Center for the Study and Prevention of Injury, Violence, and Suicide

Injury, violence, and suicide take an enormous toll on society. However, many tragic incidents that kill or maim have been shown to be preventable. The Center for the Study and Prevention of Injury, Violence and Suicide at EDC assesses the complex social and behavioral factors that underlie physical trauma—be it intentional or unintentional—and develops prevention programs, trainings, and educational materials with and for state and local health agencies, schools, community-based organizations, state coalitions, criminal and juvenile justice systems, and social service agencies. The Center draws on the lessons learned in these programs to shape policies at the national level that promote safety and reduce injury. It also works to reduce the consequences of injury and violence when they do occur.

Challenges

Injury, violence, and suicide combined represent the single greatest cause of death and a leading cause of hospitalization for children, youth, and young adults. They are also very significant causes of death and hospitalization across the age span. Injuries, violence, and suicide not only disrupt and destroy the lives of individuals, but they also harm communities and nations. The personal and economic toll is enormous. Given that a science of prevention does exist, the challenge lies in getting this knowledge out to communities, enabling agencies and government to use it as they devise injury prevention strategies.

Mission

The mission of the Center is to address negative health outcomes associated with injuries, violence, and suicidal behavior that occur in our homes, schools, and communities, and in society at large, by working across sectors with education, public and mental health, criminal justice, child and family services, and health care to devise prevention and intervention strategies. In the area of intentional injuries, the Center addresses suicide, youth violence and bullying, child abuse, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. For unintentional injuries we work to address motor vehicle-related injuries, falls, burns, drowning, and workplace injuries.

Strategies

• Conduct applied research to identify risk and protective factors to develop interventions
• Promote research-based decision-making among policymakers and practitioners through surveillance of injury events, assessment of resources and needs, evaluation of interventions, and ongoing program monitoring
• Create and disseminate research-based knowledge and innovative practices using broadcast, print, multimedia, and Web-based communication
• Provide technical assistance and professional development activities to practitioners and policymakers in both the public and private sectors
• Inform the national agenda for injury prevention by participation and membership in national organizations and their governance groups
• Provide training to professionals and laypeople to improve their skills in conducting injury prevention programs

Projects and Results

Intentional Injuries

• The Center houses the nation’s only resource center focused on suicide prevention, which provides technical assistance to coalitions and stakeholders in each of the 50 states.
  (www.sprc.org)
• The Center has assessed the challenges and successes of community youth violence prevention programs in order to deliver programs with fidelity.
• The Center has developed indicators for monitoring progress in efforts to implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
• The Center has worked collaboratively with the Harvard School of Public Health Injury Control Research Center to develop and deliver Internet-based suicide prevention training.
• Working with other partners, the Center staff has participated in the development and delivery of violence prevention training to diverse audiences of practitioners.

Unintentional Injuries

• For more than a decade, the Center has been the premier injury prevention technical assistance and resource center for maternal and child health and injury prevention professionals in state health departments throughout the United States. (www.csn.org).
  Please read our recent feature story (PDF) on the 15th anniversary of the Children’s Safety Network.
• In collaboration with UC Berkeley, the Center operates the only national resource center on young worker safety, which works with state agencies to institutionalize training on occupational safety in schools and job placement programs.  
• The Center is developing a set of guidelines for the development of culturally-appropriate, effective traffic safety educational materials for Spanish-speaking audiences.
• Building on a successful community intervention to encourage parents to seat children in the rear of cars, the Center is undertaking a project in Brockton, Massachusetts to reach Cape Verdean, Latino, and Haitian immigrants with a similar traffic safety message.

Funders

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services
• U.S. Department of Transportation: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• U.S. Department of Labor: Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Center Director
Lloyd Potter, Ph.D., M.P.H.
(617) 618-2314

Associate Directors
Anara Guard, M.L.S.
(617) 618-2572

David Litts, O.D., F.A.A.O.
(202) 572-3730

Christine Miara, M.S.
(617) 618-2238