Center Director Andrea Gielen, ScM, ScD, has been elected President-elect of the Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR). Established in 2005, SAVIR is a professional association of injury researchers with a mission to promote scholarly activity in the prevention, control, acute care, and rehabilitation of intentional and unintentional injury (www.savirweb.org). “I am honored to be chosen, and extend my sincere gratitude to the nomination committee,” said Dr. Gielen. “As a relatively young organization, we offer great opportunities for member involvement in shaping our future. I would like to encourage both new and seasoned injury professionals to join us in our efforts to promote research and collaboration with practitioners and policymakers to bridge the research – practice gap and reduce the burden of injury.” In addition to Dr. Gielen, the SAVIR Board of Directors includes Center faculty Shannon Frattaroli, MPH, PhD, who will be coordinating a new contract from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) awarded to SAVIR. Last year, Dr. Frattaroli served as the Chair of the Injury Conference Programs Committee and was awarded SAVIR’s President’s Award for her contributions to the successful national conference. This year’s initiative with the NCIPC will engage SAVIR members in promoting the national injury research agenda. “The contract from NCIPC is a great example of how injury researchers can organize to demonstrate the need for and value of our work,” said Dr. Frattaroli. “We are thrilled to be working with NCIPC on such an important initiative.” The Center will also host SAVIR’s bi-annual national research conference in 2013 in Baltimore.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) announced a joint project titled Strengthening the Impact of Fire and Life Safety Messages on Children. The goal is to determine the best way to communicate fire safety messages to children ages 3-9. This is the first time the groups have worked together to enhance fire safety education. The project is made possible by funding from FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, AFG Fire Prevention and Safety Grants. “The outcomes of this study will contribute to understanding how children and their parents react to safety messages,” said Andrea Gielen, ScM, ScD, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy. “Despite the fact that injuries are the number one cause of death for children in the U.S., little is currently known about how best to reach them with safety information.” Each year approximately 290 children ages 3-9 die as a result of fire in the U.S. To access the press release, please click here.
The Center for Injury Research and Policy is a co-sponsor of an October 6th symposium at Johns Hopkins University on underage drinking, “Reducing Drinking on College Campuses: Where to From Here?” The purpose is to bring together college administrators, community leaders, policy makers, students and faculty to discuss how to reduce the harmful use of alcohol on college campuses in Baltimore. “It’s estimated that each year 1,825 college students die from alcohol-related injuries, all of which could have been prevented,” said David Jernigan, MA, PhD, associate professor with the Injury Center and executive director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “By highlighting issues surrounding the use of alcohol on campuses and the existing evidence-based methods to address them, we will be well-positioned to identify the steps necessary to prevent future alcohol-related deaths and injuries among Baltimore’s college students.”
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