Research & Scholarship
Prevent Gun Violence: Research, Empowerment, Strategies & Solutions (PROGRESS)
The PROGRESS initiative at the University of Maryland is committed to advancing research and scholarship that address firearm violence. Our research centers the people who are often marginalized by design, and uses collaborative, creative practices to address the deepest challenges our communities face. We conduct actionable, multi-disciplinary research in partnership with community-led initiatives to discover and implement insights and solutions to reduce gun violence.
Below are descriptions of selected research projects conducted and/or supported by PROGRESS, as well as PROGRESS-related courses available to UMD students. Although not comprehensive, the examples highlight the initiative’s diverse efforts and focus areas. For more information about PROGRESS research and scholarship, please contact PROGRESS@umd.edu.
Spotlight on PROGRESS Research
"PROGRESS Commentary on U.S. Child Mortality Rate Decline Lagging Behind Peer Nations"
PROGRESS Co-Director Dr. Woodie Kessel and PROGRESS Senior Research Associate Dr. Barbara Singer published a commentary, Trends in Child and Adolescent Death in the United States: A Call to Action, in Pediatrics (Vol. 158, Issue 5). The commentary responds to research examining nearly nine decades of child mortality in the United States compared with other wealthy nations. Although U.S. child mortality declined by 89%, peer nations experienced a nearly 97% decline, resulting in approximately 800,000 excess U.S. childhood deaths. Nearly one-third of these excess deaths occurred among males ages 15–19.
Drs. Kessel and Singer conducted additional analysis of mortality data from 1935 and 2023, revealing the significant and persistent role of gun violence in child and adolescent mortality. Gun violence was already the second leading cause of death among children ages 5–19 in 1935. By 2023, it was the leading cause of death among U.S. children ages 1–19, accounting for 4,455 deaths from homicide, suicide, and unintentional firearm injuries.
The authors highlight the uniquely high burden of firearm mortality in the United States: children ages 5–14 are approximately 21 times more likely to be killed with a firearm than children in peer countries, and firearms accounted for approximately one-fifth of all U.S. child and teen deaths in 2024. The commentary calls for greater attention to gun violence, adolescent injury, violence, and self-harm as critical priorities for improving child survival.
Spotlight on PROGRESS Research
"PROGRESS Commentary on U.S. Child Mortality Rate Decline Lagging Behind Peer Nations"
PROGRESS Co-Director Dr. Woodie Kessel and PROGRESS Senior Research Associate Dr. Barbara Singer published a commentary, Trends in Child and Adolescent Death in the United States: A Call to Action, in Pediatrics (Vol. 158, Issue 5). The commentary responds to research examining nearly nine decades of child mortality in the United States compared with other wealthy nations. Although U.S. child mortality declined by 89%, peer nations experienced a nearly 97% decline, resulting in approximately 800,000 excess U.S. childhood deaths. Nearly one-third of these excess deaths occurred among males ages 15–19.
Drs. Kessel and Singer conducted additional analysis of mortality data from 1935 and 2023, revealing the significant and persistent role of gun violence in child and adolescent mortality. Gun violence was already the second leading cause of death among children ages 5–19 in 1935. By 2023, it was the leading cause of death among U.S. children ages 1–19, accounting for 4,455 deaths from homicide, suicide, and unintentional firearm injuries.
The authors highlight the uniquely high burden of firearm mortality in the United States: children ages 5–14 are approximately 21 times more likely to be killed with a firearm than children in peer countries, and firearms accounted for approximately one-fifth of all U.S. child and teen deaths in 2024. The commentary calls for greater attention to gun violence, adolescent injury, violence, and self-harm as critical priorities for improving child survival.
