Seven Weeks, Seven Speakers: A Spring 2026 Seminar on Violence and Suicide Prevention

Suicide prevention draws on many fields at once: public health, medicine, psychology, policy and community practice. Bringing those perspectives into one room, or one Zoom window, helps researchers, clinicians, students and advocates learn from each other.

That was the idea behind the Fourth Term Graduate Seminar in Injury Research and Policy: Violence & Suicide Prevention, which ran on Mondays from March 23 to May 4, 2026. The seminar was hosted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Center for Suicide Prevention, through their joint HOPES initiative, the Hub for Outreach, Prevention, and Education in Suicide.

Open to everyone

Although it is a graduate seminar, the series was free and open to anyone who registered. Each week, participants joined a virtual session over the lunch hour to hear from a guest expert. Across seven weeks, seven speakers shared their research and the evidence-based strategies that come out of it.

The format was intentional. People who work on suicide prevention in schools, clinics, community organizations and government do not always have access to university courses. Opening the seminar widely made current research available to the people most likely to put it to use.

Who spoke

Center Director Dr. Holly Wilcox opened the series on March 23 with an overview of the current landscape of suicide prevention research and policy.

On March 30, Dr. Lindsay Taliaferro of the University of Central Florida joined as the second guest speaker.

Center faculty member Dr. Kiara Álvarez spoke on April 6. Additional guest lecturers followed each Monday through the series' close on May 4.

Why a shared seminar matters

Studying suicide alongside other forms of violence, as this seminar did, helps students and practitioners see where the two connect and think about approaches that address more than one form of harm.

HOPES reflects the same thinking. By linking the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Center for Suicide Prevention, it creates a home for outreach and education that draws on the strengths of both.

The Center is grateful to every speaker and participant who made the series possible, and to our colleagues at the Center for Injury Research and Policy for the collaboration.