20th Anniversary 1987 - 2007 Top 20 Research Highlights 1. Documenting the burden and cost of injury in America
2. Demonstrating the global burden of injury
3. Addressing urban health needs to reduce health disparities
4. Identifying children at risk for motor vehicle injuries
5. Finding new ways to prevent childhood injury
6. Making toys safer for children
7. Finding ways to keep teen drivers safe
8. Determining whether trauma center care makes a difference
9. Improving post trauma recovery for patients and families
10. Identifying hazards in aviation safety
11. Protecting boaters and swimmers
12. Understanding the role of alcohol in injury
13. Improving the safety of women in violent relationships
14. Reducing accidental shootings by making guns safer
15. Using innovative computer technology to improve injury literacy and prevention
16. Developing new research methods to advance the science of injury prevention
17. Training future leaders in injury prevention
18. Using innovative legal research to reduce injury risk
19. Improving safety through innovative engineering
20. Sharing what we’ve learned with others Click here to see the Center's anniversary year events
1. Documenting the burden and cost of injury in America Co-authored groundbreaking texts, the “Injury Fact Book” and a report to Congress, “Cost of Injury in America”, that identified for the first time the magnitude and economic impact of injury in the US -- now estimated to be 50 million injuries costing $406 billion annually 
The first text documenting the sheer magnitude of the injury problem, The Injury Fact Book was co-authored by Center faculty in 1984 with a second edition published in 1992. These texts remain essential references for all injury control professionals. A legislatively-mandated report to Congress in 1989, Cost of Injury in America, identified for the first time the magnitude of the economic impact of injury on the United States. These groundbreaking works from Center faculty have been credited with charting a path for what was then a new and rapidly growing field of injury control. Top
2. Demonstrating the global burden of injury Co-authored a major textbook addressed to injury prevention in international settings Among the first to document that drowning is the leading cause of death for young children in Bangladesh Contributed to global efforts to reduce motor vehicle crash injuries around the world 
Motor vehicle crashes are projected to be the third cause of death worldwide by 2020. Center researchers contributed to documenting the global burden associated with motor vehicle crashes in the World Health Organization’s first World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention that received widespread international attention. Center faculty pay particular attention to the injury prevention needs of developing countries and co-authored a major textbook addressed to injury prevention in international settings. They were also among the first to document that drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 in Bangladesh. Center research in Uganda is identifying new policies to reduce motor vehicle crash injuries. Top
3. Addressing urban health needs to reduce health disparities Health disparities research demonstrated that urban Medicaid children experience serious injuries at a rate that is nearly twice the national average, which resulted in new prevention programs for low income families in Baltimore 
The top 25 ways to address urban health needs in a recent School of Public Health report highlighted research conducted by Center faculty. Low income, urban families often have limited access to safety information and proven effective safety products. Center research found that children in an urban Medicaid population had nearly twice the rate of injury compared to the national average. Center faculty are developing and testing new ways to reduce this disparity. Top
4. Identifying children at risk for motor vehicle injuries First to document that infants and toddlers at greatest risk of death among children in motor vehicle accidents, which contributed to new child passenger protection laws throughout the United States First to demonstrate a link between childhood obesity and injury risk, finding that an estimated 356,000 young children in the United States are too large to be protected in existing car safety seats 
Center researchers were the first to document that the very highest motor vehicle occupant death rates in childhood were among infants and toddlers, a discovery that helped convince many State Legislatures to pass child passenger protection laws, now universal throughout the United States. Center researchers were also the first to demonstrate the relationship between the growing childhood obesity problem and a lack of car seats large enough to safely secure larger children. These recent findings are influencing car seat manufacturers, federal regulators, and safety recommendations for parents. Top
5. Finding new ways to prevent childhood injury Trained more than 20,000 Baltimore families in how to prevent injuries to children through innovative resource centers – the Johns Hopkins' Children's Safety Center and the CARES Mobile Safety Center, which are being replicated in communities around the country 
Center research at Johns Hopkins Hospital demonstrated that pediatric injury prevention counseling paired with access to an on-site safety resource center and low cost safety products can reduce children’s injury risks. Ten years later the safety resource center – the first of its kind in the country -- is now a permanent fixture in the Hospital and other hospitals are replicating it around the United States. In partnership with the Baltimore City Fire Department and others, we have adapted the safety center model to a 40-foot house on wheels that travels throughout the city delivering fun, interactive educational exhibits and low cost safety products. More than 20,000 families have been served and our families tell of injuries that were prevented by applying what was learned at these two unique safety resource centers. Top
6. Making toys safer for children Demonstrated to federal regulators the need for mandatory packaging changes on all toys sold in the United States that would identify age appropriateness of possible choking hazards 
