Community Violence Intervention Hub
The Community Violence Intervention Hub (CVI Hub) is a leading group of Penn clinicians, researchers, administrators, practitioners, and activists who have come together to bring all the violence prevention activities under one roof, within a coordinated & connected team.
Programs
Penn Community Violence Prevention
A team of dedicated outreach workers and violence interrupters work to stop violence from happening in the first place. From conflict mediation to connecting individuals to pro-social alternatives, the program provides a suite of services to reduce the impact of violence on individuals and communities.
Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program
The Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program is based in the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center. After being medically stabilized following a violent injury, the violence intervention specialist meets the patient at the bedside to support them in connecting to resources and services for their healing and well-being, and this relationship is maintained after discharge for continued support.
Safe Path Program
In partnership with the School District of Philadelphia, we are working to expand and enhance the Safe Path program, a network of community members and local businesses and organizations to “keep an eye” so children can make it safely to and from school.
PCVP Community Advisory Board
The PCVP Community Advisory Board is composed of community residents, business owners, school officials, non-profit organizations, and other community leaders who are dedicated to reducing community violence in West and Southwest Philadelphia.
Firearm Injury Research Interest Group
We bring together scientists, clinicians, practitioners, and policymakers across Philadelphia in monthly virtual meetings to share resources, updates, and opportunities to cross-pollinate research, practice, and policy efforts to reduce the burden of firearm injury on our communities and health systems.
News from the Community Violence Intervention Hub
Responses to mass shootings vs. chronic gun violence
Elinore Kaufman of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke on Louisville NPR member station WFPL about the difference in public response to the recent mass shooting compared to the area’s chronic gun violence.
“It’s interesting, I used to say the mass shootings are getting all the attention, it’s going to really warp our policy. But honestly, all the attention that mass shootings derive result in very, very, very little change — essentially, no change.
If we really focus on the root causes of violence? We’re going to be talking about things like wealth inequality, like generational poverty, housing and schools, social supports, all of those things that we as a society have systematically deprived Black communities and other communities of color from for a long time. These aren’t simple policy solutions, but they are powerful. And they have all kinds of other benefits, of course, beyond firearm violence.”
Khalif Mujahid Ali’s legacy
A powerful voice in the violence prevention world of Philadelphia was lost with the recent passing of Khalif Mujahid Ali. The Penn Community Violence Prevention team aims to carry on the legacy of one of its founding members and Khalif’s longtime partners look to continue his Beloved Care Project.
Listen to Khalif’s story at the Penn Medicine Listening Lab.
Story slam on firearm injury and prevention
Elinore Kaufman and Rodney Babb, of the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program, participated in the Story Slam focusing on firearm injury and prevention as a public health issue, co-hosted by Annals of Internal Medicine, the American College of Physicians (ACP) and WHYY.
Denise Johnson recognized as Difference Maker
| Denise Johnson was featured in Penn Today and named a difference maker in the Penn Medicine News for her role as the bridge between the street outreach Penn Community Violence Prevention program and the hospital-based Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program. |
As one of eleven CDC Injury Control Research Centers in the nation, we help connect you with the best research, training, and resources in injury and violence prevention.
Access the CDC’s Community Violence Prevention Resource for Action: A Compilation of the Best Available Evidence for Youth and Young Adults.
CVI Hub Leaders
Elinore Kaufman, MD, MSHP
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care, and Emergency Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine
Medical Director, Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program
Chidinma Nwakanma, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine
Attending Physician, Penn Prebyterian Emerency Department and Hospital of University of Pennsylvania
Zaffer Qasim, MBBS, FRCEM, FRCPC(EM), EDIC
Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine
Asssitant Professor of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System
Bernadette Hohl, PhD
Senior Research Investigator
Penn Injury Science Center and Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Ruth Abaya, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Director of Injury Prevention, Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Therese Richmond, PhD, RN, FAAN
Research Core Director
Andrea B. Laporte Professor of Nursing
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania
Patrick Reilly, MD
Sara Jacoby, PhD, MPH, RN
Associate Professor of Nursing, Calvin Bland Fellow
Department of Family and Community Health, School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania