Firearm Injury and the Healthcare System
This work studies firearm injury and homicide and the ways in which the healthcare system plays a role in the prevention of and response to gun violence. Current Projects, Publications and relevant media are included below.
Current Projects
Gun Homicide and Suicide Trends (Rutgers & UCLA Collaboration)
Multi-institutional research examining national and regional patterns in firearm-related deaths to inform public health and healthcare system responses.
50-Year Study of Firearm Possession: Protection or Peril
Longitudinal research examining the risks and potential protective effects associated with firearm ownership over time.
Media
What Clinicians Should Know About Firearm Injury
Nina Agrawal, MD, MedPage Today (Second Opinions), January 2024. An expert commentary highlighting the role of clinicians and healthcare systems in responding to firearm injury, including opportunities for prevention, improved clinical engagement, and broader public health impact.
Gun Research: A Pediatrician’s Call to Action
Op-Med - December 2018
Relevant Publications
Childhood Suicide Risk in the Emergency Department
David Pagliaccio, Jaclyn S. Kirshenbaum, Katherine M. Keyes, Randy P. Auerbach, JAMA Network Open, 2025. A cohort study of more than 10 million pediatric emergency department visits assessing suicide-related presentations and risk factors for repeat visits, highlighting patterns of injury-related mental health presentations and implications for healthcare screening and intervention practices.
Firearm Death Rates in Rural vs Urban US Counties
Paul M. Reeping, Alan Mak, Charles C. Branas, Ariana N. Gobaud, Mark L. Nance, JAMA Surgery, 2023. This study examines firearm mortality across the rural–urban continuum, finding higher overall firearm death rates in rural areas—driven largely by suicide—while urban areas experience higher rates of firearm homicide, underscoring the need for tailored prevention strategies.
Assessing the Gun Violence Archive as an Epidemiologic Data Source for Community Firearm Violence in Four US Cities
Ariana N. Gobaud et al., JAMA Network Open, 2023. This study evaluates the validity and reliability of the Gun Violence Archive as an epidemiologic data source, highlighting its utility for capturing community firearm violence alongside important limitations for research and surveillance.
Using Science to Reduce Firearm Injuries and Deaths
Rebecca Cunningham et al., NAM Perspectives, 2023. This commentary emphasizes the role of scientific research and public health infrastructure in reducing firearm injuries and deaths, highlighting the need for sustained investment in evidence-based prevention.
Healthcare Indicators and Firearm Homicide: An Ecologic Study
Formica M, Rajan S, Simons M, Journal of Aggression, Conflict, and Peace Research 2019
Clustered Arrivals of Firearm - Injured Patients in an Urban Trauma System: A Silent Epidemic
Beard JH, Resnick S, Maher Z, Seamon MJ, Morrison CN, Sims CA, Smith RN, Sjoholm LO, Goldberg AJ, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 2019
Firearm Assault in Philadelphia, 2005-2014: A Comparison of Police and Trauma Registry Data
Kaufman E, Holena DN, Yang WP, Morrison CN, Jacoby S, Seamon M, Sims C, Wiebe DJ, Beard JH, Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open, 2019
A Multi-Decade Joinpoint Analysis of Firearm Injury Severity
Kalesan B, Zuo Y, Xuan Z, Siegel MB, Fagan J, Branas C, Galea S, Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open, 2018
The Hidden Epidemic of Firearm Injury: Increasing Firearm Injury Rates During 2001 - 2013
Kalesan B, Adhikarla C, Pressley JC, Fagan J, Xuan Z, Siegel MB, Galea S, American Journal of Epidemiology, 2017
Race and Ethnicity, Neighborhood Poverty and Pediatric Firearm Hospitalizations in the United States
Kalesan B, Vyliparambil MA, Bogue E, Villarreal MD, Vasan S, Fagan J, DiMaggio CJ, Stylianos S, Galea S, Annals of Epidemiology, 2016
Firearm - Related Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Mortality in the United States, 2000-2010
Kalesan B, French C, Fagan J, Fowler D, Galea S, American Journal of Epidemiology, 2014