Center research revealed that the warning label on toys – “not for children under 3 years” -- was misunderstood by adults who frequently purchased toys that contained choking hazards. As a result of these data and testimony to federal regulators, toy manufacturers now have clear, standard language about choking hazards and age appropriateness on all toys sold in the United States. Changing product labeling and clarifying the prevention message has significantly reduced children’s risk of choking. Top
7. Finding ways to keep teen drivers safe Helped to strengthen teen driving laws around the country by documenting that the most comprehensive GDL programs (graduated driver licensing)reduce fatal crash risk for novice drivers by more than 35%, and having additional passengers in the car of a teen driver significantly increases the risk of a fatal crash 
By documenting the fact that the most comprehensive graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs reduce the fatal crash risk for novice drivers by 35%, Center research is being used by states around the country to strengthen their GDL policies and programs. Center faculty were also the first to document that having additional passengers in the car of a teen driver significantly increases the risk of a fatal crash. These findings help inform legislators and parents who seek ways to keep teen drivers safe. Top
8. Determining whether trauma center care makes a difference Demonstrated that the risk of death is significantly lower, and likelihood of long term recovery significantly higher, when care is provided by a Level 1 Trauma Center – factors that support the case for regionalizing trauma care 
Leading a team of researchers from around the country, Center faculty conducted the first study to systematically examine differences in death and disability between level 1 trauma centers and hospitals without a trauma center. The risk of death was significantly lower when care was provided in a trauma center, especially among young adults with more severe injuries. For people with major limb injuries, trauma centers also significantly improve long term functional recovery. These results provide necessary evidence to continue efforts at regionalization of trauma care. Top
9. Improving post trauma recovery for patients and families Developed and tested innovative self-management programs that improve long term outcomes and reduce disability for people with limb-threatening leg injuries 
With collaborators from around the country, Center researchers worked with survivors of limb-threatening leg injuries to determine the best treatment options and ways to improve outcomes and reduce disability. Results are being used to develop and test self-management programs for use early in the recovery process. Trauma providers will be able to prescribe self management courses to their patients and family members will be offered instant access to post trauma information and resources through interactive computer technology. Top 10. Identifying hazards in aviation safety Conducted seminal research on pilot error, crash risks, crash survival and intervention effectiveness to improve aviation safety, including among military and EMS helicopter pilots 
Years of research by Center faculty has produced some of the best epidemiologic research in the field of aviation safety, making seminal contributions to the knowledge base of pilot error, risk factors for crash risk and crash survival and intervention effectiveness. Based on Center research, the Army may reconsider its plans to downgrade standards for helicopters and EMS providers now know more about how to reduce their risks of helicopter crashes.
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11. Protecting boaters and swimmers Provided evidence that was used by the Supreme Court in their decision to uphold the rights of people injured while boating to seek legal remedies 
Motor boat propellers can cause devastating, costly recreational injuries. Based in part on research at the Center, injured boaters and swimmers can now seek legal remedies for their injuries. The United States Supreme Court cited Center research in its ruling upholding the rights of persons injured by propellers to bring lawsuits. Top
12. Understanding the role of alcohol in injury Helped shape the way policy makers and the public understand alcohol’s role in injury and how to reduce its impact
In one of the first studies on alcohol in bicyclists, Center researchers highlighted the association between alcohol use and non-use of helmets. For private pilots, a history of driving while intoxicated is a major risk factor for aviation crashes. Drinking histories reveal that alcohol increases the risk of drowning even more than risk of crash involvement. Center faculty are collaborating with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to examine an innovative court monitoring program and its impact on the judicial system’s responses to drinking and driving. This body of work has garnered much attention from the media, policy makers and advocates who seek to reduce the impact of alcohol on injury risks in this country. Top
13. Improving the safety of women in violent relationships Identified and evaluated interventions that help protect women in violent relationships 
Center researchers were among the first to carefully examine the risk and impact of domestic violence among active duty military women. Women’s policy preferences for routine screening and mandatory reporting of intimate partner violence were first systematically investigated by Center faculty. Center researchers are developing and testing interventions for survivors of domestic violence that can be effectively delivered in clinical, shelter and court settings. Top
14. Reducing accidental shootings by making guns safer Documented the feasibility and effectiveness of certain safety devices for firearms
Hundreds of people in the United States are killed in unintentional firearm-related incidents every year. Research by Center faculty and collaborators from around the country documented the feasibility and effectiveness of certain types of safety devices.
