Center for Nonviolence & Social Justice
What is The Center for Nonviolence & Social Justice?
In November of 2007, the Thomas Scattergood Foundation awarded Drexel University’s School of Public Health with a five-year grant to establish the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice.
Leading the Center's team is John A. Rich, MD, MPH, chair of Drexel’s Department of Health Management and Policy and a 2006 MacArthur Foundation grant recipient. Co-directing the Center are Theodore Corbin, MD, MPP, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Drexel University College of Medicine and Sandra Bloom, MD, Adjunct Professor of Health Management and Policy at the School of Public Health.
Our Mission:
To promote health, nonviolence and social justice through trauma-informed practice, research, professional development, and advocacy for policy change.
Guiding Principles:
- Trauma causes significant harm to the mind and body.
- Individuals who have experienced trauma are injured and in need of healing.
- Public health and related systems can help create a nonviolent and socially just society through trauma-informed policies and practices.
- Nonviolence is a powerful philosophy and strategy for social change that rejects all forms of violence.
- Social justice embodies the vision of a society that is equitable and in which all members are physically and psychologically safe.
- While the value of our work is universal, we are focused on helping individuals and communities in the City of Philadelphia.
Our Work:
The work of the Center is focused in four major areas:
"Healing the Hurt: Trauma-Informed Approaches to the Health of Boys and Young Men of Color"
To inform their Building Healthy Communities strategic plan, The California Endowment engaged the Center for Nonviolence & Social Justice to conduct research and develop a report on how trauma and adversity affect the health of Latino and African American boys and young men and how existing gaps can be narrowed through a trauma-informed approach. The report--entitled Healing the Hurt: Trauma-Informed Approaches to the Health of Boys and Young Men of Color--was released in June 2010.
Healing Hurt People Program
In a city like Philadelphia, emergency room staff handles a never-ending onslaught of shooting and stabbing victims. For many victims, the violence that brought them to the hospital is a constant presence. Often, a violent incident leads to more violence. A Philadelphia program called "Healing Hurt People" tries to offer emotional support and resources after a violent attack. It is run by the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice at Drexel University, and guest host Maiken Scott will talk with leading staff from the center. Our guests are Sandra Bloom, Theodore Corbin, and John Rich. Sandra L. Bloom, M.D. is an internationally recognized expert on trauma, and co-author of "Bearing Witness: Violence and Collective Responsibility". Dr. Theodore Corbin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Drexel University College of Medicine. He also serves as the Medical Director of the Healing Hurt People Program. John A. Rich is Professor and Chair of Health Management and Policy at the Drexel University School of Public Health. His recent book about book about urban violence is called "Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Trauma and Violence in the Lives of Young Black Men." Also featured is an article from Health and Science titled, Program offers resources and support to young victims.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————Listen to Dr. Ted Corbin and Dr. John Rich on WHYY Newscast, June 8, 2010
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————Healing Hurt People article Drexel
Healing Hurt People Convenes S.E.L.F. Groups
Violence as a Public Health Issue
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Hear Dr. Rich discuss his new book in an interview from WHYY, Morning Edition
