The Injury and Violence Prevention Center (IVPC) is proud to support emerging scholars across the Rocky Mountain region through its biannual Student Research Award funding opportunity, designed to elevate student-led research in injury and violence prevention (IVP). Each year, students receive financial and mentorship support to explore topics ranging from mental health and community violence to firearm injury, traffic safety, and substance use.
Applications for the next round of awards are due May 2025, and any student enrolled in an accredited undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree program in Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, or Wyoming is eligible to apply. Application cycles run twice a year, with deadlines in May and November. More Information can be found on the IVPC student page.
This award provides a chance to gain practical experience, develop your research portfolio, and work on real-world solutions to reduce injury and violence, whether planning a thesis, dissertation, fieldwork, or applied evaluation.
Meet the Fall 2024 Award Recipients
IVPC is proud to introduce three student awardees whose Fall 2024 projects explore critical issues in mental health, firearm access, and workforce well-being. These recipients were selected for their commitment to advancing community-centered, data-informed approaches to injury and violence prevention.
- Brendan King
Project Title: Understanding the Gaps in Mental Health Services for Trauma Patients at Risk for PTSD and Suicidality
Brendan is a third-year medical student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder with a minor in Spanish. Brendan is interested in how social determinants of health and mental health intersect in our patient population. He plans to use this grant to investigate the mental health services provided to trauma patients and identify the gaps that need to be addressed with the support of his mentors Quintin Myers, PhD, and Catherine Velopulos, MD, MHS, FACS.
- Kate Little
Project Title: Understanding Drivers of Firearm Access Among Colorado American Indian Youth: Opportunities for School-Level Prevention
Kate is pursuing a Master's degree in Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder and is a Research Analyst at the Injury and Violence Prevention Center. Her work uses GIS and statistical methods to better understand firearm harms among youth and adults and how they vary geographically. This award will support her work in investigating the contexts of the schools in which Indigenous Colorado youth gain access to firearms. She is passionate about effectively communicating research to the affected communities and hopes that this award will help prevent firearm injuries and deaths among Indigenous Colorado youth.
- Jennifer Villalobos Gonzalez
Project Title: Fostering Workforce Resilience Using Mindfulness Among Promotora/es (Community Health Workers)
Jennifer is a Senior Professional Research Assistant and a first-generation doctorate student in the Community & Behavioral Health program at the Colorado School of Public Health, CU Anschutz Medical Campus. She is a qualitative public health researcher and practitioner interested in improving population well-being and reducing mental health disparities for all people, specifically among the Latin/a/o/x/e communities, and where applicable, integrating digital health solutions to facilitate sustainable health behaviors. Jennifer will use the funds from this scholarship to help fund her dissertation project.
Advancing the Field
In its fourth year, the IVPC Student Research Award program has supported dozens of projects addressing urgent and complex public health challenges. Awardees benefit from funding and a supportive research community committed to mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world impact.
Students and mentors alike are encouraged to explore this opportunity to deepen applied learning, support communities, and contribute to the broader field of injury and violence prevention.
To explore past student projects or learn more about how to get involved, visit our Student Projects Page or contact the IVPC team at ivpc@cuanschutz.edu.
