With new CDC grant, Houston trauma surgeon to study gun violence like it's a disease
January 12, 2023
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is funding gun violence research for the first time in nearly 25 years. Dr. Bindi J. Naik-Mathuria, pediatric surgeon and trauma medical director at Texas Children's Hospital, is one of 18 researchers and doctors receiving grants from the CDC to study gun violence.
Like Dr. Naik-Mathruia, CJR is studying the nature of gun violence in a collaborative study with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, focusing on why Black men in urban areas possess guns and what their trigger points are for using them.
“We recognize that we know a lot about the research in terms of who is involved in violent behavior, but we don’t know why these individuals would participate in violent behavior,” CJR Director Howard Henderson told the Houston Chronicle. “We want to understand from these kids’ perspectives what made them pick up a gun. If we understand that piece, we have a better chance of building programs to prevent that from happening.”