Featured Research
PROJECT RESTART
Project RESTART was initiated in response to the need for updated, comprehensive, and evidence-based approaches to DVIPs. Currently there is a lack of consensus on what constitutes “success” for DVIPs and on how to measure program effectiveness. With the NC Evaluation Fund funding, the Project RESTART team will develop assessment tools that will measure existing and innovative approaches to DVIPs, and ultimately lay the foundation for the development and evaluation of a model DVIP.
EVALUATION OF ELECTRONIC FILING FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROTECTIVE ORDERS IN NORTH CAROLINA
This study evaluates the impact of domestic violence protective order (DVPO) e-filling on rates of DVPO system efficacy and hearing outcomes. The research team will contextualize the quantitative findings and provide information on systems-level barriers and facilitators of DVPO e-filling implementation, as well as intimate partner violence survivors’ perceptions and needs. Overall, this study will provide critical evidence to inform future DVPO e-filling implementation initiatives in other counties and states across the United States. Read more about this study 
. PI: Kathryn E. (Beth) Moracco, PhD, MPH | Co-I: Shabbar I. Ranapurwala, PhD
Moms and Teens for Safe Dates’ Program
Moms and Teens for Safe Dates is one of a small number of proven IPV prevention interventions and the only program developed specifically for teens who have been exposed to intimate partner violence against their mothers.
Adaptation of the ‘Moms and Teens for Safe Dates’ Program for Web-Based Delivery
This project translates a proven intervention program for prevention of adolescent dating violence among teens exposed to intimate partner violence (Moms and Teens for Safe Dates) from hardcopy booklet form to a web-based delivery platform. This intervention seeks to prevent teen dating violence, as well as victimization and perpetuation of adult intimate partner violence, by targeting a high-risk population, adolescents who were exposed to intimate partner violence against their mothers. Translation to a web-based delivery platform will greatly increase the reach, accessibility, and implementation of this program. PI: Luz M. Reyes, PhD | Co-Is: Vangie Foshee, PhD; Kathryn E. Moracco, PhD, MPH; Rebecca J. Macy, PhD, MSW
Characterizing and Preventing Intimate Partner Violence-Related Death and Homocide
The IPRC core and affiliate faculty are engaged in a group of studies with two primary aims: to characterize intimate partner violence-related deaths and homicide in North Carolina and nationally, and to identify opportunities for preventing intimate partner violence. This work uses data from the National Violent Death Reporting System and will be shared with practitioners and other key stakeholders to inform local and national intervention and prevention efforts. PIs: Rebecca J. Macy, PhD | Kathryn E. (Beth) Moracco, PhD, MPH | Scott Proescholdbell, MPH | Shabbar I. Ranapurwala, PhD
Gender-Based Violence | Selected Prior Research
Influence of PTSD Symptoms on Chronic Pain Development after Sexual Assault
The goal of this project is to examine the immediate and longer-term health impact of sexual assault against women, including the development of chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PIs: Samuel McLean, MD, MPH | Kenneth A. Bollen, PhD | Co-I: Sandra L. Martin, PhD; Administering School: School of Medicine
Innovating Services for Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: A Child-Focused Evaluation of the MOVE Program
This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Mothers Overcoming Violence through Education and Empowerment (MOVE) Parent-Child Intervention, a collaborative effort between Wake County human services agencies InterAct and SAFEchild. In addition to understanding program effects, information gained from this project shed light on ways to modify and improve research efforts with mothers and children who are survivors of intimate partner violence and develop data collection protocols for future studies with children affected by violence PI: Rebecca J. Macy, PhD; Administering School: School of Social Work
Development and Evaluation of an Intervention to Reduce Victims’ Risk of Repeat Sexual Abuse/Assault
This project led by researchers at RTI International in partnership with UNC researchers was funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the Department of Agriculture. The study focused on the development, implementation, and evaluation of a sexual violence prevention program in the U.S. Air Force. UNC-based PI/Co-I: Rebecca J. Macy, PhD | Sandra L. Martin, PhD; Administering Schools: School of Social Work and Gilling School of Global Public Health, Maternal and Child Health
Human Trafficking School-Based Program
This project focused on developing evidence-informed, developmentally appropriate content that NC school teachers can use to educate middle and high school students about sex trafficking; and protocols that teachers and other school staff can use to connect trafficked students with needed services. The research team later received additional funding from the NC Governor’s Crime Commission to adapt the intervention to be used in alternative school settings. PI: Cynthia Fraga Rizo | Co-Is: Sandra L. Martin and Rebecca J. Macy; Administering School: School of Social Work
Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate a Dating Violence Prevention Program for Teens Exposed to Domestic Violence
The purpose of this study was to conduct a two-year pilot, followed by a three-year randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a dating violence prevention program for teens exposed to domestic violence, a group that is at particularly high risk for involvement in dating violence and its negative consequences. Moms and Teen for Safe Dates (MTSD) is an adaptation of a family-based intervention for mothers who experienced domestic violence, but are no longer living with an abusive partner, and their 12-15 year-old teens who were exposed to domestic violence. MTSD facilitated mothers’ engagement with their teens via a series of interactive dating abuse prevention activities designed to enhance protective factors and decrease risk factors for dating abuse, and ultimately decrease dating abuse perpetration and victimization. The two-year pilot, funded by the National Institute of Justice, laid the groundwork for the RCT, which was funded by the CDC. The RCT, which was the first evaluation of a dating abuse prevention program designed specifically for teens exposed to domestic violence, found favorable effects of the MTSD program in preventing the perpetration of and victimization from multiple types of dating abuse among teens with higher levels of previous exposure to domestic violence. PIs: Vangie Foshee, PhD | Susan Ennett, PhD | Beth Moracco, PhD | Mike Bowling, PhD
Evaluating the impact of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits on child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence, and opioid overdose
Child abuse and neglect, child exposure to intimate partner violence, and parental opioid overdose are critical public health issues that impact health and development across the life course, yet limited research has examined the impact of access to affordable housing on the prevalence of these adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This project employs a rigorous analytic method, generalized linear mixed models, to assess the impact of the low-income housing tax credit program on these three specific ACEs. Results will indicate whether the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, the largest federal affordable housing program, is an effective primary prevention strategy to reduce child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence, and opioid overdose. PI: Meghan E. Shanahan, PhD, MPH | Co-Is: Anna Austin, PhD, MPH; Christine Durrance, PhD; Sandy Martin, PhD; Carol Runyan, PhD; Des Runyan, MD, DrPH
Family Engagement in Evidence-Based Maternal and Child Health Home-Visiting
This pilot study aims to better understand parental engagement in home-visiting prevention programs and to assess the feasibility of a long-term study protocol to develop social marketing strategies to improve engagement in-home visiting. PI: Paul Lanier, PhD, MSW; Administrating School: School of Social Work
Implementation and Evaluation of Essentials for Childhood: Safe, Stable, and Nurturing Relationships and Environments
The purpose of Essentials for Childhood: Safe, Stable, and Nurturing Relationships and Environments is to develop and sustain a comprehensive infrastructure for coordinating child maltreatment prevention efforts in North Carolina. Funding also supports an evaluation of North Carolina’s implementation of the Essentials for Childhood collective impact framework to create a coordinated system. PIs: Meghan E. Shanahan, PhD, MPH | Adam J. Zolotor, MD, DrPH
Latent Class Analysis of Risk and Protective Factors in Child Development: Identifying Clusters among Alaska Native and non-Native Children
The IPRC has a long-standing relationship with researchers in Alaska. The purpose of this study is to determine if there are clusters of risk and protective factors among Alaska children, assess maternal prenatal characteristics that may predict membership into these clusters, and determine if child well-being is differentially associated with the clusters. PIs: Meghan E. Shanahan, PhD, MPH | Anna E. Austin, MPH
IMPROVING ACCESS TO A PRIMARY CARE-BASED POSITIVE PARENTING PROGRAM
This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluates the additive role of peer facilitation and support in a primary care-based parenting program in behavioral outcomes of the child. PI: Adam J. Zolotor, MD, DrPH; Administrating School: School of Medicine
Child Maltreatment | Selected Prior Research
Implications of the opioid epidemic for child and family well-being
IPRC researchers conducted studies using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to understand the overlap between two complex and pressing public health issues: child abuse and neglect and prescription opioid misuse. Using Add Health data, studies examining the association of child abuse and neglect with prescription opioid misuse and estimating the prevalence of prescription opioid use among parents have been published in Addictive Behaviors (Austin et al., 2018), Children and Youth Services Review (Austin and Shanahan, 2018), and Pain Medicine (Austin and Shanahan, 2017).
