Celebrating 30 years of public health at CDC’s Injury Center: Revisiting three decades of injury and violence prevention — and looking to the future

Christopher Jones, PharmD, DrPH, MPH, acting director of the CDC Injury Center

What would people be surprised to know about the Injury Center?

In my conversations with people who are not familiar with the Injury Center, I think that what people are most surprised about is just the range of topics that we work on, and also how prevalent they are in what’s going on in society and in people’s lives when we think about substance use and drug overdose, suicide, multiple forms of violence, and also motor vehicle, traffic, transportation safety, drowning, traumatic brain injury, older adult falls.

Really, across the lifespan, our topics touch people every day. And I think people just don’t realize the breadth and scope of what we do and that the deep expertise that we have at the Injury Center can help the work of people in communities across the U.S. address these issues.”

Alex Crosby, MD, MPH, former CDC Injury Center medical epidemiologist

What are you most proud of on the 30th anniversary of the Injury Center?

The Injury Center helped change the perspective that nothing can be done to prevent suicides. But they can be prevented. There are CDC programs that demonstrate this.

Greta Massetti, PhD, acting director of the Division of Violence Prevention, CDC Injury Center

How far have we come on preventing violence?

For nearly 40 years, CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention has utilized and shared the best available data and conducted research to identify what works to prevent various forms of violence. DVP brings together partners and connects data, science, and action to inform the development, implementation, and sustainability of violence prevention strategies proven to be effective.

In the past decade, we’ve learned so much about what works to prevent violence. Our evidence base around effective interventions has grown rapidly. In the next 30 years, I’m excited to see these programs scaled up and implemented across the country. This will move us toward achieving our vision of a violence-free society in which all people and communities are safe, healthy and thriving.

Grant Baldwin, PhD, director of the Division of Overdose Prevention, CDC Injury Center

Do you have any advice for up-and-coming public health workers who want to enter the injury and violence prevention space?

The best advice I would give is that individuals have an opportunity to work beyond COVID on the real major public health issues of our time. And unlike some other challenges where prevention activities bear fruit in the long term, within injury and violence prevention you can make big change in a very short period of time.

By bringing some of these proven prevention strategies to scale you can dramatically reduce drug overdoses, homicide, and suicide in this country by implementing some of these programs. You don’t have to wait five, 10 or 20 years to see the fruits of your labor. You’ll have a real opportunity to make a difference on big issues right now and see the dividends of that work pay off in the short term.

Judy Qualters, PhD, MPH, director of the Division of Injury Prevention, CDC Injury Center

What would you most like to share about the work in the division that you oversee?

We are committed to preventing unintentional injuries and self-directed injuries by connecting data, science, and action. We’ve made tremendous strides in modernizing our Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System to address user needs, including updating its Injury Cost Module.

We also have some exciting work happening in our drowning and traumatic brain injury prevention programs. Our division also supports two large programs for state health departments and universities which are doing innovative research and front-line injury prevention work...I think these programs speak to the investment CDC has made in injury prevention work for many decades.

David Sleet, PhD, MA, retired associate director for science, CDC Injury Center

What’s your advice for handing off the baton to the next generation?

Things don’t change fast. You know the phrase ‘public health is a marathon, not a sprint.’ But now in my career, after all these years, I see it more as a relay race than a marathon. It requires one career professional to hand off the work to another career professional.

Over time, change does happen. That is why training and mentoring plays a big role in injury prevention. No one can do this alone.

Mark Barna contributed to this article.