title: Beyond the Academic Journal: Unfreezing Misconceptions About Mental Illness and Gun Violence Through Knowledge Translation to Decision-Makers.
abstract: In a policy arena characterized by polarized debate, such as the consideration of legal interventions to prevent gun violence, research evidence is an important tool to inform decision-making processes. However, unless the evidence is communicated to stakeholders who can influence policy decisions, the research will often remain an academic exercise with little practical impact. The Educational Fund to Stop Violence's process of "unfreezing" individual perceptions and conventional interpretations of the relationship between mental illness and gun violence, forming a consensus, and translating this knowledge to stakeholders through state discussion forums is one way to inform policy change. The recent passage of gun violence prevention legislation in California provides an example of successfully closing the knowledge translation gap between research and decision-making processes.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Horwitz
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, Madison, WI.|Public Health Analyst, Educational Fund to Sop Gun Violence, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grilley
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, Baltimore, MD.|Public Health Fellow, Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Orla
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D005389:Firearms / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders; D011050:Policy Making; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*