Drug Use Trajectories and the Transition to Adulthood among Maltreated Youth
Drawing upon over 25 years of longitudinal data, the purpose of this project was to examine the drug use of young adults who experienced maltreatment during childhood. This project also included tracking and recruiting individuals from a northeastern state who participated in a 25-year longitudinal study of child maltreatment. PI: Howard Dubowitz, PhD| Meghan E. Shanahan, PhD, MPH; Administering Institution: University of Maryland
Preventing Child Maltreatment in Wake County, North Carolina
Multiple funding awards have supported child maltreatment surveillance and prevention activities in Wake County, North Carolina. The purpose of these projects was to engage with multiple partner agencies in Wake County to determine strategies for creating a comprehensive child maltreatment surveillance system and implementing a community child maltreatment prevention network. PIs: Scott K. Proescholdbell, PhD| Meghan E. Shanahan, PhD, MPH
Using Data to Fight the Opioid Epidemic: Methodological Advances in Evaluating Abuse Deterrent Opioid Analgesics:
A visionary research and dissemination project funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advancing the science of studies of opioid analgesics. The Methodological Advances in Evaluating Abuse Deterrent Opioid Analgesics project is leveraging emerging advances in data connectivity and establishing new standards for methodological rigor, with a focus on abuse deterrent formulations.
The overall project goal is to develop and disseminate new “open source” epidemiologic tools to facilitate rigorous evaluation of abuse deterrent formulations (ADFs). The methodologic products from this project will be made available to the research community, in the expectation that researchers will apply them to improve the quality of studies in the area of opioids. PIs: Nabarun Dasgupta, MPH, PhD | Svetla S. Slavova, PhD | Co-Is: Terry Lee Bunn, PhD; Patricia R. Freeman, PhD; Stephen W. Marshall, PhD
Learn more about this study
Helping NC Agencies Develop Evidence-Driven Opioid Overdose Prevention Initiatives
“Systems Science to Improve State Planning on Opioid Addiction and Overdose”: This project uses group modelling and other systems sciences tools to assist North Carolina’s Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee (NC OPDAAC) to formulate effective cross-agency initiatives in response to the escalating opioid overdose problem. PIs: Stephen W. Marshall, PhD; Kristen Hassmiller Lich, PhD | Co-I: Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD, MSPH; Administering Department and School: Epidemiology and the Research, Innovation and Global Solutions office at Gillings School of Global Public Health
OPIOIDS AT THE HEALTH AND TRANSPORTATION SAFETY NEXUS
Supported by the UNC Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety (CSCRS), this pilot project funded by the US Department of Transportation explores how linked databases can be used to explore the role of impairment from opioids in motor vehicle crashes on public roads. PI: Christopher Cherry, PhD | Co-Is: Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD, MSPH; Stephen W. Marshall, PhD
Evaluation of State-Mandated Acute and Post-Surgical Pain-Specific Opioid Prescribing Guidelines
This CDC-funded project examines the impact of state-mandated opioid prescribing guidelines for acute and post-surgical pain. The outcomes being studied are: 1) physicians’ opioid prescribing behaviors; and 2) opioid safety outcomes among patients, including fatal and non-fatal overdose. This project includes a process evaluation of the state law mandating opioid prescribing limits for acute and post-surgical pain, including recommendations to inform and improve future legislative initiatives. PI: Shabbar Ranapurwala, PhD, MPH | IPRC Co-Is: Stephen W. Marshall, PhD; Nabarun Dasgupta, PhD, MPH; Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD, MSPH.
