School Gun Violence Prevention - Current Studies

Thank you for visiting our website and learning more about our work. We are currently conducting two research studies on school gun violence prevention. In partnership with a national sample of public schools across the U.S., it is our hope that this work will contribute to improving the health and safety of school communities.

Below we have included details about our study team and staff, the best way to get in touch with us, and additional resources that might be helpful.

Study Team

Multiple Principal Investigators

  • Charles Branas, PhD Gelman Professor of Epidemiology and Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

  • Sonali Rajan, EdD Associate Professor, Department of Health and Behavior Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University and Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Co-Investigators

  • Louis Klarevas, PhD  Research Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University, and author of Rampage Nation: Securing America from Mass Shootings.

  • Kara Rudolph, PhD Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Health, Columbia University

  • Seth Prins, PhD Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Health, Columbia University

  • Ying Kuen Cheung, PhD Professor of Biostatistics at the Mailman School of Health, Columbia University

  • Monika Goyal, MD, MSCE  Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at Children's National Hospital

  • April Zeoli, PhD Associate Professor, Health Management and Policy at the School of Public Health at University of Michigan and Policy Core Director, Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention

  • Justin Heinze, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education in the School of Public Health at University of Michigan and Director of the National Center for School Safety

  • John Allegrante, PhD Charles Irwin Lambert Professor of Health Behavior and Education in the Department of Health and Behavior Studies at Teachers College, and Adjunct Professor of Public Health in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.

Project Staff

  • Navjot Buttar, MPH Program Manager, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

  • Dilenny Roca-Dominguez, MPH Program Manager, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University

Graduate Research Assistants

  • Zahra Ladhani Doctoral Candidate, Health Education at Teachers College, Columbia University

  • Jenny Caruso Doctoral Candidate, Health Education at Teachers College, Columbia University


A special thank you to students Zoe Weissman, Amanda Ng, and Mohima Meera for their additional support and contributions to this work.

Contact us

For more information on the project, or to reach out to the principal investigators or other team members, please email at schoolsafetystudy@cumc.columbia.edu

Participant Resources

  • If you feel upset or in distress and would like to get immediate help, the hotline below is free, confidential, and available 24/7. 

    • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

    • You can also learn more about how to support someone who may be in distress via multiple resources available through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (a link to specific resources can be found here).

  • If you would like to learn more about how to support your students who may have experienced stressful or traumatic events, you can access the following set of resources:

    • Trauma-Free NYC at Columbia University: Resources for educators, parents, caregivers, and others caring for children. Link to the full set of resources can be found here.

    • Hofmann-Brewer A, Rode A, & Ziyalan E. (2021). “Adverse Childhood Experiences: What Educators Need to Know to Support Their Students.” Link to this set of slides can be found here (and also linked to via the Trauma-Free NYC noted website above).

    • Resilient Educator. (2021). “Powerful Resources for Teaching Through Trauma or Tragedy”. Link to this series of articles can be found here.

  • If you are looking specifically for resources about how to cultivate a “trauma-informed” school/classroom, there are additional resources here

    • Multiple resources for teachers and schools to cultivate a “Trauma-Informed School.”

    • George R, Zacarian D, Alvarez-Ortiz L, & Haynes J. Podcast Episode: “Half of All Students Have Experienced Trauma – What Teachers Can Do” via the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Link to episode can be found here. 

  • A compilation of resources to support the mental health and well-being of teachers and school staff can be found here.