The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment: Gun Violence Prevention: What We Know and What We Need to Know
Welcome to The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment’s 28th annual conference on "Gun Violence Prevention: What We Know and What We Need to Know."
We are honored to bring together experts, researchers, advocates and professionals from diverse fields to engage in crucial discussions surrounding one of the most pressing public health issues of our time. The pervasive impact of gun violence on individuals, families and communities necessitates a comprehensive exploration of our current understanding, effective prevention strategies and avenues for further research. This conference serves as a platform for collaboration, knowledge-sharing and the collective pursuit of innovative solutions.
This conference is a unique opportunity to hear from esteemed speakers, engage in interactive sessions and contribute to the collective dialogue that will shape the future of gun violence prevention and treatment. Together, we aim to build a comprehensive understanding of this complex issue and work toward a safer and healthier future for all.
Target Audience
Teachers, administrators, school counselors, psychologists, social workers, family mediators, mental health workers, marriage and family therapists, social services agency personnel, juvenile and family-court judges, lawyers, law enforcement personnel, clergy, nurses, pediatricians, primary care physicians and psychiatrists.
Learning Objectives
- Utilize the latest research on gun violence, examining trends, patterns, and contributing factors to deepen a collective understanding.
- Assess the effectiveness of existing prevention strategies, legislative approaches and community-based initiatives aimed at curbing gun violence.
- Acknowledge the existing gaps in our understanding of gun violence and collaboratively identify areas that require further research and exploration.
- Facilitate connections and partnerships among attendees, fostering collaboration between professionals, researchers, policymakers and advocates in the shared goal of reducing gun violence.
Virtual Conference Agenda
May 3, 2024
9:00 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks
Etiony Aldarondo, Ph.D., Daniella Levine Cava, Mayor Miami-Dade County (TBC)
9:10 a.m. Keynote Address: Current Landscape of Gun Violence in America: Trends,
Challenges, and Opportunities, Alex R. Piquero, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Sociology &
Criminology, Arts & Sciences Distinguished Scholar, University of Miami
Legislative and Law Enforcement Approaches
10:00 a.m. Trigger Points: Unpacking the Nexus Between Gun Legislation, Homicide
Rates, and Violence Prevention, Nick Wilson, MPP., Senior Director, Center for American
Progress
10:55 a.m. Policy Approaches to Gun Violence Prevention in Miami-Dade County, Nilo
Cuervo, Esq., Deputy Chief Assistant, Division Chief - Gun Violence Unit, Miami-Dade County
State Attorney’s Office
11:25 a.m. Panel Discussion: Alex Piquero, Ph.D., Nick Wilson, MPP, Nilo Cuervo, Esq.,
and Michael Haggard, Esq. Moderator: Etiony Aldarondo, Ph.D.
12:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 pm Suzanne L. Keeley Community Service Award Recognition to Sandy Hook
Promise, Suzzane L. Keeley, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Honorary Board Member, The Melissa
Institute
Community-Based Strategies for Gun Violence Prevention
1:15 p.m. The Effectiveness and the Promise of Group Violence Interventions and
Hospital-Based Violence Interventions, Daniel Webster, ScD., Bloomberg Professor of
American Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health
2:00 p.m. Group Violence Interventions and Hospital Violence Interventions in Miami-
Dade County, Wayne Rawlins, President, Ummah Futures International
2:30 p.m. Gun Violence and What to Do About it from the Perspective of Community
Residents, Jonathan Spikes, DSW, LMHC, Founder & President, Affirming YOUth Foundation,
Inc. (TBC)
3:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: Wayne Rawlins, Daniel Webster, ScD. & Jonathan Spikes,
DSW, LMHC Moderator: Etiony Aldarondo, Ph.D.
School-Based Gun Violence Prevention
3:30 p.m. Mass Shootings in Schools: Lessons from Tragedy and Opportunities for
Prevention and Response, Jaclyn Schildkraut, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Regional Gun
Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government
4:15 p.m. Panel Discussion: Jaclyn Schildkraut, Ph.D., Leena Augimeri, Ph.D. Moderator:
Etiony Aldarondo, Ph.D.
4:45 p.m. - 5:00 pm: Closing Remarks and Acknowledgments
Leena Augimeri, Ph.D.
Director, SNAP Scientific and Program Development & Centre for Children Committing Offences at the Child Development Institute, Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, Clinical Psychologist
Etiony Aldarondo, Ph.D.
Executive Director of The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment, President of the Behavioral Sciences & Wellness Networks, Clinical Psychologist
Daniella Levine Cava
Mayor of Miami-Dade County
Nilo Cuervo, Esq.
Deputy Chief Assistant and Division Chief, Gun Violence Unit
Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office
Michael Haggard, Esq.
Attorney and Managing Partner for The Haggard Law Firm
Suzanne L. Keeley, Ph.D. (will give an award rather than a presentation or lecture)
Co-founder and Honorary Board Member of The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment, Retired Counseling Psychologist
Alex R. Piquero, Ph.D.
Professor at the University of Miami, Department of Sociology & Criminology, Arts & Sciences Distinguished Scholar at the University of Miami, Former Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Criminologist
Wayne Rawlins
President, Ummah Futures International
Jaclyn Schildkraut, Ph.D.
Executive Director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, Former Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the State University of New York, Criminologist
Jonathan Spikes, DSW, LMHC
Founder and President, Affirming Youth Foundation, Inc.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Daniel Webster, Sc.D.
Bloomberg Professor of American Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Nick Wilson
Senior Director of Gun Violence Prevention
Center for American Progress
Due to the non-clinical nature of the content discussed, the speakers have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
This CME activity will not cover content that would involve products or services of commercial interests. Therefore, no opportunity exists for a conflict of interest based on the financial relationships of faculty and those persons in control of content. Since these relationships are not relevant, no disclosure information was collected.
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essentials and Standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the Joint Providership of Baptist Health South Florida and The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment. Baptist Health South Florida is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Baptist Health South Florida is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Baptist Health has been re-surveyed by the ACCME and awarded Commendation for 6 years as a provider of CME for physicians.
Baptist Health South Florida designates this live activity for a maximum of 6 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
This activity has been approved for 6 credit hours, CE Broker Course #20-1189240, by the Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine and by the Florida Council of Physician Assistants.
This activity has also been approved for 6 credits for Nurses and Nurse Practitioners. Baptist Health South Florida CE Broker Provider #50-182.
Available Credit
- 6.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- 6.00 General certificate of attendance
- 6.00 Nurse Practitioners
- 6.00 Florida Board of Nursing
To find out more information and to register for this program go to