Rise, Respond and Rebuild: Healing Communities by Ending Gun Violence
Last year’s gun violence prevention conference brought powerful insights from leaders like Drs. Robert Gore, Megan Ranney, and Patricia Logan Greene. Their voices continue to inspire action at the Jacobs School. We’re building on that momentum—and looking ahead to the next evolution of this important gathering in September 2026.
A public‑health–driven symposium hosted by the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.
With our September 2026 symposium, we aim to engage our participants in conversations, curriculum and programming that employ a public health approach to reduce firearm injuries and fatalities.
Gun violence continues to affect individuals, families, and communities across the nation, leaving lasting impacts on physical, emotional, and social well‑being. As a medical and biomedical institution, the Jacobs School is committed to leading with science, compassion, and public‑health principles to drive meaningful change.
Rise, Respond and Rebuild brings together a diverse community—health care professionals, educators, community leaders, learners, public‑facing workers, and those dedicated to creating safer environments—to learn, collaborate and take action.
The symposium offers opportunities for shared learning, multidisciplinary connection, and community‑centered solutions, echoing the collaborative spirit encouraged in last year's conference programming.
Our Goals
- Facilitate meaningful dialogue on how firearm violence intersects with medical education, professional training, public health practice, and community safety.
- Share practical resources and tools—including programs, curricula, and strategies—that support others in teaching, practicing, and advocating for firearm violence prevention.
- Build new perspectives by fostering connection among diverse professionals, educators, community members, and leaders working to end gun violence.
- Strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration to accelerate community‑centered responses and prevention strategies.
We invite proposals that contribute to shared learning and action. Following the model used in last year’s conference—where participants were encouraged to elevate issues, showcase innovative work, and share best practices—the symposium welcomes sessions that:
- Engage participants in meaningful discussions on pressing issues related to firearm violence in clinical, educational, or community contexts.
- Share tools, programs and best practices that support prevention education or strengthen trauma‑informed practice.
- Highlight innovative initiatives from your institution or organization that address firearm violence through a public health or community‑centered approach.
- Offer new perspectives, lived experiences or research that deepens understanding of firearm‑related harms and how to prevent them.
This is your opportunity to elevate an important issue, contribute to a multidisciplinary conversation, and empower others to bring solutions back to their own communities.
The symposium will feature:
Keynote Presentations. Leading voices will explore the latest evidence, innovations, and community‑centered approaches to preventing firearm violence.
Breakout Sessions & Workshops. Interactive sessions focused on clinical education, trauma‑informed care, youth engagement, community partnerships, and public‑health strategies.
Community Dialogue & Reflection. Dedicated time for shared experience, resource exchange, and collaborative problem‑solving—reflecting last year’s emphasis on open conversation and community‑engaged learning.
Networking Opportunities. Connect with professionals, educators, advocates, and community partners from across sectors.
A complete schedule will be posted soon.
Brian Wade, PhD, is an assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His research examines firearm violence, community violence intervention and underground markets, with a particular focus on high-risk populations. Wade earned his doctoral degree in criminal justice from Rutgers University–Newark, where his dissertation analyzed age-graded variation in gun violence involvement among high-risk Black men in Brooklyn and the Bronx. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University at Albany.
Prior to joining the faculty at UAlbany, Wade served as a senior data scientist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Crime and Justice Policy Lab and conducted research at Northeastern University, Rutgers University, Columbia University and the Urban Institute. His work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Criminology, Criminology & Public Policy, Journal of Urban Health and Preventive Medicine.
His presentation examines how nonfatal firearm injuries can escalate into fatal violence and what this trajectory means for prevention and public health.
Joseph Richardson Jr., PhD, is the MPower Professor of African American studies, medical anthropology and epidemiology at the University of Maryland. His research focuses on community firearm violence, structural violence and community-based violence intervention strategies for Black boys and men. Richardson is founding director of the University of Maryland Capital Region Violence Intervention Program, the first hospital-based violence intervention program to serve the National Capital Region, and founding co-director of the UMD PROGRESS Initiative (Prevent Gun Violence: Research, Empowerment, Strategies and Solutions). Supported by the Office of the President, PROGRESS uses community-engaged research, design justice principles and translational science to address firearm violence across Maryland and the region.
Richardson currently leads longitudinal qualitative evaluations of street outreach violence intervention programs in Washington, DC, and Chicago. Appointed by the DC mayor’s office, he serves as co-chair of the District of Columbia Violence Fatality Review Committee. He is executive producer and director of the award-winning documentary series Life After the Gunshot, which uses digital storytelling to advance health communication and narrative change for survivors of community firearm violence. Richardson is a senior fellow with the Black and Brown Collective for Community Solutions to Gun Violence and serves on the board of the Research Society for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harm. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2023 and appointed in 2026 to the steering committee of the Global Coalition for World Health Organization Action on Gun Violence.
His presentation explores the ethical use of AI and digital storytelling in gun violence research, with an emphasis on equity, community voice and narrative change.
Please join us for this forward‑thinking, community‑focused symposium. Registration will open in June.
Venue & Logistics
The symposium will be held at:
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
University at Buffalo
955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203
Information on parking, accessibility, accommodations, and directions will be available soon.
This symposium is intentionally designed for a broad, interdisciplinary audience.
Participants may include:
- Medical and health professionals
- Biomedical and public health researchers
- Educators (K–12 through higher education)
- Community advocates and nonprofit leaders
- Mental and behavioral health professionals
- Hospital and health‑system staff
- Public‑facing workers and community safety partners
- Students and trainees in all related fields
Anyone invested in creating safer, healthier communities through a public‑health lens is welcome.
We invite organizations, institutions, and community partners to support Rise, Respond and Rebuild: Healing Communities by Ending Gun Violence as event sponsors. Your partnership brings together diverse voices, expands access to public‑health–driven education, and strengthens collaborative efforts to prevent firearm violence.
Sponsorship reflects your commitment to community well‑being, interdisciplinary learning, and solutions that foster safety and healing. Your support directly advances symposium programming, community engagement, and the creation of shared resources and tools.
Our executive committee is composed of community leaders, advocates and partners who believe that gun violence is preventable and that change begins with action. Each member brings a personal commitment to protecting lives and strengthening communities, and their collective voice helps shape our mission, priorities and path forward.
- Zeneta Everhart, Masten District Councilwoman, City of Buffalo
- Heather Gardiner, Director of the Community Health Equity Research Institute, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
- Adrienne Garr, Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, City of Buffalo
- Selina Irizarry, Masten District Chief of Staff, City of Buffalo
- Patricia Logan-Greene, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, UB School of Social Work
- David Milling, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
- Eddie Payne, Coordinator of the Erie County Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce
- Rev. Kinzer Pointer, President of Greater Buffalo United Ministries
- Julie Szrama, Director of Student and Academic Affairs, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
- Brian Wade, Senior Data Scientist at The University of Pennsylvania
- Kamilah Weems, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships in Medical Education at AAMC
- Garnell Whitfield, Social Justice Advocate
- Annie Printup, Office of Accreditation and Quality Improvement, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
- Dawn Cwierley, Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
- Linda Christiano, Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Accreditation
The University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Certification
To be determined.
The Evolution of Our Work
Rise, Respond and Rebuild builds on the Jacobs School’s ongoing commitment to addressing gun violence as a public‑health crisis. This symposium evolved from earlier conferences focused on prevention, education, and community partnership, expanding that work into a broader, more inclusive forum for shared learning and action. Today, the event brings together diverse voices to strengthen our collective ability to promote healing, safety, and well‑being across all communities.