"Can LLMs Understand the Impact of Trauma? Costs and Benefits of LLMs Coding the Interviews of Firearm Violence Survivors"
In this paper, the authors—including PROGRESS Graduate Research Associate Jessica Zhu and PROGRESS Co-Director Jo Richardson—assess the ability of open-source LLMs to inductively code interviews with 21 Black men who have survived community firearm violence. Inductive coding is a valuable, but time- and labor-intensive tool in qualitative research used for understanding the personal and societal consequences of community firearm violence and designing effective interventions. The results demonstrate that while some configurations of LLMs can identify important codes, overall relevance remains low and is highly sensitive to data processing. Furthermore, LLM guardrails lead to substantial narrative erasure. These findings highlight both the potential and limitations of LLM-assisted qualitative coding and underscore the ethical challenges of applying AI in research involving vulnerable populations.
PROGRESS Working Group on GeoAI and Gun Violence Prevention
As part of its research agenda, PROGRESS collects, analyzes, and displays violence reduction data to test hypotheses and assess potential mitigation strategies. In cooperation with UMD/GEOG's International Center for Innovation in Geospatial Analytics and Earth Observation (the Geo Center), the PROGRESS Working Group on GeoAI* and Gun Violence Prevention synergizes the talents and efforts of university and community scholar-practitioners, academic researchers, and technical experts. The Working Group draws from and contributes to three related domains:
- The technological domain, by developing and deploying GeoAI solutions that integrate geospatial and AI (artificial intelligence) technologies, including machine learning/deep learning;
- The science domain, by creating a “data hub” for collecting, processing, analyzing and disseminating information from a broad range of sources and categories—including public health, criminal justice, socio-economic, and more—for the benefit of diverse constituencies such as academic researchers, community practitioners, and policymakers for the purpose of reducing violence;
- The ethical domain, by implementing a strategy of “responsible design” for community engagement that ensures CBOs (community-based organizations) serving marginalized populations are empowered to participate in all stages of the research enterprise as equal partners and beneficiaries.
* GeoAI is defined as the combination of Geospatial Science and Artificial Intelligence.
Current Research Projects Conducted by PROGRESS
Principal Investigators Dr. Joseph Richardson (Co-Director of PROGRESS) and Dr. Daniel Webster (Johns Hopkins University) are working together to conduct an impact evaluation of the Scale CVI Chicago (SC2) efforts to implement evidence-informed and community-led approaches across four Chicago neighborhoods. They will apply mixed-methods approaches to understand CVI participants' experiences and opinions on the impact of the program on their lives. This work is entirely backed by private investors and corporate partners.
For more information see:
- www.scalecvichicago.org
- https://bsos.umd.edu/featured-content/joseph-richardson-part-10-year-100m-effort-reduce-gun-violence-chicago
PROGRESS is conducting an assessment study on the effectiveness of Community Violence Intervention (CVI) street outreach programs. Funded by Arnold Ventures, the study uses in-depth interviews, focus groups, field observation, and digital storytelling with Community Violence Interrupters, participants, and site directors/program managers of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) and Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in Washington, DC.
Funded by New Ventures Fund and in collaboration with Elinore Kaufman (University of Pennsylvania) and Dr. Desmond Patton (University of Pennsylvania), this project uses a qualitative research methods approach (e.g., interviews and focus groups) with community violence intervention (CVI) program staff and violently injured patients treated at the University of Pennsylvania hospital to understand the relationship between social media and violence in Philadelphia.
This project documents the stories of women in Baltimore who are survivors of gun violence, focusing on their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Funded by the Abell Foundation, this effort seeks to facilitate a community of peer support and elevate the voices of women impacted by gun violence.
PROGRESS Challenge Grants
In 2024 and 2026, PROGRESS solicited and funded limited submission seed grants to advance innovative ideas in gun violence research that have the potential for high impact. In particular, PROGRESS has sought to support research by new investigators and early career scholars with the goal of cultivating next-generation thought leaders and problem solvers to address the grand challenge of gun violence. PROGRESS hopes that this funding plants the seeds for novel approaches that will lead to saving lives from the preventable harm of firearm violence.
