On Monday, April 8, PNWU hosted our annual Research Symposium. This year’s event was the largest in university history, with 57 scientific posters from our students, faculty, and community partners.
“My head is still swirling,” said Lizzie Lamb, research development facilitator and interim director of PNWU’s Office of Scholarly Activity. Reflecting on the whirlwind experience of organizing and hosting the community event, she admitted an inner desire to “shout from the rooftops” about the potential our community harnesses.
This year’s Research Symposium kicked off with a keynote address from Dr. Kathleen Carlson, an injury epidemiologist and professor of public health at the Oregon Health and Science University-Portland State University School of Public Health.
Dr. Carlson’s presentation, Using the Tools of Public Health to Reduce the Toll of Firearm Injuries and Violence, described the epidemiology of firearm injuries and violence and will use a socio-ecologic lens to discuss causes and outcomes of these injuries among individuals, families, and our communities.
Alongside Chair of the Research Committee, Dr. Julie Habecker, Lamb was interested in featuring someone whose research focused on the heated and polarizing topic of firearm violence.
“I think all of us know someone at this point who is a victim of or has survived gun violence,” Lamb explained. “PNWU students and faculty work in communities with varied life experiences and ideals and we must figure out how to work across divides to help keep each other healthy and safe.”
Speaking to an auditorium full of PNWU students, faculty, staff – as well as well as an assortment of community members, including representatives from the Yakima Police Department, Sheriff’s Department, Yakima Valley Conference of Governments, Wapato Police Department, Granger City Council, and Yakima Health Department – Dr. Carlson shared her insights on public health responses to this epidemic, including new initiatives to build a public health infrastructure for firearm injury and firearm violence prevention.
A core investigator with the VA Portland Health Care System, Dr. Carlson has conducted research on multiple types of injury and violence issues for 20 years. Currently leading regional and national initiatives focused on firearm injury prevention, she leans on her central Oregon upbringing – in a family that hunts – to inform her approach to the urban/rural divide on practices around firearms and firearm rights.
Organizers see her knowledge around this topic as crucial for being able to engage in such conversations in and around rural communities.
“This feels like what I want a university like this in Yakima to be doing,” said Lamb. “Hosting discussions about important topics and bringing people together.”
“Dr. Carlson thinks there’s enough interest across various groups and organizations in Yakima, that Yakima would be a good candidate for a wide-scale initiative to reduce firearm injury and violence,” Lamb added. “We never would have known this if we hadn’t invited her to speak, and reached out to community partners who we thought might be interested in this topic.”
“I firmly believe this was our best Symposium ever in terms of both quality of research presented and community engagement,” Lamb said.
