholars and partners.
April 16 - 17

Building a Future Without Gun Violence Summit

Lincoln Financial Field

Join community leaders, front-line stakeholders, and local advocates for the Building a Future Without Gun Violence Summit to learn about equitable, data-driven approaches to reduce the flow of crime guns in our cities.

Click here to learn more
April 17 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

The Second Trauma

Temple Performing Arts Center
1837 North Broad Street

Join us for an exclusive screening of the documentary The Second Trauma co-produced by Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting and the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. The documentary offers solutions on how we can do better to shift the narrative to a public health focus and give power back to the community to advocate for their safety. Following the screening will be a panel discussion featuring members of the cast and crew. If you would like to attend this exclusive screening please register here!
May 2 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Penn Injury presents at the ICRC Webinar Series

Zoom

The 2024 webinars are showcasing the partnerships that ICRCs have formed to grow injury prevention programs in peer institutions. On May 2nd, Isabella Ntigbu and Siani Butler will present on the Northwest Philly Technical Assistance Program, a collaboration between the Penn Injury Science Center and the Nonprofit Center at La Salle University. The program was co-designed by the participating community organizations, who receive technical assistance for their gun violence prevention and intervention programs through workshops and consultation.

Click here to register for the webinar
May 3 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Evidence-Driven Approaches to Preventing Firearm Deaths

Virtual

Join Penn LDI, the Penn Injury Science Center, and a panel of experts to learn about the current landscape of evidence-based approaches, their impacts, and their potential to reduce the number of individuals who die from firearm violence each year.

Click here to learn more and register
December 9 - 11

National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms

Seattle, WA

The 2024 National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms will highlight the current state of the science and research across the lifespan. Click here to receive updates on when registration opens, calls for abstracts are released, and when the conference hotel is announced. Learn more about previous conferences here.

LATEST IN RESEARCH & NEWS

Leadership Appointment

Kate McDonald has been appointed Chair of Penn Nursing’s Department of Family and Community Health. “Dr. McDonald is an accomplished and well-respected researcher in injury science [...], she has excelled at providing mentoring and support to faculty teaching in the undergraduate program and she supports and provides direction for innovative teaching and curricular approaches," said Penn Nursing Dean Antonia M. Villarruel.

Lindback Awards

Sara Jacoby and John Holmes have received the 2024 Lindback Awards for Distinguished Teaching. Since 1961, this prestigious award has recognized outstanding faculty members at colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey who demonstrate exceptional teaching skills and contribute significantly to the intellectual and character development of students.

Lessons in Trauma

Grayson Graham, a junior at Germantown Friends, recently completed an internship experience with the Penn Injury Science Center and the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program. Penn Medicine News featured his experience and what he learned. Graham is hopeful that he will be part of a generation of health care professionals that not only develop solutions to pressing health challenges but deliver them with compassion and empathy to form a “genuine connection with patients.”

Meeting Needs

Elinore Kaufman and the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program have added psychologists to their team to meet mental health needs after violent injury. “Our patients are seeking care and we’re able to meet that need directly with no barriers. No financial barriers, no logistical barriers," said Kaufman.

Lethal Means Counseling

Gabi Khazanov led a study of how to increase the acceptability of lethal means safety counseling - when clinicians encourage patients to limit their access to common and lethal means of suicide, especially firearms - which includes scripts, rationales, and resources that clinicians can use for these important conversations.

RESOURCES

Promotional Products for Charities
If you are employed by or serve on the Board of Directors of a 501(c)(3) charity and are working hard to make a difference in your community, you can apply for a $500 grant for promotional products from 4imprint.

Guide for Citing PISC Funding

Have you received funding support or infrastructure support from the Penn Injury Science Center? If yes, the CDC funding needs to be acknowledged! Refer to this guide to know when and how you should cite the PISC R49 Center grant (R49CE003083).

