PASE Program

UNITE (Understanding the Links between Social Determinants and Firearm Violence in California Communities)

UNITE is a multidisciplinary research initiative examining how social determinants of health influence patterns of firearm violence across California communities. The project brings together clinical, public health and data science expertise to better understand and address the upstream drivers of injury.

Project Leads

  • UCLA Faculty PI: Catherine Juillard, MD, MPH
  • UCSF Faculty Co-I: Marissa Boeck, MD, MPH
  • Program Manager: Daniela Salinas, MPH

Staff

  • Vincent Chong, MD, MS – Assistant Professor, UCLA; General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Co-Director Safe Habor Hospital-Violence Intervention Program Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
  • Ian E. Brown, MD, PhD, PACS – Assistant Professor-in-Residence, UC Davis Medical Center; Trauma, Acute Care Surgery, Surgical Critical Care
  • M. Kelly Bullard, MD – Professor of Surgery, UCSF-East Bay Surgery program, Director of Surgical ICU
  • Sara B. Edwards, MD, MS, FACS – Assistant Professor of Surgery, Riverside University Health System; Chief, Division of Acute Care Surgery and Trauma Medical Director
  • Laura Haines, MD, FACS – Assistant Professor of Surgery, UCSD Health; Interim Chief, Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns, and Acute Care Surgery
  • Krista Kaups, MD – Professor of Clinical Surgery, UCSF Fresno; Director, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Program director Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program
  • Steven Shoptaw, PhD – Professor, UCLA; Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Senter for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services Center Co-Director
  • Alan Hubbard, PhD – Professor of Biostatistics, UC Berkeley; Center for Targeted Machine Learning and Causal Inference
  • Annette Dekker, MD, MS – Assistant Professor, UCLA; Emergency Medicine
  • Taylor McGrew – MD Candidate, University of Texas
  • Allison Chang – MD Candidate, UCSF

Approach

This project uses an interdisciplinary, data-driven approach to examine the relationship between social determinants of health — such as housing, income, education and community resources — and firearm violence. By integrating large-scale datasets with community-level insights, the research aims to identify patterns, risk factors, and structural contributors to violence.

The work bridges epidemiologic analysis with health services and policy-relevant research, generating a more comprehensive understanding of how social and environmental conditions shape injury risk.

Impact

UNITE contributes to a growing body of evidence that reframes firearm violence as a public health issue influenced by structural and social factors. Findings from this work inform prevention strategies, policy development and community-based interventions aimed at reducing violence and improving safety.

This initiative also supports cross-sector collaboration between healthcare systems, researchers and policymakers, advancing data-informed approaches to injury prevention and health equity at both local and state levels.