The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $4 million to the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Bloomberg School of Public Health to help the center continue its mission of making discoveries that save lives and reduce costs due to injuries.
Injuries are the leading cause of death in the United States among people ages one to 44, and they cost the country $406 billion annually. Worldwide, 16,000 people die from largely preventable injuries every day.
“This funding will allow us to advance our work in closing the gap between research and practice in new and innovative ways,” says Dr. Andrea Gielen, the Johns Hopkins center’s director. “Whether fatal or non-fatal, injuries take an enormous toll on communities. Our faculty, staff, and students are dedicated to preventing injuries and ameliorating their effects through better design of products and environments, more effective policies, increased education and improved treatment.”
The five-year grant will support several innovative research projects on key issues, including evaluating motor vehicle ignition interlock laws, studying universal bicycle helmet policies, testing m-Health tools toreduce prescription drug overdose, and evaluating programs to prevent fallsamong older adults. The center will also continue to offer training and education to public health students and practitioners, as well as to new audiences that can contribute to injury prevention.