November 28th, 2011

mPreventViolence: Communication and Technology for Violence Prevention – A Workshop

A live webcast of the workshop will be available. Register for the webcast here and a link to the webcast will be e-mailed to you before the workshop.

Over the past 25 years those working in the field of violence prevention have brought about a major paradigm shift from an assumption that violence is inevitable to the recognition that violence is preventable, through the application of evidence-based programs to prevent specific types of violence. But neither the paradigm shift nor the specific programs have spread to low- and middle-income countries. As practitioners gain further insight into successful avenues of research and intervention, the ability to transport such information to new settings is crucial in advancing the field. How could traditional tools of dissemination be used more effectively? How could newer tools such as the internet and mobile technologies be introduced into this field? How can we better translate what works in one setting to another using such tools and media?

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) will convene a 2-day workshop to explore gaps in the four areas of knowledge management (knowledge generation, integration, dissemination, and application) and how closing these gaps might accelerate violence prevention in low- and middle-income countries.

The public workshop will be organized and conducted by an ad hoc committee to examine 1) the use of traditional and new media to communicate evidence-based information for violence prevention and 2) new applications of social media and new communications technologies to prevent violence. It will also highlight evidence-based best practices from other arenas of global health where use of such tools show potential for success.The workshop will include invited presentations and panel discussions. Experts will be drawn from the public and private sectors as well as from academic organizations to allow for multi-lateral, evidence-based discussions. An individually authored summary of the workshop will be prepared by a designated rapporteur, in accordance with institutional policy and procedures.

The workshop is free and open to the public. For security purposes, registration is required and all individuals must bring a photo ID to the workshop. Participants will be able to enter the Embassy no earlier than 8:00 AM.

For updates about the workshop, follow @theIOM on Twitter using the hashtag #mPreventViolence.