Medicaid expansion and deaths due to opioid overdose, suicides, and homicides among formerly incarcerated persons
This ICRC project examines the effects of Medicaid expansion on the incidence of opioid overdose, homicide, and suicide, among recently released incarcerated individuals. It will also detail state-specific models from Kentucky and Rhode Island for implementing Medicaid expansion. The hypothesized benefits of Medicaid expansion include increased access to substance abuse and mental health services and increased opportunities for legal employment. Rhode Island observed a 60% decrease in opioid overdose deaths among formerly-incarcerated persons associated with Medicaid expansion and other interventions. The Office of the Surgeon-General has estimated that there 3 million adults who are eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, but live in a state that has declined to expand Medicaid, and has stated that “Medicaid expansion is a key lever for expanding access to substance use treatment.” PI: David Rosen, MD, PhD | Co-Is: Shabbar Ranapurwala, PhD, MPH; Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, PhD
Policy evaluation of the NC Medicaid patient review and restriction (“lock-in”) program: examining impacts on opioid use disorder services and treatment
“Lock-in” programs aim to reduce opioid use disorders (OUD) and overdose by identifying high-risk beneficiaries and attempting to control their access to opioid drugs. While these programs are widely used (almost every state has a Medicaid “lock-in” program (MLIP)), little is known about their clinical and public health effects; this project will examine whether the NC MLIP is effective in connecting diverse beneficiaries to a wide range of OUD treatment services and increasing naloxone dispensing. PI: Rebecca Naumann, PhD, MSPH | Co-Is: Stephen W. Marshall, PhD
Chronic Pain Management, Opioid Misuse, and Risk of Blood-Borne Infections
The overall objective of this project is to leverage a unique combination of “big data” and qualitative data to generate high-quality evidence about optimal strategies to taper or end long-term opioids use. This includes using a combination of NC insurance claims, health system, cause of death, and blood-borne infection diagnosis data, supported by enhanced complementary qualitative interviews. PI: Brian Pence, PhD | Co-Is: Shabbar Ranapurwala, PhD, MPH; Christopher L. Ringwalt, DrPH, MSW
The goal of this project is to evaluate and advance strategies to prevent opioid overdose in North Carolina. Projects supported under this contract include evaluation of the Department of Public Safety’s opioid overdose prevention efforts, examination of Office of Chief Medical Examiner’s opioid overdose surveillance processes, and other state-based prevention efforts. PI: Rebecca Naumann, PhD, MSPH | Co-Is: Anna Austin, PhD, MPH; Shabbar Ranapurwala, PhD; Mike Fliss, PhD
Opioid Disorder & Overdose | Selected Prior Research
Randomized Controlled Trial of an Emergency Department Care Coordination Program in Thirteen Emergency Departments of the Carolinas HealthCare System
This CDC-funded project involved identifying individuals who frequently used emergency departments to treat their non-cancerous chronic pain (NCCP). A total of 411 patients were randomized to either the intervention or control group. The intervention consisted of placing an alert in the medical record and letters sent to patients and their community providers. The alert informed physicians that the patients had made multiple visits to emergency departments to treat their NCCP and suggested that the physician refer the patient to a community-based provider for treatment. The researchers found that the intervention reduced the number of emergency department visits and opioid prescriptions among the intervention group. PI: Christopher L. Ringwalt, DrPH, MSW
Evaluation of Iowa prescription monitoring program
This CDC-funded project was subcontracted through the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center and involved using statewide health insurance data and an interrupted time series analysis to examine the impact of Iowa’s prescription monitoring program on physicians’ prescribing practices in Iowa. Results were shared widely with public health researchers and practitioners at the APHA annual conference and the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research conference. PI: Shabbar Ranapurwala, PhD, MPH
Evaluation of a Community-Based Initiative to Prevent Opioid Overdose
PROJECT LAZARUS HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REDUCING UNINTENTIONAL OVERDOSES. FROM 2009-2011, UNINTENTIONAL OVERDOSES IN WILKES COUNTY, THE ORIGINAL SITE OF THE PROJECT LAZARUS, DECREASED BY 69%.
