More than 44,000 lives are lost to firearm injuries in the United States each year, and since 2020, firearm injuries have been the leading cause of death among U.S. children and teens.
Working in all 83 Michigan counties and across all 50 states, the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention is leading the nation in advancing science and generating actionable research to save lives and reduce the toll of this preventable public health crisis.
Launched as a U-M presidential initiative in 2019 and established as an institute in June 2021, the institute is celebrating five years of service, an anniversary that coincides with National Gun Violence Awareness Month. This annual month of recognition seeks to honor the victims and survivors of gun violence and bring attention to the work being done to prevent further firearm-related harm.
“Similar to the success we have seen in reducing deaths from motor vehicle crashes, firearm injuries can be significantly reduced when addressed through a public health approach,” said Patrick Carter, director of the institute, professor of emergency medicine in the Medical School, and professor of health behavior and health equity in the School of Public Health.
“By developing and implementing multidisciplinary prevention strategies, allocating dedicated and sustained funding, evaluating comprehensive prevention efforts and building infrastructure to increase access to shared data, we can save lives while also respecting the rights of law-abiding firearm owners.”
A collaborative effort
The institute, which draws on expertise from across the university, collaborates with community partners to better understand the root causes of firearm violence and assist in tailoring prevention strategies to their specific needs. Over the past five years, the institute has received over $60 million in new federal, state or foundation firearm research-related funding and has more federal funding for firearm injury prevention research than any other academic institution nationwide.
Advancing research has been a cornerstone to the institute’s success and sustainability, with its team members publishing more than 250 firearm-related publications to date. The publications span a wide range of topics, including suicide prevention, school safety, community violence, intimate partner violence and policy evaluation. By continuing to share peer-reviewed science, the institute has established itself as a trusted partner for communities state- and nationwide, disseminating knowledge within and outside the research community.
These publications have provided groundbreaking findings that have allowed institute faculty members to develop, implement and evaluate multiple high-impact programs and projects. For example, in the Upper Peninsula, institute team members have partnered with local firearm owners, families, gun groups and the Marquette County Health Department to create and test a youth suicide and unintentional firearm injury prevention strategy.
Through tailored messaging about secure storage and community-led training, the Store Safely Program builds on working with trusted messengers to share information and resources. Institute team members have also developed and tested an evidence-based intervention in health care settings that has been shown to reduce risky firearm behaviors and violent injuries among young adults.
However, this critical research would not be possible without substantive commitment from the university itself. The institute’s unique infrastructure within U-M is also integral to its success. While multiple universities have firearm injury prevention centers, they are typically housed within individual schools or colleges, and often do not receive investment from their institutions. However, U-M’s institute has a university-wide structure that works across all 19 schools and colleges and is supported through sustained institutional funding.
Key institute priorities
In an effort to improve data sharing and reporting, the institute has developed and currently maintains the largest existing national firearm data repository in the country, with more than 100 datasets accessible to researchers nationwide. It also developed and hosts a real-time statewide data system of firearm incidents across Michigan to help guide public health responses at the local level.
Another key priority for the institute has been to help train the next generation of researchers and scholars in the field of firearm injury prevention. In 2022, the institute developed and launched the most comprehensive evidence-based online course in the field to date, with more than 37 hours of education for researchers, practitioners, students and the broader public.
The institute also hosts the first federally funded postdoctoral training program focused specifically on firearm injury prevention, with 11 trainees having successfully completed the program. It also hosts a robust summer internship program and recently launched a 12-week fellowship program which focuses on building greater capacity for conducting firearm injury prevention research in health-related fields including nursing, public health, medicine, and social work.
In addition to being a national leader in the research and community outreach sectors, the institute is also a trusted partner for firearm-related policy implementation and evaluation. Faculty members have provided testimony for multiple state and federal committee hearings on firearm-related policies, including the most comprehensive update to Michigan’s firearm laws in more than 30 years.
To support communities in understanding and implementing these new policies, the institute developed and hosts two online toolkits and the Michigan Firearm Law Implementation Program. The M-FLIP team provides training and technical assistance to community leaders, law enforcement and court personnel throughout Michigan regarding how to navigate these new laws. The institute also works closely with the Michigan Task Force for Gun Violence Prevention and other state government agencies and partners to provide support, optimize resources and improve sustainability of evidence-based programs, services and policies.
The institute’s work also extends directly into schools. By providing training and technical assistance to more than 400 schools and school safety organizations in Michigan, and more than 7,000 schools and school safety organizations nationwide, the institute is working to address school safety from a comprehensive lens. Through the National Center for School Safety and the Michigan School Safety Initiative, the institute is working with school personnel, students, families, first responders and other groups involved in school safety to ensure they have the resources and support they need to establish and maintain safe learning environments.
“Collaboration with schools, policymakers, community organizations, law enforcement and other community partners has been a key component of the institute’s work from the very beginning,” said Marc Zimmerman, founding co-director of the institute and the Marshall H. Becker Collegiate Professor of Public Health. “It is important to us that the work we do with our communities is based on partnership. We want to ensure these efforts are effective and sustainable, so that we can have the best outcomes possible.”
Five-year anniversary
To mark its fifth anniversary, the institute released a special edition of its annual impact report and hosted an event on June 15.
The June 15 anniversary event brought together university leaders, researchers, community partners and practitioners to reflect on the institute’s first five years and discuss opportunities to expand firearm injury prevention work in Michigan and across the country.
“The work being conducted through the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention is inspiring,” said Arthur Lupia, vice president for research and innovation, who provided opening remarks at the event. “This institute shows what is possible when we work together toward a shared mission. This team is saving the lives of people they may never meet — it is a great example of what we mean when we talk about translating research into real, actionable solutions.”
Read the full article as published on The University Record’s website