Injury Prevention Research Center

Dr. Heather Olsen from the National Program for Playground Safety talks about common playground injuries, the effect of global warming on surfaces, and how to keep kids safe on playgrounds.

Since 2018, an undergraduate Certificate in Resilience and Trauma-Informed Perspectives has been preparing UI students of diverse majors of study to understand what trauma is and how it impacts the brain, behaviors, choices, actions, and health. Students pursuing this certificate also learn why it is essential to prevent trauma, help survivors learn to strengthen their…

UI researchers found that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in adulthood – even when these experiences are not recalled as adults. In addition, they found that jailtime, neighborhood crime, and social conditions – like decreases in income – accelerate the speed of aging in the human body.

The UI IPRC conducted a social network survey in two Iowa communities to see how organizations involved in falls prevention and serving Eastern Iowa were collaborating with each other – finding that fire departments were key players in this network.

In our last blog post of 2021, we reflect on injury & violence prevention during COVID-19 and look back at some of our center’s highlights over the past year, including our 30th anniversary! Thank you to our dedicated partners and colleagues who are making our communities safer & saving lives.

Ann Marie McCarthy, a professor in the UI College of Nursing, has been providing her expertise on injury prevention for over a decade as a member of the UI Injury Prevention Research Center Executive Committee. Here, she offers her thoughts on the role of nurses in injury prevention, the mental health challenges of nurses during…

Nov 18 – Around the country trauma hospitals, buildings and bridges will light up green as advocates in injury and violence prevention mark the second annual National Injury Prevention Day.

Read about two UI Injury Prevention Center/ College of Public Health students and the important work they are doing to address injury & violence issues – including TBIs & mental health in veterans, child abuse, and missing & murdered indigenous women & girls.

Read how a new hospital program in Iowa is helping families with kids in a mental health crisis and how an innovative surveillance system is helping us learn more about suicides in our state.

Technology that our bicycle safety researchers use shows how behavior and the environment interact and can help identify what policies, infrastructure changes, and educational programs are needed to improve safety.