Professional Photo Booth

Co-sponsored by Graduate and Professional Student Assembly and the Undergraduate Assembly, the photo booth is open during regular Career Services business hours, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Located in the Career Services office, the first come, first serve photo booth — called the Iris Booth — can be used by Penn undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, alumni, faculty, and staff for high-quality headshots.
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Statistical Consultation

With our commitment to develop future generations of injury scientists across disciplines, the Penn Injury Science Center (PISC) provides statistics support for projects that are focused on the core mission of PISC and for which extramural resources are not currently available. Postdocs, clinical fellows, and early stage faculty that are affiliated with PISC are eligible for this benefit. This program offers statistical consultation through the BECCA Lab (Biostatistics, Evaluation, Collaboration, Consultation, and Analysis) at Penn Nursing. This could be a one-time consultation for a specific question or a series of meetings to support a project. See document linked above for more information.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Research Analyst, NIJ
The National Institute of Justice is hiring a social science research analyst to oversee work in the tribal crime, justice, and victimization portfolio. This is a remote position and can be based anywhere in the U.S.

Click here to learn more and apply by April 16
National Falls Prevention Fellowship
This fellowship program seeks to cultivate leaders who will explore and champion systems change solutions focused on mitigating older adult falls, falls risk factors, and fall-related injuries. The year-long fellowship will include engagement with national falls prevention experts; mentorship to develop leadership skills and meet career goals; and monthly meetings with the NCOA Policy and Advocacy Team to provide insight into the policy-making process.

Click here to learn more and apply by May 10
Postdoctoral Fellowship, UC Davis
The Violence Prevention Research Program (VPRP) and the California Firearm Violence Research Center, both at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), invite applications for one or more Postdoctoral Fellowships in Violence Prevention Research.

Click here to learn more and apply by April 15
Postdoctoral Research, ASU
The T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (SSFD) in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU) is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Scholar to join their team for a 12-month, benefit-eligible position with potential for extension. The primary focus of this position will be to advance real-world understanding of practices to promote school safety through innovative research-practice partnerships.

Click here to learn more and apply
Project Manager, Research
The Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine is hiring a Project Manager for Dr. Liz Nesoff's program of research. Dr. Nesoff is a social epidemiologist focused on the intersection of substance use, the neighborhood environment, injury prevention, and health disparities.

Click here to learn more and apply
Communications Director, Center for Health Justice
The Communications Director is a unique opportunity to help devise and execute a comprehensive communications strategy that promotes the vision, builds the reputation, and expands the impact of the newly formed Center for Health Justice (CHJ), whose vision is to achieve health through racial, economic, and environmental justice for Black, Brown, and other people and neighborhoods harmed by structural inequities. The Center sits within the Center for Health Care Transformation and Innovation (CHTI) and has two focus areas – transformation of health systems operations (Health Justice Transformation) and rigorous research and community action (Urban Health Lab).
Learn more and apply here.
Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics Faculty Positions
The Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine brings together experts in three basic sciences to generate knowledge that improves health for all by formulating important research questions; producing and deciphering biomedical and population-health data; and developing, applying, and teaching state-of-the-art research methods.

There are open faculty positions within each discipline. Click here to learn more.
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Community Health Fellowships
National Health Corps: Community Health Fellowship (NHC: CHF), Greater Philadelphia is a community health service program that trains local residents as Community Health Workers (CHWs) committed to addressing the unmet needs of underserved populations while creating pathways to quality public health careers for individuals who reflect the communities they serve.
Our program partners with non-profit organizations (called host sites) to place NHC members in Community Health Worker, Digital Health Navigator, and Medical Interpreter roles that support organizational capacities to address health inequities.

Current NHC: CHF member positions include:
Contact Kiera Kenney, NHC: CHF Program Director for more information! KKenney@healthfederation.org, 215-567-8005
DataLab CoLab Coordinator
DATA Co-Lab is a data-informed community engagement initiative hosted by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in the District Attorney’s Transparency Analytics (DATA) Lab and is funded by Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency “PCCD”. This initiative fosters partnerships between the DATA Lab and community-based organizations by hosting monthly workshops to provide data tools and engage in participatory research exercises. The main priorities of the DATA Co-Lab are: 1) to enhance the community partners’ capacity to use data to inform programming and advocacy efforts within their communities and 2) to elevate the experiences of community stakeholders and needs of various communities to inform DAO data analysis and data-driven policymaking. This project is intended to be place-based and community-driven.

