About Us

Jocelyn Fontaine, PhD, is the inaugural Executive Director of the Black and Brown Collective for Community Solutions to Gun Violence. She champions rigorous, community-engaged, and equitable research that can inform policies and practices that advance community safety and wellbeing. She has extensive experience as an executive leader, strategist, and researcher. Additionally, as Vice President for Strategic Program Development at the Urban Institute, she provides strategic direction and garners support for Urban’s research and policy initiatives. Formerly Vice President for Criminal Justice Research at Arnold Ventures, she directed impactful investment strategies in community safety, justice reform, and racial equity. She received her PhD in Justice and Public Policy from the American University.

Talib Hudson, PhD is the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Black & Brown Collective for Community Solutions to Gun Violence. He is responsible for the effective allocation of resources, as well as overseeing strategies related to membership, external partnerships, and the CVI field. He is also the founder of The New Hood, a think tank at The New School that develops community-based public policy to build thriving Black and Brown neighborhoods. His research interests include community-based violence prevention, race and urban policy, and community development. His anti-violence work began with Street Corner Resources, a community-based organization in Harlem. Dr. Hudson earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate in public and urban policy from The New School.

Joseph Richardson, PhD, is a Senior Fellow supporting the development and completion of key projects at the Collective. He is the MPower Professor of African-American Studies, Medical Anthropology, and Epidemiology at the University of Maryland. His research centers on gun violence, structural violence, mental health, and community violence prevention and intervention for Black youth and men. As Founding Director of the Capital Region Violence Intervention Program and Lead Epidemiologist for the Violence Intervention Research Project, he pioneers hospital-based violence intervention programs. He co-directs the PROGRESS Initiative, co-chairs the DC Violence Fatality Review Committee, and became an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine in 2023. Dr. Richardson uses digital storytelling for health communication and narrative change; executive producing and directing the award-winning docuseries Life After the Gunshot.

Leslie Salas-Hernández, PhD, MPH, is the Manager of Research at the Black and Brown Collective for Community Solutions to Gun Violence (B&BC). She previously served as Co-Director of Mentorship at B&BC and as a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Policing Equity (CPE). Dr. Salas-Hernandez received a Master of Public Health and a PhD from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. She is an alumna of the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program and the Health Policy Research Scholars (HPRS) program.

Zimife Umeh, PhD, is the Director of Mentorship at the Black and Brown Collective, where she leads initiatives to empower individuals affected by gun violence through leadership development and mentorship. A researcher, consultant, and educator, Dr. Umeh is deeply committed to addressing the intersection of race, class, and gender in both her academic and professional work. She has worked with both private and non-profit sectors to support organizations in developing and implementing DEI strategies, including tailored assessments and strategic plans. Dr. Umeh’s research focuses on race- and gender-based inequalities, and she has published work in leading academic journals. She has also taught courses on criminal justice, mass incarceration, and feminist perspectives at Brown University and George Washington University. With a strong foundation in community-focused research and criminal justice, Dr. Umeh is dedicated to dismantling inequalities within Black and Brown communities. Through mentorship, she aims to provide opportunities for personal and professional growth, helping create safer, more equitable communities. Dr. Umeh holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Duke University.

Anamika Dwivedi is a nonprofit leader with over 14 years of experience in strategic planning, project management, and community engagement. At the Black & Brown Collective, she is the Operations and Communications Manager supporting the executive team on strategy, operations, and community-engaged research. She is also the Director of Local Partnerships for the Square One Project at Columbia University’s Justice Lab where she spearheads initiatives addressing racial justice and community safety, fostering collaboration across diverse stakeholders. Anamika holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, with a concentration in Social and Urban Policy, and additional expertise in leadership and decision sciences. Known for her commitment to equity and systemic change, she combines meticulous organization with a deep passion for community-driven solutions.

Tanisha Howard Lewis, PhD, MPH, is the Project Coordinator for the Black and Brown Collective for Community Solutions to Gun Violence. Dr. Howard Lewis brings over a decade of experience managing and leading public health projects that focus on the structural, political, and social determinants of population health, while prioritizing community engagement and collaboration. She has extensive experience in the public health approach to violence prevention and community-based public safety efforts. Dr. Howard Lewis holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Louisville.

Asia S. Ivey is a sociologist and Research Data Analyst at the UC Davis Centers for Violence Prevention. Her work explores the intersections of community violence intervention and prevention, educational equity, and racialized organizational policy, examining how these systems shape public health outcomes. Dr. Ivey is committed to advancing community-driven solutions and advocating for systemic change that addresses the root causes of violence and inequity. A proud alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Policy Research Scholars program, she holds a BA in Psychology from Spelman College and both an MA and PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Davis.