Top 15. Using innovative computer technology to improve injury literacy and prevention Harnessed the power of computers to effectively communicate injury prevention and recovery information to patients and their families 
Center researchers were among the first to harness the power of computers to creatively and effectively communicate injury prevention and recovery information to patients and their families. Personalized, tailored and persuasive messages can now be generated instantly with computer technology and made accessible through kiosks in emergency departments, trauma centers, and pediatric health care settings. Center researchers continue to develop and evaluate these programs. Top
16. Developing new research methods to advance the science of injury prevention Created new tools for measuring the burden of injury that are essential for advancing the science of injury control, enabling trauma surgeons and researchers to describe injuries and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment 
The Injury Severity Score (ISS) and its simpler derivative, the New Injury Severity Score, have made it possible for trauma surgeons and researchers to describe injuries and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. The decomposition method for studying injury mortality, invented by Center faculty, is a simple and powerful tool for understanding injury disparities across population groups, time periods, and geographic regions. Faculty is also leading innovative new applications of qualitative research methods to the study of injury policy and its implementation. Top 17. Training future leaders in injury prevention Globally recognized experts in training tomorrow’s injury prevention leaders through Center-sponsored injury courses and faculty authored textbooks. 
As the oldest and most comprehensive training program in the country, the Center is committed to educating future professionals and researchers. Our Summer Institute on the Principles and Practice of Injury Prevention, which has been offered for 16 years, has trained close to 1,000 professionals from the U.S. and around the world. On campus, we have developed a dozen courses specifically focused on injury and violence as well as a specialist certificate that can be earned. We have trained hundreds of masters, doctoral and post doctoral students from around the world in the art and science of injury prevention. Our work has resulted in numerous textbooks that have shaped the training and practice of injury preventions, including the Injury Fact Book; Protecting the Public: Legal Issues in Injury Prevention; Saving Children: A Guide to Injury Prevention ; Injury Prevention: An International Perspective; and Injury and Violence Prevention: Behavioral Sciences Theories, Methods and Applications. Top
18. Using innovative legal research to reduce injury risk Among the first to demonstrate the benefits of litigation and the tools of legal research to reduce injury risk 
Center faculty were among the first to recognize and examine the benefits of litigation to reduce the risk of injury. By providing those that create hazards with an economic incentive to improve safety, litigation can serve as an injury prevention tool. Center faculty have promoted the use of litigation to encourage the installation of airbags in cars, safety devices in firearms, and to reduce risks in numerous other products and environments.
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19. Improving safety through innovative engineering Mentored engineering students who produced innovative safety products, such as a white water rafting helmet, wheelchairs that won’t tip and devices to protect workers from back injuries 
Center faculty mentored undergraduate engineering students as they designed a helmet to protect white water rafters. Their innovative whitewater helmet that affords rafters and kayakers better protection is now patented and available in the marketplace. Other design projects have addressed the need for childproof guns, wheelchairs that do not tip over, and devices to prevent back injury in workers. Center faculty also conducted research to uncover the most common types of prisoner-made weapons used to injure prison guards. Based on this research, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory has developed materials that can be used for toothbrushes, padlocks, broom handles, etc. so that they cannot be modified or used as weapons
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20. Sharing what we’ve learned with others Through partnership, leadership and advocacy, Center researchers facilitate the translation and dissemination of science to reduce the burden of injury in the United States and around the world 
We share our discoveries every day by working closely with the media and by making sure that those who can take action on our research findings are informed and supported in their efforts to make changes that reduce injuries. Center researchers serve in leadership roles on local, state, federal and international advisory committees as well as on working committees and task forces that implement policies and programs. They sit on influential Institute of Medicine and World Health Organization panels that have produced three national and two global reports on injuries. In partnership with other safety conscious organizations around the United States, Center researchers led the development of a national survey, which found that a majority of Americans have been personally touched by a serious injury and think it is important for the U.S. to invest in new ways to prevent injury. These findings are being widely used to increase awareness of the importance of injury prevention among the media, key policy makers and other stakeholders throughout the country. Return to the Top of the Page | 
