Dr. Jessica H. Beard is the director of research at The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting thanks to support from a Stoneleigh Foundation Fellowship. She is also a trauma surgeon at Temple University Hospital and associate professor at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.
Through her three-year fellowship, Jessica has been working with the Center to deepen the media narrative around gun violence, with the goal of increasing support for policies and programs to curb the epidemic and save lives. Her fellowship focuses on widening the lens of media reporting on gun violence in Philadelphia to provide context, solutions, and varying perspectives.
Dr. Beard holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, an MD from Yale University, and an MPH from UC-Berkeley. She completed her general surgery residency at UC-San Francisco and surgical critical care fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. As a trauma surgeon, Jessica cares for people injured by firearms every day in Philadelphia. She is passionate about firearm injury prevention and is the author of numerous publications examining firearm injury in Philadelphia.
Research
- Temple Health trauma surgeon receives federal grant to study media coverage of gun violence
- NIH Grant Led by Lewis Katz School of Medicine’s Dr. Jessica Beard Will Examine Racial and Spatial Disparities in Harmful News Media Reporting on Community Firearm Violence
- Assessing the Gun Violence Archive as an Epidemiologic Data Source for Community Firearm Violence in 4 US Cities – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Rethinking “recidivism” in firearm injury research and prevention – PubMed (nih.gov)
- “Like I’m a nobody:” firearm-injured peoples’ perspectives on news media reporting about firearm violence
- The changing epidemiology of interpersonal firearm violence during the COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia, PA
- Changes in Shooting Incidence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Between March and November 2020
- Making the news: Victim characteristics associated with media reporting on firearm injury
- Examining mass shootings from a neighborhood perspective: An analysis of multiple-casualty events and media reporting in Philadelphia, United States
- Clustered Arrivals of Firearm-Injured Patients in an Urban Trauma System: A Silent Epidemic
- Firearm assault in Philadelphia, 2005-2014: a comparison of police and trauma registry data
- The enduring impact of historical and structural racism on urban violence in Philadelphia
- Firearm Deaths in America: Can We Learn From 462,000 Lives Lost?
- Structural Causes of Urban Firearm Violence: A Trauma Surgeon’s View From Philadelphia
- Quantifying Disparities in Urban Firearm Violence by Race and Place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: A Cartographic Study
- Jessica Beard’s Bibliography at the National Library of Medicine
In the news
- Children who survive shootings endure huge health obstacles and costs
- The 150 Most Influential Philadelphians
- Amid gun violence crisis, Philadelphia may be safer than people think
- How media reporting on firearm violence does more harm than good
- Curbing Gun Violence With a Public Health Approach
- Why Some Mass Shootings — And Their Victims — Go Uncounted
- Evening WURDS: interview with our Director of Research Dr. Jessica Beard (Segment begins at 30:00.)
- Changing the Narrative on Gun Violence Reporting in Philadelphia
- From Sorrow to Solutions – Virtual Convening
- These Philadelphia Researchers Want Journalists to Tell Better Stories About Gun Violence
- Changing the Way Media Reports on Gun Violence (Segment begins at 4:05.)
- A new gun violence narrative
- ‘Like I’m a nobody’: Breaking news coverage of shootings is dehumanizing and delays progress, per new Temple study
- Evening WURDS: interview with our Director of Research Dr. Jessica Beard (Segment begins at 27:45.)
- Save Our Streets: A Year of Hope (Segment begins at 16:14.)
- Addressing Philadelphia’s Gun Violence Epidemic
- Understanding American Gun Violence Part 2: How to solve the American gun epidemic
- Understanding American Gun Violence Part 1: The evolution of America’s relationship with firearms
- Gun Violence Reporting with Dr. Jessica Beard
- Can journalism that centers community help stop shootings? PCGVR is betting on it
- Fall summit speaker Jessica Beard targets more empathetic, ethical coverage of gun violence
- Why it’s time to rethink the ‘last place you’d expect a shooting’ narrative
- STRONGER EVERY DAY
- At least 13 killed, dozens wounded in weekend mass shootings across U.S.: “Horrendous and unthinkable”
- ‘Love them, lead them’: Advocates say parents play a major role in stopping youth gun violence
- Frequency of mass shootings in Philadelphia increased after start of COVID-19 pandemic
- Stop doing ‘breaking news’ for more accurate gun violence coverage, panel says
- Inquirer LIVE Health Report: Gun violence is soaring in Philadelphia
- Flashpoint: Community relations and trust in media
- Temple trauma surgeon earns fellowship aimed at curbing gun violence
- ‘Some of these killings are for the dumbest reasons’: What’s driving Philly’s bloody summer?
- Gun violence and community trauma in the Covid-19 pandemic
- Dr. Jessica H. Beard – Trauma Surgeon, Changing the Narrative on Gun Violence
- Power moves: New appointments at Equal Measure, PCGVR, Reinvestment Fund, Inspira Health and Bestwork
- Dr. Jessica H. Beard Named Stoneleigh Fellow and Philadelphia Center For Gun Violence Reporting‘s Director Of Research
- Hidden Costs: Gun Violence, The Healthcare Aftermath, and Who Pays?
- A Mass Shooting? Depends on the Source
- US saw estimated 4,000 extra murders in 2020 amid surge in daily gun violence
- Dr. Jessica Beard to City Council: “Help Philadelphians understand the public health context, root causes, and solutions for gun violence.”
- Mayor Kenney’s new gun briefings must be more than police press conferences | Opinion
- New Study Suggests Connection Between COVID-19 Shutdowns and Gun Violence in Philadelphia
- COVID-19 Containment Measures Linked to Increase in Firearm Violence
- Temple study finds link between Philadelphia’s COVID lockdowns, rising gun violence
- Where Shootings Doubled Post-Lockdown
- ‘This is unprecedented’: Study finds link between COVID lockdowns and shootings in Philly
- Can Community Journalists Disrupt Gun Violence in Philadelphia?
- Former Temple administrator creates tool to track gun violence
- What Journalists Can Do To Report More Effectively — and Compassionately — on Gun Violence
- Temple doctor working to change how mass shootings are perceived in urban areas
- Bias, Sensationalism Distort Media Coverage of Gun Violence, Conference Told
- Widening the Lens: Perspectives from the Medical, Public Health, and Research Communities
- Study: Media’s Reporting on Gun Violence Does Not Reflect Reality
- Making the news: Victim characteristics associated with media reporting on firearm injury
- Trauma doctors treat mass gun violence in Philly
- Hospitals see Phila. version of violence
- Gun violence in Philly: ‘An everyday mass shooting,’ Temple study finds
- Philly sees the equivalent of a mass shooting every 3 months
- To understand Philly’s gun violence crisis, in-depth reporting is needed | Opinion
Dr. Beard testifies before Philadelphia City Council
“Media reporting on public health threats like gun violence directly influences the way the public understands and responds to the health threat. If the mayor can help Philadelphians understand the public health context, root causes, and solutions for gun violence through these biweekly briefings, this could go a long way to gain support for effective solutions and begin to stem the tide of shootings in the city.”
Dr. Jessica Beard, March 30, 2021 [Read complete testimony]
Read more: New. Needed. Now. – Asking Questions with Dr. Jessica Beard
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