Tanya L. Sharpe, MSW, PhD, is a Professor and Endowed Chair in Social Work in the Global Community at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. She is the founder and director of The Centre for Research & Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB). Dr. Sharpe’s research focuses on understanding how socio-cultural factors influence coping strategies for Black survivors of homicide victims. Dr. Sharpe has created a culturally responsive framework of coping, developed interventions, best practices, and the first tool of measurement to support Black survivors of homicide victims in coping with their grief.

Shani Buggs, PhD, MPH, is the Committee Chair of the Collective’s Advisory Committee providing guidance on the organization’s strategy and development. Shani is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine with the Centers for Violence Prevention at the University of California, Davis. Her public health and health policy expertise includes structural and social drivers of violence and safety, firearm violence prevention, community-level violence intervention and prevention, transformative first response strategies, and comprehensive community safety. Striving to center the experiences of those most impacted by interpersonal and structural violence, she informs policies to foster equity, safety, and well-being for all families and communities. She has gained national recognition for coordinating and advising violence prevention approaches around the U.S.

Franklin N. Cosey-Gay, PhD, MPH, is an advisor for community engagement for the Collective. Franklin is the Director of the University of Chicago Medical Center Violence Recovery Program, a hospital-based violence intervention initiative and co-director of the 1919 Chicago Race Riot Commemoration Project. His research focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating school-, family-, community- and hospital-based interventions. Formerly, Dr. Cosey-Gay was the Executive Director of the Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention and conducted qualitative investigations on the impact of the Cure Violence intervention on community-level violence. His work delves into upstream public health practices, addressing social inequities tied to class and race. Dr. Cosey-Gay is skilled in using qualitative methods to understand the factors that contribute to young people’s resilience against risky behaviors.

Noni Gaylord-Harden, PhD, is an advisor for narrative change for the Collective. Noni is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University and Director of the Youth Rising Lab. She conducts research on the impact of community violence exposure and traumatic loss on mental health in Black youth and families in disinvested, urban communities.

Stephanie Hawkins, PhD, is an advisor for collaborative research for the Collective. She is Vice President and founding director of the Transformative Research Unit for Equity (TRUE) at RTI international, leads a team dedicated to transforming research practices and mindsets to advance equity and social justice. Trained as a clinical psychologist at Howard University, race and health equity has been the through line in her 25+ year research career. Dr. Hawkins’ research portfolio includes program evaluations and capacity building with researchers, community members, and organizations. Dr. Hawkins serves on several research advisory boards, is published in peer-reviewed journals, and has provided congressional testimony on the topic of juvenile justice prevention.

Nakita Lovelady, PhD, MPH, is an advisor for mentorship for the Collective. Nakita is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she founded Arkansas’ first Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program, UAMS Project Heal. A native of the Arkansas Delta, her research focuses on health disparities and community violence prevention, particularly for young African American men and their families. She leads studies on public health interventions, including leveraging peer support and improving access to structural supports. Dr. Lovelady aims to reduce gun violence and improve mental health outcomes, believing that community engagement is key to achieving health equity.

Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, MD, MPH, PhD, is an advisor for policy and practice change for the Collective. Ali is the Bartley Dobb Professor for the Study and Prevention of Violence and Director of the Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program at the University of Washington. He evaluates community-based interventions, social programs, and public policies for their impact on multiple forms of violence with a particular emphasis on preventing firearm-related harm. Specifically, he uses integrated data from the healthcare system and criminal legal system to inform equitable initiatives that prevent firearm violence and promote the health and safety of communities most impacted by it. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and Washington State Academy of Sciences.

Ruth Abaya, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and a pediatric emergency medicine physician. She is a practice-based scholar of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Violence Prevention. She serves as the senior director for health systems and CVI integration at the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention. Dr. Abaya formerly led the injury prevention program at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. As a fellow of the Stoneleigh Foundation, Dr. Abaya’s work is focused on bringing health systems and public health departments into the work of developing the CVI ecosystem.

Kamila A. Alexander, PhD is an Associate Professor, Director of PhD and Postdoctoral programs, and inaugural Director of the BRAVE Nursing Center at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She is also founding director of the Threads Research Lab, which brings students, scientists, and communities together through research and human connections as a transformational way to create sustainable healthy relationships. Her research examines the socio-structural influences of trauma and violence on sexual, mental, and reproductive health inequities among communities experiencing historical and contemporary marginalization. Dr. Alexander is a member of the Baltimore City Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team where she sees firsthand the intersections of firearm and intimate partner violence. In that role, she contributes to recommendations that supportCity systems that directly impact victims and their families. Dr. Alexander earned a B.S. in Exercise Science from Howard University, a BSN and MSN/MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and a PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Pennsylvania. She is Associate Editor of the 2nd edition of Intimate Partner Violence: A Health-Based Perspective, an open access resource for researchers, clinicians, and advocates aiming to strengthen their knowledge and implement practical strategies that promote health and well-being across populations and contexts.

Nazsa Baker, PhD is the co-lead researcher and program manager of The Wraparound Project at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFGH) in the Department of Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Baker recently completed her postdoctoral fellow with the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers University School of Public Health. She earned her Ph.D. in Urban Systems with a concentration in Urban Health Rutgers University, School of Nursing in October 2021. Her research focuses on community violence with an emphasis on firearm violence survivorship and hospital-based and hospital-linked violence intervention programs.

Kathryn Bocanegra, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Jane Addams College of Social Work at University of Illinois Chicago. She is a licensed clinical social worker and also serves as Senior Advisor to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on crime victim and violence prevention issues. Dr. Bocanegra has over 18 years of community-based mental health and violence prevention experience and specializes in working with survivors of violent crime. Her research is focused in three areas 1) community violence intervention and worker wellness, 2) advancing survivor-centered criminal legal policy and practice, and 3) developing supports for survivors of long-term incarceration. In addition to her research contributions, Dr. Bocanegra serves on a variety of city, state, and national task forces. Most recently, Dr. Bocanegra was the Co-Chair of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Public Safety Committee and has been appointed to several violence prevention and criminal justice commissions, including the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council, the Governor’s Commission on Criminal Justice Sentencing and Reform, and the Council on Criminal Justice’s Task Force on Long Sentences. 

Shani Buggs, PhD, MPH, is the Committee Chair of the Collective’s Advisory Committee providing guidance on the organization’s strategy and development. Shani is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine with the Centers for Violence Prevention at the University of California, Davis. Her public health and health policy expertise includes structural and social drivers of violence and safety, firearm violence prevention, community-level violence intervention and prevention, transformative first response strategies, and comprehensive community safety. Striving to center the experiences of those most impacted by interpersonal and structural violence, she informs policies to foster equity, safety, and well-being for all families and communities. She has gained national recognition for coordinating and advising violence prevention approaches around the U.S.

Sheyla Delgado, an experienced program evaluator, focuses on understanding the impact of community-level violence reduction efforts. She has authored numerous reports and visited Cure Violence sites across various locations. She presents her work at academic conferences and advises policymakers on violence reduction strategies. As Deputy Director for Analytics at the Research and Evaluation Center, she contributes to evidence-based approaches to addressing community violence.

Jocelyn Fontaine, PhD, is the inaugural Executive Director of the Black and Brown Collective for Community Solutions to Gun Violence. She champions rigorous, community-engaged, and equitable research that can inform policies and practices that advance community safety and wellbeing. She has extensive experience as an executive leader, strategist, and researcher. Additionally, as Vice President for Strategic Program Development at the Urban Institute, she provides strategic direction and garners support for Urban’s research and policy initiatives. Formerly Vice President for Criminal Justice Research at Arnold Ventures, she directed impactful investment strategies in community safety, justice reform, and racial equity. She received her PhD in Justice and Public Policy from the American University.

Princess Fortin, MPH, is the Director of Strategic Planning at The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI), overseeing organizational planning, business development, and grants management. With a focus on social justice and racial equity, she brings over a decade of experience collaborating with communities, government, and health systems to address violence through community-based approaches. Formerly with the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Princess led initiatives targeting injury reduction and health equity in disinvested communities and specialized in gun and community violence prevention. Princess excels in applying mixed methods to community health research and employing community-based participatory methodologies to tackle health inequities. She holds a Master of Public Health from the City University of New York and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Psychology from Temple University.

Franklin N. Cosey-Gay, PhD, MPH, is an advisor for community engagement for the Collective. Franklin is the Director of the University of Chicago Medical Center Violence Recovery Program, a hospital-based violence intervention initiative and co-director of the 1919 Chicago Race Riot Commemoration Project. His research focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating school-, family-, community- and hospital-based interventions. Formerly, Dr. Cosey-Gay was the Executive Director of the Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention and conducted qualitative investigations on the impact of the Cure Violence intervention on community-level violence. His work delves into upstream public health practices, addressing social inequities tied to class and race. Dr. Cosey-Gay is skilled in using qualitative methods to understand the factors that contribute to young people’s resilience against risky behaviors.

Noni Gaylord-Harden, PhD, is an advisor for narrative change for the Collective. Noni is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University and Director of the Youth Rising Lab. She conducts research on the impact of community violence exposure and traumatic loss on mental health in Black youth and families in disinvested, urban communities.

Cherrell Green, PhD is a researcher, strategist, and advocate focused on racial equity, community safety, and justice reform. With more than a decade of experience working alongside directly impacted communities, her work centers on transforming systems that shape the lives and healing of Black and underserved populations. Her research examines how Black men impacted by violence experience cumulative trauma, navigate institutional systems, and define safety on their own terms. She currently serves as Managing Director of the Coalition to Advance Public Safety (CAPS), leading national efforts to strengthen community-based violence intervention initiatives and crosssector collaboration across multiple jurisdictions. Her work is grounded in a commitment to advancing systems that affirm Black humanity, protect dignity, and create the conditions for healing.

Troy Harden, PhD, LCSW, is the Professor of Practice in the Department of Sociology at Texas A&M University. His on-going research interests are in racial equity, community violence, social trauma, and interventions related to community and organizational leadership. Dr. Harden led Northeastern Illinois’ University’s Master of Social Work Program and efforts with Communities Partnering for Peace to design the Metropolitan Peace Academy, which professionalized street outreach workers in community violence work. He was the lead researcher with the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Community-based Crime Reduction Grant in Chicago and is co-author of the recently published book, High Impact Practices with Urban Youth: Circles at the Center.

Stephanie Hawkins, PhD, is an advisor for collaborative research for the Collective. She is Vice President and founding director of the Transformative Research Unit for Equity (TRUE) at RTI international, leads a team dedicated to transforming research practices and mindsets to advance equity and social justice. Trained as a clinical psychologist at Howard University, race and health equity has been the through line in her 25+ year research career. Dr. Hawkins’ research portfolio includes program evaluations and capacity building with researchers, community members, and organizations. Dr. Hawkins serves on several research advisory boards, is published in peer-reviewed journals, and has provided congressional testimony on the topic of juvenile justice prevention.

Talib Hudson, PhD is the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Black & Brown Collective for Community Solutions to Gun Violence. He is responsible for the effective allocation of resources, as well as overseeing strategies related to membership, external partnerships, and the CVI field. He is also the founder of The New Hood, a think tank at The New School that develops community-based public policy to build thriving Black and Brown neighborhoods. His research interests include community-based violence prevention, race and urban policy, and community development. His anti-violence work began with Street Corner Resources, a community-based organization in Harlem. Dr. Hudson earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate in public and urban policy from The New School.

Kristian Jones, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington in the School of Social Work and the Director of Community Core at the Center for Firearm Injury prevention at the University of Research. His program of research examines how youth mentoring relationships can be utilized to prevent adverse outcomes and promote positive strengths for marginalized young people with a focus on Black youth. His most recent community-engaged research examines how youth mentoring interventions in CVI programs can reduce firearm violence and promote healing in marginalized communities. Prior to being a faculty member at the University of Washington, he worked as a Foster Care Counselor at Youth Villages in Cookeville, Tennessee and as a Community Support Therapist in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Jocelyn R. Smith Lee, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at UNC Greensboro. Rooted in Baltimore and growing in Greensboro, her interdisciplinary, community-engaged research lab Centering Black Voices examines the marginalized trauma, loss, and grief of Black boys, men, and families resulting from gun violence. Her scholarship has been published in leading journals, covered by national media, and disseminated to Congress. With competitive funding from Gates and RWJF, she recently launched In All Ways Human, a visual storytelling and narrative change campaign disrupting racial dehumanization, affirming Black humanity, and addressing the root causes of violence.

Nakita Lovelady, PhD, MPH, is an advisor for mentorship for the Collective. Nakita is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she founded Arkansas’ first Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program, UAMS Project Heal. A native of the Arkansas Delta, her research focuses on health disparities and community violence prevention, particularly for young African American men and their families. She leads studies on public health interventions, including leveraging peer support and improving access to structural supports. Dr. Lovelady aims to reduce gun violence and improve mental health outcomes, believing that community engagement is key to achieving health equity.

Robert O. Motley Jr., PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor at Boston College School of Social Work and Founder of the Racism-based Violence Injury & Prevention Lab. His research examines the intersection of racism, violence, and trauma among emerging adults, focusing on marginalized ethnic groups and the resultant mental and behavioral health outcomes. Dr. Motley’s work is pivotal in understanding and addressing the complexities of racism-based trauma, particularly in interactions with law enforcement.

