Suicide is a major and rising public health issue in Wisconsin and nationally, making suicide prevention a priority. This session will provide attendees with an understanding of current data regarding suicide in Wisconsin. We will discuss trends in suicide and offer ideas for suicide prevention. This session will also incorporate the voice of lived experience of suicide. Hearing stories from those with lived experience increases understanding of suicide while reducing stigma. Finally, this session will empower attendees with information to assist in times of crisis.
Join us on July 30TH, and you will…
Be part of a discussion about suicide prevention and related research.
Learn about research findings and how they relate to your health.
Find answers to questions you’ve always wanted to ask.
Jennifer Hernandez-Meier, PhD, MSW is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. From 6/2013-12/2018 she served as a Research Scientist in the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Hernandez-Meier received her Doctorate and Master of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Certificate (minor) in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her dissertation work examined the epidemiology and prevention of polysubstance use among college students. She currently serves as President of the Midwest Injury Prevention Alliance. Dr. Hernandez-Meier’s research interests include violence and injury prevention; firearm acquisition and possession policies; the epidemiology of alcohol and drug use; and innovative policies and interventions to address substance misuse, including prescription drug monitoring programs, medical systems-based initiatives and medication assisted treatment.
Sara Kohlbeck, MPH
Assistant Director
Comprehensive Injury Center
Medical College of Wisconsin
Sara Kohlbeck is a Program Manager and Assistant Director of the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin, dedicated to advancing public health research that informs prevention to save lives and reduce the burden of injury. She is currently engaged in research that deals with a variety of injury-related topics and utilizes linked datasets. One of these studies, Addressing Racial Disparities in the Ascertainment and Identification of Depression, Suicidal Ideation, and Death by Suicide, is linking data from the Wisconsin Violent Death Reporting System, local law enforcement agencies, and local school districts in order to examine suicides among youth of color in Wisconsin in order to identify potential early indicators of suicide risk in this population. Sara recently participated as an academic partner in a project in a rural Wisconsin county, which aims to move suicide prevention upstream by creating a mechanism to refer youth who are at-risk of suicide to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training. Sara is currently working with the state’s Department of Health Services on the newest release of the Wisconsin Burden of Suicide Report.
In addition, she is currently involved in a project that aims to reduce the burden of injury as a result of interpersonal violence by linking police, hospital, and Emergency Medical Service data to provide a comprehensive violence surveillance tool that can be implemented by local communities in order to prevent violence.
Sara received her Master’s in Public Health from the Zilber School of Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She currently enrolled as a PhD student in Public and Community Health in the Institute for Health and Equity at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her research interests include systems-level risk factors for suicide and the intersection of climate change and suicide.
NIH Funding Acknowledgment:Important Reminder – Please acknowledge the NIH when publishing papers, patents, projects, and presentations resulting from the use of CTSI resources by including the NIH Funding Acknowledgement.
