WASHINGTON (March 28, 2023) - Three 9-year-old children and three adults are dead after a 28-year-old armed with two assault-style rifles and a pistol attacked The Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn. According to the Gun Violence Archive, it is the 130th mass shooting in the United States in 2023 and the third to take place at a school.
The George Washington University has experts that can talk about a range of public health, psychological, legal and political issues brought up by the mass shooting in Nashville. To interview one of the GW experts, contact GW Media at [email protected].
Public Health Experts
Lynn Goldman, the Michael and Lori Milken Dean of the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health, can talk about this recent attack, the impact on children and ways to prevent gun violence in the future.
Adnan A. Hyder, senior associate dean for research and professor of global health at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health, can discuss the gun industry’s role in the rise in gun violence. He says the gun industry has deployed aggressive marketing tactics to boost sales even as violence was on the rise during the COVID-19 crisis.
Suzan Song, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, has studied the effects of trauma on families and can speak about how families can manage the stress of trauma and the anxiety students across the country may feel about going to school.
Education
Sylvia Marotta-Walters is a professor of counseling and her expertise lies with post-traumatic stress and stress disorders. She focuses her research on complex post-traumatic stress disorders and their treatment, and on the measurement of stress and resilience.
Mary DeRaedt, assistant professor of counseling and human development, whose work also focuses on trauma, particularly with children and adolescents. Her work includes effective treatments for children and adolescents coping with trauma, anxiety, non-suicidal self-injury, depression, and behavior disorders.
Jennifer Clayton, associate professor of educational leadership and administration, is very well connected with a network of school superintendents who are making decisions that affect students, teachers, and administrative staff in schools.
Kimberly Jamison is an assistant professor of educational leadership and administration who has experience as a teacher and a school administrator.
Psychology and Brain Sciences
Carol Sigelman, professor of applied social psychology, is a developmental psychologist who can examine the mental and emotional impact such a traumatic event can have on children.
Politics
Todd Belt, director of the political management program at the Graduate School of Political Management, can discuss how the Biden administration could address the gun violence epidemic and the political will (or lack thereof) to resolve America’s gun crisis.
Casey Burgat, director of the legislative affairs program at the Graduate School of Political Management, focuses on the role of Congress in the gun violence issue. He can run through the recent history of passed and proposed gun control legislation and analyze Capitol Hill’s response to this shooting.
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