Interdisciplinary Innovations in Firearm Violence Prevention

Applying a variety of disciplines to the wicked problem of firearm violence is a central tenet of the Gun Violence Solutions Project. That commitment was on full display at the GVSP Showcase: Research and Results in April 2026. 

GVSP Director Bobby Doyle moderated a rapid-fire lineup of twelve researchers, each of whom had five minutes to present new findings, ongoing work, or emerging projects. Presentation topics ranged from rural suicide prevention and extreme risk protection orders to ammunition stockpiling. Researchers represented five schools and centers across the University: the School of Law, Arts & Sciences, Public Policy, Medicine, and the Center for Community Partnerships. 

Between presentations, students led poster sessions showcasing their own research and policy work. One group, led by Professor Afsaneh Doryab, presented a capstone project that used wearable devices to measure aggression associated with firearm violence. Another engineering capstone, overseen by Professor Tariq Iqbal, developed a robotics and augmented reality system designed to teach children firearm safety. Students from Professor Keenan Keller’s LPPP 4991 (Gun Violence Solutions Public Policy) capstone course also shared policy proposals addressing a range of firearm violence challenges. 

The event’s keynote speakers, Eric Fleegler and Jennifer Dineen, highlighted the importance of collaboration and innovation in firearm violence prevention. 

Dr. Fleegler, an emergency pediatrician, Harvard Medical School faculty member, and senior researcher with the MGH Gun Violence Prevention Center, discussed a collaborative initiative that brought gun violence prevention advocates and gun rights advocates together over several months. Participants first focused on building trust before developing consensus-based policy recommendations. Fleegler encouraged attendees to explore the group’s recommendations and consider how similar approaches could inform their own work. 

Jennifer Dineen, an associate professor at the University of Connecticut and associate director of UConn’s Center for Advancing Research, Methods, and Scholarship (ARMS) in Gun Violence Prevention, focused her keynote on the economic consequences of firearm injury. Using a market-based framework, she argued that society systematically underinvests in prevention efforts, making firearm injury prevention not only a public health priority but also an economic necessity. She identified regulation, insurance models, and targeted incentives as potential corrective tools and challenged participants to continue evaluating which interventions produce the greatest impact. 

The forum concluded with a reception that gave students, researchers, practitioners, and community members an opportunity to continue conversations sparked throughout the day. More importantly, the event demonstrated the growing breadth of firearm violence prevention research at UVA and reinforced the value of bringing together diverse disciplines, perspectives, and approaches to address one of the nation’s most complex challenges.