What is the study about?

Overview: Firearm violence is a leading cause of death and injury among youth residing in urban settings. The purpose of this study is to examine the contextual and situational factors that contribute to substance use and firearm violence among youth seeking emergency department care in urban environments, as well as to develop and pilot a technology-enhanced multi-session behavioral intervention to decrease co-occurring substance misuse and risky firearm behaviors. This behavioral intervention combines remote therapy with the delivery of intervention content via a smartphone-based APP. Evidence gathered will offer insights into effective mechanisms to prevent and mitigate the co-occurring problems of substance use and firearm violence. Funding Agency: Center for Disease Control (CDC) - AWD016386

How will the research staff protect my privacy?

The information we collect is confidential and will only be shared by the research team including the principal investigator and research staff. View the privacy policy.

Research Team

Principal Investigator: Patrick Carter, M.D. Dr. Carter is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. Following his clinical training in Emergency Medicine, he completed a two-year research fellowship sponsored by a NIH T32 grant through the UM Addiction Research Center and the Injury Prevention Center. His current research focuses on firearm injury prevention, specifically the development and implementation of emergency department (ED)‐based interventions to decrease firearm violence and associated risk behaviors among high‐risk youth populations. Through this research, Dr. Carter has conducted studies that focus on understanding the characteristics of firearm possession among youth, firearm violence outcomes among ED populations, and the unique characteristics of firearm conflicts that differentiate them from other types of youth violence. He has also led and/or collaborated on studies with other investigators to examine the efficacy of behavioral interventions for decreasing or preventing violence among youth populations. Dr. Carter has served as a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Technical Advisory Group focused on developing a firearm research agenda. Dr. Carter currently has funding as a PI or Co-I on grants from NIDA, NIAAA, CDCP, and NICHD, all of which are focused within the field of violence and injury prevention. Find out more about Dr. Carter’s research on ResearchGate or via Michigan Experts.

Who can I contact if I have questions about the study?

To contact our research team, please use one of the following resources.