Learn more: https://bsos.umd.edu/research/progress-news-and-updates/PROGRESS-Challenge-Grants-2026
These are the 2026 PROGRESS Challenge Grants:
Principal Investigator: Cixin Wang, Associate Professor, College of Education
Description of Project: This project will establish the Empower Youth Academy (EYA), and test its feasibility and preliminary effectiveness through a school- and community-embedded prevention initiative targeting racially and ethnically diverse youth.
Principal Investigator: Shuvra Bhattacharyya, Professor, A. James Clark School of Engineering
Description of Project: The overall goal of this project is to synthesize knowledge about CVI and technologies, including their current use, needs, challenges, and future opportunities that can impact Maryland county partners, and to develop technology blueprints for tool design and integration.
Principal Investigator: Kunpeng Zhang, Associate Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Description of Project: This project will focus on Baltimore City and/or Prince George’s County, with the final study site selected in consultation with researchers and community partners.
Principal Investigator: Mengxue Li, Principal Faculty Specialist, College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
Description of Project: This project introduces a massive, previously untapped dataset into local violence prevention: Mobile Device Location Datasets. We will acquire anonymized, time-stamped Origin-Destination data sourced from aggregated smartphone location-based services.
Principal Investigator: Ruibo Han, Principal Lecturer, College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
Description of Project: This project will create a “Digital Neighborhood”—an advanced, high-resolution DigitalTwin framework.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Dawn Jourdan, Dean, School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation
Description of Project: This project proposes PlaceHack Maryland, an interdisciplinary, student-led design challenge that engages University of Maryland undergraduate students in developing innovative, evidence-based solutions to place-based contributors of violence and community insecurity.
Principal Investigator: Kiminori Nakamura, Assistant Research Professor, College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
Description of Project: This project is a 10‑month academic-public health partnership to examine systematically the community violence intervention (CVI) ecosystem developed in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; to identify the core components contributing to its effectiveness; and to translate these insights into a rigorous, evidence‑informed implementation plan tailored for Prince George’s County or another county within the state of Maryland.
Courses Offered by PROGRESS
Course Instructor: Dr. Joseph Richardson
Description: Gun violence is the leading cause of death and disability among African-American children and adult men between the ages of 15-44. Structural violence conceptualizes the ways social structures, institutions and systems are complicit in the harm of specific populations (e.g., shortened life expectancy among African Americans). These harms are often preventable. Structural and interpersonal violence, specifically community firearm violence, impacts the physical, psychological, social and emotional well-being, and quality of life of African-Americans, a demographic disproportionately impacted by the harms caused by structural and interpersonal violence. Using an interdisciplinary, structural justice and anti-racist approach this course examines the intersection of structural violence, interpersonal violence and trauma in African-American communities impacted by gun violence.
Link to Course Catalog: AASP499U
Course Instructor: Dr. Woodie Kessel
Description: This course examines the formulation, implementation and evaluation of health policy. Health care policies determine who receives health benefits, what type of care is available, who administers care, how frequently care is provided, and how much care will cost. These policy decisions are critical in influencing the health and well-being of our society. The course also explores the complexities and challenges facing the American healthcare system. Students will formulate a policy brief and conduct an impact analysis to better understand the potential benefits and costs of health policies addressing issues such as gun violence prevention, child health, health reform, infant mortality, teen pregnancy, smoking cessation or injury prevention.
Link to Course Catalog: FGSM320/HNUH328T
Course Instructor: Dr. Joseph Richardson
Description: Supervised research activity within the African American Studies Department. This course is for both majors and non-majors who seek to work for a faculty member on their research project(s) and/or work in their research lab as a Research Assistant (RA). The purpose of this course is to expose undergraduate students to theories and methods used to understand the lives and experiences of Black people across the diaspora via hands-on/applied research experience. A faculty member must agree to supervise your research activity before students can enroll for course credit.
