Dr. Brian Johnston, MD, MPH has accepted the position of Associate Chief of Clinical Services, Division of General Pediatrics, effective April 1st, 2015. In this role, Brian will be taking primary responsibility for all Division clinical operations. Brian will work in close collaboration with the medical directors for each of the clinical sites to ensure that we have excellent communication across sites and consistent quality in the services we provide. Please join us in congratulating Brian on this new leadership role.
HIPRC Core Member Dr. Fred Rivara, MD, MPH (Professor of Pediatrics, Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology) has been selected as the Chair of the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Biological and Psychosocial Effects of Peer Victimization: Lessons for Bullying Prevention. The Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council (NRC), in conjunction with the NRC’s Committee on Law and Justice, will convene a committee of experts to conduct a consensus study that will produce a comprehensive report on the state of the science on: 1) the biological and psychosocial consequences of peer victimization and 2) the risk and protective factors that either increase or decrease peer victimization behavior and consequences. Given the limited research on bullying specifically and potential to learn from other areas of victimization, the study committee will review the relevant research and practice-based literatures on peer victimization—including physical, verbal, relational, and cyber, from early childhood through adolescence. The committee can also draw upon research in other areas of victimization to inform the core questions of this study. A particular focus on children who are most at risk of peer victimization—i.e., those with high risk factors in combination with few protective factors— such as children with disabilities, poly-victims, LGBT youth, and children living in poverty will be included in the study. More information.
HIPRC Staff Member Nithya Kannan has been awarded a two-year T32 post-doctoral fellowship in Reproductive, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology in the UW Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health beginning April 16, 2015. Nithya will continue to work on injury-related research at HIPRC in her new fellowship appointment.
Date/Time: Sunday, April 26th, 1:10PM
Location: Safeco Field, 1250 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA
Tickets: $20 view level, $35 main level, promo code is ‘SafeKids’
Ticket Deadline: Friday, April 24th, 12PM
There will be games, Mariners shirts for kids under 14, and safety info. Get your discounted tickets and support Safe Kids WA!
Brianna Mills, MA, (PhD Epidemiology student) has been awarded a Shanahan Fellowship for 2015-16 by the UW Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology (CSDE). CSDE fellowships are mentored apprenticeships in population research. The fellowship is sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Committee members were impressed by Brianna’s record and the progress she has made in the last year, and enthusiastic about her scholarship and productivity.
Help us congratulate Laura Blanar, MHS, PhDc (Health Services) on receiving the 2015-16 University of Washington Retirement Association Graduate Student Fellowship in Aging. This award from The Graduate School was funded by the generosity of the University of Washington Retirement Association.
Recommendations for Addressing Critical Gaps
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can lead to lifelong problems that not only affect the lives of individuals and their families, but also have a significant impact on society and the economy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a Report to Congress, entitled Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Epidemiology and Rehabilitation, to describe:
Read the full report, or the 2-page summary.
A new study from AAA showed that teenagers have the highest rate of crashes in the United States, due primarily to distracted driving.
The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced it’s first-ever, national advertising campaign aimed at parents of children ages 8-14 to make sure their kids are consistently and properly wearing their seat belt every time the car is moving. More information here.
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention issued a crucial report on the state of the nation’s suicide research efforts. Results from the “U.S. National Suicide Prevention Research Efforts: 2008-2013 Portfolio Analyses” show that investments in suicide research are severely lagging relative to research on other leading causes of death. In 2013, over 41,000 Americans died by suicide. Suicide, the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., receives a small fraction of research dollars in comparison with conditions which cause comparable numbers of deaths such as influenza or hypertension. With a large-scale research investment focused on a comprehensive prevention strategy, timely and effective evidence-based interventions could save thousands of lives per year, especially among middle-aged Americans, an age group with an increasing suicide rate. Read the press release and the report here.
The objective of this study from JAMA Pediatrics is to examine trends in U.S. suicide mortality for adolescents and young adults across the rural-urban continuum. Suicide rates for adolescents and young adults are higher in rural than in urban communities regardless of the method used, and rural-urban disparities appear to be increasing over time. Further research should carefully explore the mechanisms whereby rural residence might increase suicide risk in youth and consider suicide-prevention efforts specific to rural settings. Read the abstract from JAMA Pediatrics here.
Suicide rates have risen considerably in recent years. National workplace suicide trends have not been well documented. The aim of this study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine is to describe suicides occurring in U.S. workplaces and compare them to suicides occurring outside of the workplace between 2003 and 2010. The upward trend of suicides in the workplace underscores the need for additional research to understand occupation-specific risk factors and develop evidence-based programs that can be implemented in the workplace. Read the abstract from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine here.
People over age 65 have the highest suicide rate of any age group. Preliminary results from the first psychological autopsy study of completed suicides in the U.S., conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, suggest that a combination of factors are involved, including previous suicide attempts, physical illnesses or decline, and loss of social support. Read the full article from Psychiatric News here.
Dr. Fred Rivara, MD was one of six experts who participated in the New England Journal of Medicine Ask the Authors and Experts: Reviving Research to Prevent Gun Violence. Over 20 different questions and discussions on gun safety, research, and the role of public health in gun violence prevention.
Seattle Department of Transportation has released their new “Vision Zero” plan for reducing traffic injury.
The next EIIRN (early career injury research investigators) meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 8th, 11AM-12PM in the HIPRC conference room. We look forward to seeing you there, talking about recent and upcoming projects, and discussing potential summer events and ways to get involved with the summer student program. As always, snacks provided.