Pathways to Public Safety: A Dialogue on Gun Policy

Description

Join the Office of the Vice Provost for Research for a thought-provoking discussion on gun policy. This event will bring together experts, policymakers, and community members to explore different perspectives on this important issue, featuring a distinguished panel:

• Joseph V. Sakran, a trauma surgeon, coalition builder, policy adviser, and public health expert at Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Rep. Robin Kelly, serving Illinois' second congressional district since 2013
• Kris Brown, president of Brady United
• other key voices in the field

Following the discussion, guests are invited to a reception with hors d'oeuvres and beverages, continuing the conversation in a more informal setting. Don't miss this opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations and learn more about the pathways to improving public safety.

About the speakers

Joseph V. Sakran, a trauma surgeon, coalition builder, policy adviser, and public health expert at Johns Hopkins Hospital, transformed a near-fatal high school shooting incident into a career dedicated to treating vulnerable populations and advocating for gun violence prevention. As founder of "This is Our Lane," a community of medical professionals committed to reducing firearm injuries, and through his international medical work across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, Sakran combines clinical expertise with policy experience gained as a National Academy of Medicine Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in Sen. Maggie Hassan's office. His pioneering research on physicians' role in educating patients about safe gun storage has garnered recognition from numerous organizations, with his perspectives regularly appearing in major media outlets and congressional testimonies. A first-generation Arab American fluent, Sakran holds degrees from the Medical School for International Health in Israel, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government and completed a fellowship in traumatology, surgical critical care, and emergency general surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Rep. Robin Kelly, serving Illinois' second congressional district since 2013, has built her career advocating for Illinois families through initiatives addressing economic opportunity, health care access, and gun violence prevention. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and several key caucuses, including chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust and co-chair of both the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce and Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, she champions health care expansion, consumer protection, and common-sense gun reforms. Before Congress, Kelly served in the Illinois House of Representatives, as Cook County's chief administrative officer, and as the first African American woman chief of staff to an Illinois constitutional statewide officeholder, bringing her educational background in psychology, counseling, and political science to her public service career.

As president of Brady, Kris Brown combines a lifelong background in policy, law, and grassroots activism with considerable strategic management expertise to help forge the direction of the organization's programs and ensure the successful impact of its national and field assets. A veteran of gun violence prevention work, Brown started her career on Capitol Hill working for Rep. Jim Moran, advocating for the bill that would eventually become the groundbreaking Brady Bill requiring background checks on federally licensed gun sales. Brown has also served as the chief legal officer to a publicly traded company based in Switzerland and as a lawyer practicing at the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges.