Impact and Success Stories

Organizational Readiness of The Georgia Trauma System to Implement the Cardiff Model:

The Cardiff Model created partnerships between hospitals, police, and city governments to improve injury data-sharing practices. Together, various resources could be mobilized to identify where violent injuries occur. This research led to the development and CDC support of the National Cardiff Model Network, which is an effort to support Cardiff Model implementation in 19 major U.S. cities. It is a collaborative effort between IPRCE faculty and faculty from ICRCs at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Pennsylvania. (Read more about the program: Organizational Readiness of The Georgia Trauma System to Implement the Cardiff Model | Emory University | Atlanta GA) | (Read CDC Success Story about Cardiff: ICRC Success Stories - Outreach Impact | Injury Center | CDC

Life Care Specialists (LCS) with a Focus on Multi-modal Non-Pharmacologic Strategies for Pain Control in the Aftermath of Orthopaedic Trauma

Partnering with the Christopher Wolf Crusade, the Life Care Specialists (LCS) pilot program integrated LCS into Orthopedic Trauma Care Settings to Improve Postoperative Patient Recovery. The study showed that having an LCS significantly reduced opioid use at discharge with sustained change at three months. Since this pilot, the LCS specialist program has expanded to new audiences through partnerships with rural health programs and the NFL Foundation. (Read more: Life Care Specialists (LCS) with a Focus on Multi-modal Non-Pharmacologic Strategies for Pain Control in the Aftermath of Orthopaedic Trauma | Emory University | Atlanta GA ) | (News article: Turning pain into purpose | Mom helps creates program to reduce opioid use at Grady Memorial Hospital

Partnership with Center for Civic Innovation

The Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory (IPRCE) is proud to highlight its successful partnership with the Center for Civic Innovation (CCI). This collaboration, now in its second year, focuses on enhancing data literacy and public health evaluation and communication skills among community groups dedicated to neighborhood-level violence prevention efforts. By centering community voices, IPRCE ensures that injury and violence prevention work is grounded in the real experiences and needs of those directly affected.

Health Equity Evaluation ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Training

In 2024, IPRCE launched the Health Equity Evaluation ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Training in collaboration with the Safe States Alliance and Region IV Public Health Training Center. This training included 7 sessions that underscored how health equity needs to be considered in all aspects of public health practice – including evaluation – to reduce health inequities. Through this training series, participants learned from and collaborated with experts and peers to share knowledge, tools, experiences, strategies, and promising practices to evaluate the impact of their programs on health equity.

Morehouse School of Medicine Pipeline Development Program

In collaboration with Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and the THRIVE Research Lab, IPRCE has developed a robust pipeline development program. This initiative is designed to provide participatory research experiences for undergraduate students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in metro Atlanta. The program connects students from the Undergraduate Health Sciences Academy (UHSA) at MSM with faculty mentors, fostering relationships that extend into the community.

A key component of this program is the community dissemination event, where students and faculty share research findings and action priorities with the community. This engagement not only disseminates important research but also empowers communities by addressing violence and injury inequities, promoting health equity in communities of color. The collaboration between Morehouse and IPRCE exemplifies a commitment to equity-centered research and education, preparing the next generation of public health leaders to tackle complex issues related to injury and violence prevention.

Violence Prevention Task Force

The Violence Prevention Task Force is working with the City of Atlanta and the Office of Violence Reduction to support community violence prevention-based efforts. The Violence Prevention Task Force is also supporting the development of a hospital-based violence prevention intervention at Emory Hillendale and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

Falls Prevention Activities

In 2019, Westminster Presbyterian Church of Snellville hosted the first faith-based Falls-Prevention event in Georgia. This resulted in the development and implementation of 2 additional faith-based Falls Prevention Awareness Day events with a reach of over 400 individuals and the development of an implementation guide, which IPRCE supported. The church received the Georgia Trauma Commission's Injury Prevention Award in 2021 for these efforts.

In 2023, Falls Walk Boards, developed by the Georgia Department of Public Health and IPRCE's Falls Prevention Task Force, were displayed at South Cobb Regional Library in conjunction with Story Walk Week (11/12-11/18). The Falls Walk implementation guide was shared with the founder of Let's Move Libraries, Noah Lenstra of UNC-Greensboro, the Georgia Library Association, and the Georgia Public Library Service. Additionally, task force members participate in and facilitate the Falls Free Friday webinars and in-person events for Falls Prevention Awareness Week each year.

Communication Framing Webinars with Dr. Lynn Davey

The way we talk about social and public health issues impacts how people understand their causes and solutions. There is a growing body of framing science that points to how we can more effectively improve understanding and motivate people to action. For this purpose, IPRCE has hosted several communication-framing webinars with Dr. Lynn Davey over the past four years. These webinars have helped attendees improve their messaging strategies regarding public health problems, with a focus on injury prevention.