Link to Course Catalog: AASP479
Completed Projects
Funded through an MPower grant, this effort analyzed police data and shock trauma data in Baltimore to integrate public health and public safety knowledge and better understand the overlap between gun violence victims and offenders. The purpose of this research was to better understand trends and community perceptions of gun violence by using a collaborative, community-based approach to identify modifiable risk factors for violence prevention.
Principal Investigator: Nadine Finigan-Carr
Description of Project: The goal of this project is to examine the role of media (print, broadcast, digital) in accurately and fairly reporting on issues related to gun violence. We propose to produce a written report providing a meta-analysis of media depiction of gun violence in Maryland. Specifically, we seek to analyze the media, including by not necessarily limited to, radio, print and local television news, and their depictions of topics related to gun violence throughout the state over a period of roughly 5 years (2019-2024). We will produce an analysis of depiction of the accused, victims, and what the media isolates as the causes of gun violence and what is presented as solutions. The goal will be to compare these depictions with an analysis of a historical understanding of inequality, structural violence, the war on drugs, and lived experiences of those who have lived in communities impacted by gun violence to check for accuracy and conceptual limitations and blind spots in these media representations. There will be a particular focus on isolating consistent themes in this coverage and comparing these depictions to historical tropes around historical notions tied to Black youth, Black families, and anxieties around community control of public safety and public resources. The analysis will conclude with an analysis of the political implications of these depictions, relating them to changes in criminal justice policy and government decisions around funding police and community based anti-violence programs. Funded as a part of FY2024 PROGRESS Seed Grants.
Principal Investigator: Celia Chen
Description of Project: The increasing prevalence of school shootings in the United States has led to a growing reliance on safety technologies to prevent and mitigate these tragic events. However, the effectiveness of these technologies and their impact on school communities remains understudied, particularly in the context of social media discourse. This project aims to address this gap by employing a mixed-methods approach, combining thematic and computational text analysis of social media data with participatory action research in collaboration with Prince George's County (PGC) District 2 public schools. Through thematic analysis, natural language processing, and sentiment analysis of social media posts from 2010 to the present, we will examine the evolution of public narratives surrounding school safety technologies in the wake of school shootings. Simultaneously, our partnership with PGC District 2 public schools will provide valuable insights into the realities of community safety and the perceived effectiveness of existing measures. Funded as a part of FY2024 PROGRESS Seed Grants.
Principal Investigators: Mengxue Li and Ruibo Han
Description of Project: The proposed project aims to leverage the power of GeoAI (Geospatial Artificial Intelligence) to identify and implement effective strategies for gun violence prevention and reduction. Specifically, the project will undertake three key objectives: (1) Build an integrated gun violence data platform to provide data-driven insights into patterns, trends, demographics, and socio-economic factors related to gun violence. (2) Develop GeoAI-based spatial models to understand gun violence and its influencing factors, thereby informing evidence-based strategies for intervention, prevention, and policy advocacy. (3) Publish Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) apps for various users, facilitating Community Violence Intervention (CVI) efforts, increasing community awareness, promoting dialogue and collaboration, and empowering communities to take meaningful actions. Funded as a part of FY2024 PROGRESS Seed Grants.
The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between violence, mental health problems, and perceived cognitive difficulties among U.S. high school students, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing data from the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES), this study addressed two primary questions: 1) Is involvement in or exposure to violence associated with perceived cognitive difficulties in adolescents? and 2) To what extent does mental health mediate this relationship? Findings identified several factors related to violence that were associated with perceived cognitive difficulties in adolescence, including weapon-carrying at school, feeling unsafe at school, being threatened or injured with a weapon at school, physical fighting, and exposure to community violence. Mental health significantly mediated these relationships, although the magnitude and influence of this mediation differed across the examined variables. These findings highlight the nuanced interplay between violence exposure, mental health, and cognitive functioning in adolescents.
Thesis submitted by Lindsey Wood in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, 2025.