College of Public Health

Creating knowledge to keep you safe: Our year in review

Since our establishment in 1991, the work of the UI IPRC has contributed to victories in the injury and violence prevention field through strong collaborations and scientific rigor. We are a team dedicated and passionate about making a safer world.

Here is a list of some of our highlights in 2018.

2018 Year in Review
2018 Year in Review

We…

  • United with a network of other CDC-funded injury centers for a federal congressional briefing on the nation’s opioid epidemic.
  • Released a report that for the first time describes how bicycle safety is being taught to children.
  • Leveraged nearly $6 million in faculty funding for injury and violence research.
  • Trained professionals from local sexual assault prevention programs across Iowa on how to integrate evaluation into their planning and strategies.
  • Helped establish the first-ever traumatic brain injury registries in three countries: Moldova, Georgia, and Armenia.
  • Collaborated on a national study that enrolled nearly 5,500 older Americans in a falls prevention intervention trial.
  • Launched our summer graduate student internship program with the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) at the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Collaborated with the UI Promote Resiliency Initiative to launch a new interdisciplinary certificate in Resilience & Trauma-Informed Perspectives.
  • Launched a new international summer injury course at the Cluj School of Public Health in Romania with 18 students from five countries participating.
  • Shared 12 stories on our growing injury blog at uiiprc.org

 

Sample of 2018 research headlines:

American family farms face uncertain future (Fox News, comments by UI IPRC Director)

Student uses world-renowned UI driving simulator to make rural roads safer

Bike safety at center of UI research

Motivating teens to be safe drivers (Guest blog by UI IPRC Director)

UI College of Public Health joins study to help reduce falls among elderly Iowans

 

What’s next in 2019?  A couple of highlights:

  • We will organize and co-sponsor the 4th annual Occupational Health & Safety Research Conference with three UI centers: The Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest, and the Heartland Center for Occupational Health & Safety.
  • We will examine the impact of prescription opioid tapering among seniors and the impact of tapering on falls.
  • We will launch a community campaign to promote safe driving around farm equipment based on our studies of these interactions on the roadway.

Thank you to our partners and colleagues for another great year.  We wish everyone a happy and safe new year!