From Class to the Conference Stage: One Student's IVP Research Journey

What began as a simple class assignment turned into much more—a promising research opportunity—for University of Colorado Anschutz MPH student AbbyLynn Wilhelm. 

When Wilhelm was tasked with completing a project for her theory class on firearm violence and gun laws, she took to Google—and found the Injury and Violence Prevention Center (IVPC), led by Ashley Brooks-Russell, PhD, MPH.  

"As a shot in the dark, I sent her an email," Wilhelm remembers. "A couple of weeks later, she agreed to do a Zoom interview, and with her help, I completed the project." 

Wilhelm says she was surprised by how interested she became in firearm injury prevention work. 

"I always thought I wanted to do queer health or reproductive health; that's what I came into school thinking I was going to spend a lot of my time on," Wilhelm says. "And I do work in that field, but Ashley really sucked me in to this field." 

After helping Wilhelm with her project, Brooks-Russell offered the chance to collaborate on a practicum, should Wilhelm be interested. Later that spring, Wilhelm was considering different practicum avenues and decided to reach back out to Brooks-Russell and IVPC. 

"Ashley was like, 'Cool, I have these three projects we can get started on,'" Wilhelm says. 

One of those projects was a comparative survey on firearm violence and suicide rates in adults and youth in American Indian (AI) communities in Colorado. Wilhelm grew up in Dallas, Texas, near a very large AI community, so this particular topic is one that is close to her heart.  

Despite having a cultural understanding of the AI community and their relationship to and views on firearms, Wilhelm didn't have as much experience with the academic side of AI studies.  

The most impactful aspect of Wilhelm's work, she says, has been learning about balance: "How can we respect that the AI community needs firearms for safety and their daily lives, while also helping them understand how to use it in a safe and controlled way so that there aren't unintentional injuries?" 

This question drove Wilhelm's work on her practicum, which culminated in a presentation of the comparative survey findings at the National Conference on American Indian and Alaska Native Injury and Violence Prevention, held in July in Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

Wilhelm presented her work alongside Brooks-Russell and Jennifer Russell MHA, BA, a research scientist with the Centers for American Indian & Alaska Native Health at CU. Their comparative survey found that AI and Alaska Native (AN) youth in Colorado were more likely to report being able to access a firearm than their non-AI/AN peers, even after accounting for other factors. Rural youth and youth experiencing suicidal thoughts were also more likely to report firearm access. 

Wilhelm says that her experience at the conference helped her move beyond the data and better understand the lived experiences of the communities represented in that research. 

"The biggest thing I took away from the conference was that traditions, history and community perspectives need to be respected in research, science and health," she says. 

Now, Wilhelm has just two semesters left in her MPH program, and a full-time role waiting for her as a clinical research coordinator at the School of Medicine—a "dream job" for her. She'll continue working on various projects with Brooks-Russell and IVPC until she graduates, and plans to present at the Public Health in the Rockies Conference on this topic.  

Wilhelm says her time spent working on firearm injury prevention research has taught her a lot—including a practical lesson on how to work with very, very busy people. 

"I gained a lot of confidence," she adds. "I learned that your work speaks for itself. And—don't be afraid to cold email people!" 

Students: Interested in working with the Injury and Violence Prevention Center? Visit the IVPC website for more information.