~ RGVRC Affiliate Scholar ~

Dr. Julie Ward is a board-certified advanced public health nurse and assistant professor of medicine, health, and society and public policy studies at Vanderbilt University. Her research examines entrenched and emerging threats or responses to community safety interests, with an emphasis on the role of firearms, public policy, and other structural determinants, as well as the experiences and perspectives of affected groups. Methodologically, she employs epidemiologic analyses of novel datasets, mixed methods study designs, and advanced analytic strategies for policy analysis.

Notably, Dr. Ward is the lead researcher on a series of nationally comprehensive studies of fatal and nonfatal shootings by police in the US. This first-of-its-kind research grew from her team’s detailed review of more than 15,000 shootings nationally, an ongoing effort that she oversees. Other research led by Dr. Ward has been cited in the US Congressional hearings on “Evaluating the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Pandemic Response” and “Upgrading Public Health Infrastructure.” Her in-progress studies include a county-level mixed methods evaluation of Extreme Risk Protection Orders in Florida.

Dr. Ward completed her PhD at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy & Management, in affiliation with the Center for Gun Violence Solutions. She also holds a master of nursing degree in community health systems, specializing in occupational and environmental health, from the University of Washington. Her research is informed by more than 15 years of practice as a registered nurse in emergency department, employee health, community-based case management, and health promotion programming roles.