This CDC-funded collaborative project between the IPRC and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation involved an evaluation of Project Lazarus, a state-wide initiative to prevent opioid overdose and strengthen provider education and policies to limit emergency department opioid dispensing, which are associated with lower overdose mortality. Project Lazarus is a model of community engagement that has been successfully adopted in rural communities throughout North Carolina and in other states. The program is intended to help communities prevent overdoses, promote responsible pain management practices, and support substance abuse treatment. The program addresses and prevents drug overdose deaths through a variety of methods, including providing Project Lazarus Rescue Kits for individuals, families, health departments, and law enforcement personnel. The kit contains two doses of nasal naloxone as well as educational information on how to revive someone who has overdosed. Evaluation results (“A Statewide Evaluation of Project Lazarus: Seven Strategies to Reduce Opioid Overdose”) were shared at the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research conference in September 2017 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. PI: Christopher L. Ringwalt, DrPH, MSW
The TRAIN Study: Teaching Risk Reduction in Athletics with Interactive Networking
The TRAIN Study is a three-year CDC-funded study focused on improving communication and education about concussion in middle school sports. The project aims of the study are to: 1) identify the facilitators and barriers to adopting and implementing a Popular Opinion Leader (POL) concussion intervention in middle school football, basketball, and soccer sports communities; 2) determine the effect of a POL intervention on concussion-related behavioral and environmental determinants, including attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, intentions, perceived control, and normative perceptions among parents, coaches, and student-athletes participating in middle school football, basketball, and soccer; and 3) determine the effect of a POL intervention on concussion risk and clinical management through decreased head impact frequency, increased reporting of suspected concussions, changes in concussion incidence, and improved management of confirmed concussions among middle school student-athletes participating in football, basketball, and soccer. The TRAIN study is supported by the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. PIs: Zachary Y. Kerr, PhD PHH | Johna Register-Mihalik, PhD, ATC
The Active Rehab Study: Role of Active Rehabilitation in Concussion Management: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The Active Rehab Study is a randomized clinical trial that involves high school, collegiate, and professional sports. The overall study goal is to yield initial data on the potential benefits of active rehabilitation during recovery after sport-related concussion (SRC) in professional and amateur athletes. The project goals are to: 1) compare the effects of a multidimensional rehabilitation protocol versus enhanced graded exertion on clinical recovery, return to play, and patient outcomes after SRC; and 2) demonstrate the safety and feasibility of active intervention protocols when introduced during the sub-acute recovery period after SRC, as part of a multidimensional rehabilitation protocol. The Active Rehab Study is funded by the National Football League . PI: Johna Register-Mihalik, PhD, ATC
National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research (in partnership with the Department of Exercise & Sport Science)
The mission of the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research (NCCSIR) is to conduct surveillance of catastrophic injuries and illnesses related to participation in organized sports in the United States at the collegiate, high school, and youth levels of play. Working through the Consortium for Catastrophic Injury Monitoring , the NCCSIR tracks fatal and severe sports injury cases using a systematic data reporting system that allows for longitudinal investigation of athletes suffering from catastrophic injuries and illnesses. The goal of the Center is to improve the prevention, evaluation, management, and rehabilitation of catastrophic sports-related injuries. The NCCSIR is funded by a variety of sources including: American Football Coaches Association, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, National Athletic Trainers’ Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Federation of State High School Associations, National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE). PI: Kristen L. Kucera, PhD, ATC
The BANK Study: Beliefs, Attitudes, Norms, & Knowledge
The long-term research mission of the Concussion Disclosure BANK study is to improve concussion prevention, detection, and care by combining training and education with excellence in clinical care. The primary project goal is to develop a theory-driven educational intervention that changes norms and personal beliefs around concussion disclosure. The project is a collaboration between the IPRC and the Keller-Army Hospital at the United States Military Academy and is funded by a Mind Matters Research Challenge Grant from the NCAA-DOD Grand Alliance . PIs: Johna Register-Mihalik, PhD, ATC | Stephen W. Marshall, PhD
Traumatic Brain Injury | Selected Prior Research
The BeMod Study: Innovative Behavior Modification Strategies to Reduce Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in High School Athletes
This study was a three-year long prospective, longitudinal, and multi-site investigation with the goal of reducing the risk of concussion in high school football players. The study incorporated advanced telemetry instrumentation to monitor head impact profiles and identify athletes who may benefit from an individualized coaching and mentoring program designed to address key technical deficiencies related to football play. The BeMod Study was funded by the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control . PI: Kevin M. Guskiewicz, PhD, MS, ATC
Prospective Investigation of Sport-Related Concussion: Relationship between Biomechanical, Neuroanatomical, and Clinical Factors
This series of studies aimed to understand the relationships between in-vivo head impact biomechanics, concussion risk, and clinical outcomes. The UNC Matthew Gfeller Center has continued this work over the past 15 years and is internationally known for their work in better understanding head impact biomechanics of sport-related concussion and subconcussive head impacts. This series of studies has been funded by the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, NOCSAE , and the NFL . PIs: Kevin M. Guskiewicz, PhD, MS, ATC | Jason P. Mihalik, PhD MS, ATC
Adopting a Public Health Approach to Traffic Safety
The objective of this project is to describe and illuminate what a public health approach to transportation safety can look like in practice. This project aims to provide a variety of resources and tools, as well as examples of processes and case studies, that transportation and public health agencies can use and incorporate to collaboratively address road traffic injury overall, as well road traffic injury-related disparities and inequities.
