Dr. Erin Wright-Kelly (she/her) is an Assistant Professor with the Injury and Violence Prevention Center and the Department of Community and Behavioral Health. She is also the Director of Practice at the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative at CU Anschutz. Dr. Wright-Kelly has experience in public health research and practice, specializing in firearm injury prevention, suicide and violence prevention, and upstream prevention focused on the social determinants of health. She uses community-engaged and mixed methods approaches in her research and has extensive experience in translating, disseminating, and supporting the implementation of evidence-based strategies, programs, and policies into practice environments.
Education, Licensure & Certifications
- DrPH, Community & Behavioral Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 2017
- MA, Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, 2010.
Research
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Scientific Support for Firearm Injury Prevention in Colorado. Role: Principal Investigator
- Anschutz Family Foundation, Safe Starts at Home Program. Role: Co-Principal Investigator.
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Elevating Prevention in Colorado Evaluation. Role: Principal Investigator
- Face the Fight Foundation, Enhancing Lethal Means Safety for Veterans. Role: Principal Investigator
- U.S Department of Defense, Pause to Protect Program. Role: Co-Investigator
Publications and Presentations
- Wright-Kelly E, Buck-Atkinson J, Brooks-Russell A, MacFarland A, Friedman K, aFrance E, aCalonge N, aCortiglio C, Betz ME. (2025). Research-Practice Partnerships to Advance a State-Level Public Health Approach to Firearm Injury Prevention in the United States: A Colorado Case Study. Public Health Reports, 0(0). doi:10.1177/00333549241303278
- Wright-Kelly E, Johnson RL, Barnard L, McCarthy V, Brooks-Russell A. (2025). Trends in Carrying Handguns Among Florida Adolescents: 2002-2022. Pediatrics, e2024066967. doi:10.1542/peds.2024-066967.
- Wright-Kelly E, Simonetti JA, Haasz M, Rosenberg S, Myers QWO, Brooks-Russell A. (2025). Perceived Access to a Loaded Firearm Among Youths in Colorado. JAMA Netw Open. 8(7):e2523362. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.23362
- Betz ME, Clark J, Stanley IA, Davis KN, Simonetti JA, Knoepke CE, Greenway E, Wright-Kelly E. (2026). Pause to Protect: Partnering with Firearm Businesses in the USA to Promote Secure Storage and Prevent Injury and Death. Injury Prevention. Published Online First: 09 April 2026. doi: 10.1136/ip-2025-046020.
- Choudhury S, Brooks-Russell A, Wright-Kelly E. Cumulative Experiences of Racism and Mental Health Outcomes Among Colorado Minority Adolescents. (2026). Frontiers in Public Health. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1781495.
