Tulane Press

The spring, Tulane launched its new Violence Prevention Institute to bring together experts from across campus. Researchers with the Violence Prevention Institute are collaborating across disciplines to understand the causes of violence and how we can best prevent various forms of violence from child maltreatment to intimate partner violence and sexual assault.

The U.S. is the most dangerous nation in the developed world in which to give birth, and Louisiana is among the states with the highest maternal death rates. Dr. Maeve Wallace, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist and researcher at Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, has received two grants totaling $2.4 million to study pregnancy-associated mortality to study potential reasons why.

Can cleaning vacant lots cause a chain of events that curbs child abuse or stops a teen from falling victim to violence? That’s the provocative question behind a new Tulane University research project to study whether maintaining vacant lots and fixing up blighted properties in high-crime areas reduces incidents of youth and family violence. The National Institutes of Health awarded Tulane a $2.3 million grant to test the theory in New Orleans.

Tulane researchers conduct 4-year study, "Safe Schools NOLA," on trauma-informed approaches across 5 schools in New Orleans. These approaches include training for teachers to recognize signs of trauma, finding ways to make children feel safe, teaching coping skills and eliminating harsh discipline policies. The Institute for Women and Ethnic Studies, a key community partner for many Tulane researchers, surveyed New Orleans youth over the past several years to learn how deep the mental health issues are stemming from untreated trauma.

As of the Fall 2018 semester, all new full-time, first-year undergraduate students will be required to complete at least one of the approved courses on Race and Inclusion. More than 50 existing classes have been approved as options with more coming in the future. This curricular requirement was one of several recommendations of Tulane’s Presidential Commission on Race and Tulane Values, which was initiated by Tulane President Mike Fitts in 2015 to make the university a more racially diverse, inclusive community. The commission includes Tulane faculty staff, students, alumni and board members.