PI: Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD | Co-PI: Laura Sandt, PhD | Coordinator: Elyse Keefe, MSW, MPH
Strengthening Existing and Facilitating New Vision Zero Plans
The goal of this project is to analyze current Vision Zero plans from municipalities and counties across the U.S. and to develop a guidance document for future plan development that outlines attributes and features of high-quality plans.
PI: Kelly Evenson, PhD | Co-Is: Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD; Elyse Keefe, MSW, MPH; Seth LaJeunesse, DCRP
Integrating Systems Thinking Tools into Vision Zero and Safe System Approaches
The goal of this project was to develop systems thinking-based content and guidance materials to strengthen the implementation of Vision Zero and Safe System approaches. This project includes developing materials that help stakeholders establish a firm foundation and deepen their understanding of the system (of policies, norms, funding streams, equitable/inequitable processes, etc.) underlying their road safety outcomes, setting the stage for more effective Vision Zero planning and implementation.
PI: Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD | Co-Is: Kristen Hassmiller Lich, PhD; Elyse Keefe, MPH, MSW
Predicting Automated Vehicle Safety in an Uncertain Future
The goal of this project was to develop a configurable model and interface representing how the numbers of crashes and fatal and nonfatal injuries change over time as a result of different advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) deployment scenarios. The model links technology capabilities and prospective adoption rates in identified operational design domains to representative fields in publicly available crash databases.
Co-PIs: Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD & Laura Sandt, PI | Co-I: Kristen Hassmiller Lich, PhD
LINKING CRASH REPORTS TO HEALTH DATA IN NORTH CAROLINA: ADDING CLAIMS DATA TO MEASURE COST OUTCOMES
This is Year 4 of a project begun in 2016 and building on pilot work completed in 2014-2016. The ability to integrate safety information from a variety of sources in North Carolina has the potential to improve safety analysis, inform subsequent policy and program decisions, and support communications with the public and with transportation decision makers. The Carolina Center for Health Information (CCHI) is working with the NC Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) and the NC Traffic Records Coordinating Committee (TRCC) towards a goal of evaluating the need for, and feasibility of, a statewide injury surveillance system in its 2017 Traffic Safety Information Systems Plan. Working with collaborators in the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and Highway Safety Research Center, CCHI staff are successfully demonstrating the ability to integrate crash and health data and use them to address questions of interest to stakeholders. Year 4 of this work includes maintaining and updating the data documentation of 12 different data sources for integration created as part of a separate 2-year project completed in 2019.
PI: Anna Waller, ScD | Co-Is: Katie Harmon, PhD; Amy Ising, MSIS; Dennis Falls; Meichun Li, MSIS; Clifton Barnett, MSIS; Laura Sandt, PhD; Seth LaJeunesse, MPA; Libby Thomas, MS; Bevan Kirley, Eric Rodgman, MPH; Sharon Schiro, PhD; Sandra Greene, DrPh
North Carolina Crash Injury Surveillance System
The NC Injury and Violence Prevention Branch, the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, the UNC Carolina Center for Health Informatics, and the UNC Highway Safety Research Center are collaborating on the development of the North Carolina Crash Injury Surveillance System, the first of its kind in North Carolina. The Project Team is building on prior strategic planning activities and an existing network of motor vehicle crash injury stakeholders to successfully link at least one year of crash data to one or more years of emergency department visit and death certificate/vital records data. The methods and evaluation results of the data linkage will be thoroughly documented. It is the ultimate objective that the proposed project will lead to the development of a sustainable fully-integrated motor vehicle crash-health outcome data system in North Carolina that will serve as the basis for ongoing research, injury prevention program development and evaluation, and policy development and evaluation.
PI: Anna Waller, ScD | Co-Is: Stephen W. Marshall, PhD; Katie Harmon, PhD; Nancy Lefler, Amy Ising, MSIS; Eric Rodgman, MPH; Dennis Falls, Clifton Barnett, MSIS; Mike Dolan Fliss, PhD
Road Traffic Injury | Selected Prior Research
Driver Licensing Policies and Young People in North Carolina: Unintended Consequences on Racial/Ethnic Minority Populations
The goal of this project was to improve understanding of race and income differences in graduate driver licensing system (GDLS) effects on crashes and associated injuries, as well as the extent of unlicensed driving associated with GDLS enactment among young people in NC. This is project was funded by IPRC’s award from the CDC National Center Injury Prevention and Control for the 2014-2019 funding cycle.