The project is hiring for DataLab CoLab Coordinator

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Innovations in Fall Prevention, NCOA

This funding opportunity from the National Council On Aging will provide grants for a 12-month period (June 1, 2024-May 31, 2025) to selected organizations for the development of innovative approaches to older adult falls prevention focused on one of the following areas: First Responders/Emergency Medical Services; Housing/Housing Agencies; and Nutrition Services/Food Access Points.

Click here to learn more and apply by April 30

Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention, Office of Justice Programs

With this solicitation, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) seeks to prevent and reduce violent crime in communities by supporting comprehensive, evidence-based community-based violence intervention and prevention programs. These programs include efforts to address gang and gun violence, based on partnerships among community residents, local government agencies, victim service providers, community-based organizations, law enforcement, hospitals, researchers, and other community stakeholders.

Click here to learn more and apply by June 10

Firearm Injury Prevention in Community Healthcare Settings (R01)

The purpose of this initiative is to advance research that reduces firearm injury and disparities through the development and evaluation of firearm injury primary prevention interventions leveraging community healthcare settings. Projects that include translation into routine practice are also invited. Following the public health model from the 2019 Medical Summit on Firearm Injury Prevention, primary prevention refers to events happening prior to discharge of a firearm, such as safe firearm storage and handling, safety training, screening, community-building and investment, and programs addressing social determinants of health or unmet social needs. Prevention interventions at multiple levels are needed to address firearm morbidity and mortality due to both intentional injury (including suicide) and unintentional injury. Under this initiative, NINR is interested in novel and creative approaches to firearm injury prevention that capitalize on community healthcare settings, to identify risk factors; reduce exposure risk in individuals, families, and populations; prevent injury or reoccurrence of injury; and mitigate disparities.

Click here to learn more and apply by July 26

Safer Communities Project

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Mental Health Substance Abuse (OMHSAS), has received a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under the federal “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.” The Act funds initiatives to reduce the occurrence and effects of gun violence in individuals and communities. OMHSAS has selected Millersville University to lead the Safer Communities Project (SCP), a community gun violence prevention and intervention initiative serving communities throughout the Commonwealth. Through this project, the University will administer a competitive grant to nonclinical, nonprofits implementing community violence intervention (CVI) programs focused on peer-to-peer mental health support services to provide impactful support to victims of gun violence and to prevent the onset of trauma-related conditions.

The program anticipates awarding grants to 10 to 15 nonprofit organizations throughout Pennsylvania. Applicants may apply for a total budget of up to $250,000 for the entire project, but may not exceed $150,000 in total expenses in the first 12-month period.

Click here to learn more and apply by April 15

Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions

The Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) and participating National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutes, Centers, and Offices have announced the following notices of funding opportunities for the Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions Research Network:


  • PAR-24-053: Multi-sectoral preventive interventions that address social determinants of health in populations that experience health disparities (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trial Required)
  • RFA-OD-24-006: Coordinating Center to Support Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions that Address Social Determinants of Health in Populations that Experience Health Disparities (U24, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

SHARING SCIENCE

Terry Richmond and Tyrique Glasgow were speakers at the "Community Health as a Social Determinant of Health" workshop from The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Terry provided opening remarks and was a moderator in video 1 and Tyrique was a panelist in video 6. View the series of 7 videos.
"Science isn't finished until it's communicated"
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About Us

The Penn Injury Science Center is funded by a grant from the CDC and brings together university, community, and government partners around injury and violence intervention programs with the greatest potential for impact. We promote and perform the highest quality research, training and translation of scientific discoveries into practice and policy in order to reduce injuries, violence, and their impact to our region, the US, and locations around the world.
Question, Comments, or Suggestions?

Email andrew.belfiglio@pennmedicine.upenn.edu about any concerns or content you’d like to see in the next newsletter.