A panel of experts will discuss Georgia's legislation related to policies on injury. This will take place Monday, May 20, at noon in Room 1000 of the Claudia Nance Rollins Building.
The event is sponsored by the Emory Center for Injury Control (ECIC).
Panel members will discuss their specific roles in the policy process, key bills from Georgia's last legislative session, and explain how the community can get involved in policy work at the lunch meeting, where pizza and drinks will be served.
Panel members include:
- Beth Reimels, lead for policy and partnerships, Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Carol Ball, program consultant, Department of Public Health, Office of Injury Prevention
- Stephanie Lotti, director of data and public policy, Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission
- Jamila Pope, government affairs manager, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Natasha Southworth, ECIC senior research project coordinator, says the panelists will be asked general questions about their work in policy. And "we will ask them to comment on specific injury legislation related to firearm bills, elder abuse, traumatic brain injury, and motor vehicle-related bills," she says, explaining that the motor vehicle-related legislation involves communication devices.
Debra Houry, vice chair for research in emergency medicine and Emory Senate President and Faculty Council chair, notes, "Injury and violence are leading causes of death and morbidity, so it is important to support policy such as primary seatbelt laws and helmet laws that we know will prevent unnecessary deaths. This session will highlight specific success stories as well as how to be active in advocacy and policy development."
The event is free and open to the public but RSVPs are requested to vhoward@emory.edu.