PI: Yudan Wang, PhD | Co-Is: Robert Foss, PhD | Arthur Goodwin, PhD | Stephen W. Marshall, PhD
COLLABORATIVE SCIENCES CENTER FOR ROAD SAFETY (CSCRS)
One of the Department of Transportation’s Five National University Transportation Centers supporting the FAST Act Priority of Promoting Safety
Led by the UNC Highway Safety Research Center in collaboration with the IPRC and the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning, CSCRS unites leading transportation research, planning, public health, data science, and engineering programs at Duke University; Florida Atlantic University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and UNC-Chapel Hill. The goal of the CSCRS is to accelerate progress in reducing transportation-related injuries and fatalities by utilizing both Safe Systems and systems science principles, tools, and techniques. The IPRC is an active collaborator in several of the CSCRS’s key research projects, including:
Opioids at the Health and Transportation Safety Nexus
The goal of this project is to better understand the prevalence of opioid prescriptions after a traffic-related crash, and how often that prescription leads to future negative outcomes. PI: Christopher Cherry, PhD | IPRC Co-Is: Stephen W. Marshall, PhD | Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD, MSPH
Structures of Stakeholder Relationships in Making Road Safety Decisions
The goal of this project is to examine transportation safety network structures that ultimately result in high quality transportation safety decisions. This project utilizes organizational network analyses to examine the structure and attribute of road safety coalitions across the country.
PI: Laura Sandt, PhD; Co-Is at IPRC: Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD, MSPH; Stephen W. Marshall, PhD
Impact of North Carolina’s Motorcycle Helmet Law on Hospital Admissions and Charges for Care of Traumatic Brain Injury
This study estimated the impact of North Carolina’s universal motorcycle helmet law on hospital admissions for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and associated hospital charges. Researchers found that North Carolina’s law generated large health and economic benefits for the state and its taxpayers, with averted hospital charges to taxpayer-funded sources estimated to be between $9.5 million and $11.6 million for the year 2011 alone. The Study was published in the North Carolina Medical Journal, 2015.
PI: Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD, MSPH | Co-Is: Stephen W. Marshall, PhD | Scott K. Proescholdbell, MPH | Anna E. Austin, MPH |Kathleen Creppage, MPH
Motorcycle Crash-Related Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations and Traumatic Brain Injuries in North Carolina
Key findings from this work included that 26% of hospitalizations due to motorcycle crashes resulted in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and that charges for TBI hospitalizations were nearly $9,000 greater than charges for those without such a diagnosis. Results of the study were published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 2015.
PI: Katherine J. Harmon, PhD | Co-Is: Stephen W. Marshall, PhD, Scott K. Proescholdbell, MPH | Rebecca B. Naumann, PhD, MSPH | Anna Waller, ScD
Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Following Motor Vehicle Crashes
This work examined the association between crashes and pregnancy outcomes. A key finding was that crashes were especially harmful and resulted in worse outcomes among unbelted pregnant women, as compared to those who were wearing a seat belt. Study results were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2013.
PI: Mihaela Galica-Vladutiu, MD | Co-Is: Stephen W. Marshall, PhD | Charles Poole, ScD | Carri Casteel, PhD | M. Kathryn Menard, MD, MPH | Harold Weiss, PhD, MPH, MS
GRADUATED DRIVER LICENSING PROGRAM COMPONENT CALIBRATIONS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH FATAL CRASH INVOLVEMENT FOR 16-17 YEAR-OLD TEENS
The goal of this study was to identify the graduated driver licensing (GDL) components associated with the largest reductions in fatal crash involvements for 16-17-year-old teens. The research team found clear evidence for a minimum learner permit holding period of 9-12 months and a passenger restriction allowing only one teen passenger for 6 months or longer. Results of the study were published in the Journal of Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2013.
PI: Scott V. Masten, PhD |Co-Is: Robert Foss, PhD | Stephen W. Marshall, PhD
Graduated Driver Licensing and Fatal Crashes Involving 16- to 19-Year-Old Drivers
This foundational work examined the impact of graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs with fatal crashes among 16 to 19 year-old teens. Results indicated that stronger GDL programs were associated with a lower rate of fatal crashes for 16-year-old drivers, as compared to programs without key GDL components. Study results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 2011.
PIs: Scott V. Masten, PhD | Robert Foss, PhD | Stephen W. Marshall, PhD