Dr. Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, is an emergency physician and nationally recognized leader in firearm injury prevention and suicide prevention. She is currently a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she is the Founding Director of the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative. She is also a Professor of Epidemiology and Deputy Director of the the Injury & Violence Prevention Center.
Dr. Betz oversees a multi-million dollar research portfolio of complex, community-engaged, mixed-methods studies funded by the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense.She is a recognized national expert in firearm injury prevention and has been invited to work with numerous organizations spanning the civilian to veteran spectrum. Examples include medical organizations (American Medical Association, American College of Surgeons), the American Bar Association, multiple VA workgroups, the Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Office, and White House events or initiatives under the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations. In 2023 she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Education, Licensure & Certifications
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Program, Chief Resident, Emergency Medicine, 2008
- MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2005
- MPH, Johns Hopkins University, 2004
- BS, Yale University, 1999
Publications and Presentations
- Kelly T, Brandspigel S, Polzer E, Betz ME. Firearm Storage Maps: A Pragmatic Approach to Reduce Firearm Suicide During Times of Risk. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Mar 3;172(5):351-353. PubMed PMID: 31958811
- Runyan CW, Brandspigel S, Barber CW, Betz M, Azrael D, Miller M. Lessons learned in conducting youth suicide prevention research in emergency departments. Inj Prev. 2020 Apr;26(2):159-163. PubMed PMID: 31888975
- Jones VC, Johnson RM, Borkoski C, Rebok GW, Gielen AC, Soderstrom C, Molnar LJ, Pitts SI, DiGuiseppi C, Hill L, Strogatz D, Mielenz TJ, Betz ME, Kelley-Baker T, Eby DW, Li G. Social Support Moderates the Negative Association Between Reduced Driving and Life Satisfaction in Older Adults. J Appl Gerontol. 2019 Nov 6;:733464819884266. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31690172
- Li G, Andrews HF, Chihuri S, Lang BH, Leu CS, Merle DP, Gordon A, Mielenz TJ, Strogatz D, Eby DW, Betz ME, DiGuiseppi C, Jones VC, Molnar LJ, Hill LL. Prevalence of Potentially Inappropriate Medication use in older drivers. BMC Geriatr. 2019 Oct 10;19(1):260. PubMed PMID: 31601189
- Rosen T, Makaroun LK, Conwell Y, Betz M. Violence In Older Adults: Scope, Impact, Challenges, And Strategies For Prevention. Health Aff (Millwood). 2019 Oct;38(10):1630-1637. PubMed PMID: 31589527