Desmond Upton Patton, PhD, is the Brian and Randi Schwartz University Professor and the thirty-first Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor. He holds joint appointments in the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication, with secondary appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine and at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Dr. Patton’s groundbreaking research explores the relationship between social media and gun violence, grief, and loss, specifically how online communities can influence harmful offline behavior. Dr. Patton is a National Academy of Medicine member, an Obama Foundation USA Leader, a Mozilla Rise 25 Change Agent, a Presidential Leadership Scholar, and a Top 50 in Digital Health at RockHealth. He also serves as an AI start-up advisor.

Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, MD, MPH, PhD, is an advisor for policy and practice change for the Collective. Ali is the Bartley Dobb Professor for the Study and Prevention of Violence and Director of the Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program at the University of Washington. He evaluates community-based interventions, social programs, and public policies for their impact on multiple forms of violence with a particular emphasis on preventing firearm-related harm. Specifically, he uses integrated data from the healthcare system and criminal legal system to inform equitable initiatives that prevent firearm violence and promote the health and safety of communities most impacted by it. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and Washington State Academy of Sciences.

Joseph Richardson, PhD, is a Senior Fellow supporting the development and completion of key projects at the Collective. He is the MPower Professor of African-American Studies, Medical Anthropology, and Epidemiology at the University of Maryland. His research centers on gun violence, structural violence, mental health, and community violence prevention and intervention for Black youth and men. As Founding Director of the Capital Region Violence Intervention Program and Lead Epidemiologist for the Violence Intervention Research Project, he pioneers hospital-based violence intervention programs. He co-directs the PROGRESS Initiative, co-chairs the DC Violence Fatality Review Committee, and became an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine in 2023. Dr. Richardson uses digital storytelling for health communication and narrative change; executive producing and directing the award-winning docuseries Life After the Gunshot.

Christopher St. Vil, PhD, is currently an Associate Professor at the University at Buffalo (SUNY) in the School of Social Work. Trained as both a researcher and evaluator, his work lies at the intersection of masculinity and victims of violent injury, with a focus on trauma recidivism.  His work is rooted both within the hospital and community setting and  has contributed to understanding around conducting research with victims of violent injury and men and boys in general, specifically in the areas of recruitment, protocol development and study design.  Currently, Dr. St. Vil is conducting research around improving the efficacy of front-line community violence prevention workers integrating research methods with social service delivery.

Julian G. Thompson, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He received his PhD in Social Work from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, a Master of Arts in Sociology from DePaul University, and a Bachelor of Social Work from Loyola University at Chicago. With over a decade of experience working with formerly incarcerated individuals and communities impacted by violence, his work spans several domains, including alternatives to incarceration, rehabilitation and the politics of care, criminalization of survivors, community violence, and carceral abolition.

Chico Tillmon, PhD, is the Director of the Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy, the first program aimed at enhancing the leadership capacity of those overseeing community-based organizations and violence prevention initiatives. Previously, he was Executive Director of the READI National Center for Safer Communities, providing training and support to reduce gun violence. Dr. Tillmon, an expert in violence prevention, also serves on the leadership team of the Black and Brown Peace Consortium. He has over a decade of experience in violence prevention, mental health, and re-entry and is dedicated to improving his community and supporting youth, young adults, and direct service providers in marginalized areas.

Mudia Uzzi, PhD, MSc, is a Bloomberg Assistant Professor of American Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His current research investigates the underlying structural drivers of firearm violence and opioid-involved overdose within communities. Some of the topic areas Uzzi examines include racial capitalism, historical redlining, racial & economic segregation, subprime mortgage lending, and the built and social environment of neighborhoods. He aspires to develop research, policies, and programs that promote safer and healthier communities. Dr. Uzzi is affiliated with the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions and is an alum of the Health Policy Research Scholars Program with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Laura Vargas, PhD, MPA, LMSW is a bi-cultural and multi-lingual Mexican/American Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado. Her research and clinical practice focus on the impacts of firearm-related violence, trauma exposure, and migration on mental health and health service utilization among Latine and Hispanic populations. She received her PhD from the School of Social Work at Columbia University and received her MSW and MPA from the same university. She studies exposure to trauma and mental health of recent Latine immigrants in the United States. She serves as a Global Health Lead for the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative Leadership Council at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and serves in other national leadership roles.

Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, PhD, MPH is an Associate Professor with the Violence Prevention Research Program and the California Firearm Violence Research Center at UC Davis. Her research sits at the intersection of sociology and population health science. She utilizes mixed methodologies and participatory research principles to examine health and behavior in a larger social and institutional context in the service of fostering equitable and community-centered policies and practices for improving the health and safety of people and communities who are impacted by structural and community violence. Dr. Kravitz-Wirtz has a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley, a MPH with a concentration in Epidemiology from UCLA, and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Washington.