Students
Key concepts of injury and violence prevention
Injury and Violence Prevention (IVP) is an important field of public health focused on preventing unintentional injuries and violence. This includes firearms, concussions, transportation safety, overdoses, child abuse or neglect, and intimate partner violence.
Preventing injuries and violence requires public health professionals to address the root cause, with factors such as behavior and exposure to violence, along with cultural beliefs, and policies impacting outcomes. Social and physical environments, including poverty, unsafe housing, and limited access to healthcare, also contribute to recognizing risk factors.
This "upstream" approach allows researchers to focus on root causes instead of addressing injuries and deaths post-occurrence. Interventions aim to prevent adverse events before they occur, targeting entire populations instead of individuals. This strategy enhances community outcomes by influencing environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age.
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Degree program
IVP Specific Programs
ColoradoSPH offers doctoral and master’s degrees in various departments and fields of study. Students interested in injury and violence prevention may enroll in several programs at ColoradoSPH, most commonly in Community & Behavioral Health, Epidemiology, Occupational & Environmental Health, and Population Mental Health & Wellbeing. Although we do not currently have an IVP-specific track, there are options for students interested in networking and training with our center.
Courses
The ColoradoSPH offers a variety of courses that cover injury and violence prevention topics, from opioids to early childhood health to occupational safety. These courses are offered in Epidemiology, Community and Behavioral Health, and Environmental and Occupational Health, focusing on injury and violence prevention issues.
For the most up-to-date information, please refer to the current coursebook.
View the 2025 - 2026 Course Book (CU Anschutz)
IVP Specific Course
Fall 2025 - Elective Course
EPID 6637 Injury & Violence Epidemiology & Prevention
About this course:
What Students Will Learn
- The behavioral, social, cultural, and environmental contexts in which injuries and violence occur
- Effective injury control strategies like engineering, environmental change, and legislation
- Essential data sources and research methods for investigating injuries and violence.
- Concepts in injury and violence surveillance and prevention
By Course End, Student Will Be Able To:
- Use state and national databases to characterize injuries and violence and identify public health needs
- Apply a public health program planning process to develop and evaluate injury and violence prevention strategies
- Develop research questions to address injuries and violence.
- Apply acquired knowledge, contributing to injury and violence prevention efforts
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*Prerequisite or corequisite:
- Any introductory course in epidemiology or permission from the instructor.
More ways to get involved
Works in progress group
Once a month, junior faculty and students meet for an hour-long forum to receive feedback on papers, poster presentations and drafts of grants and receive career advice. This monthly discussion is an opportunity to talk with mentors in the field of injury prevention and gain support in your career path.