Culturally congruent mentorship can reduce disruptive behavior among elementary school students: results from a pilot study.

Background: Our study objective was to examine the feasibility of implementing a culturally congruent mentorship pilot program, Youth-First (YF), that targets behavior modification among elementary school-aged children with disruptive behavior and a history of school suspension. We hypothesize that it is feasible to implement the YF program to reduce disruptive behaviors and recidivism of level III/IV infractions in school settings among at-risk African American students.

Methods: We assessed program feasibility based on the success of program acceptance by parents/guardians, study enrollment, and intervention compliance by students.

Spatio-temporal patterns of gun violence in Syracuse, New York 2009-2015.

Gun violence in the United States of America is a large public health problem that disproportionately affects urban areas. The epidemiology of gun violence reflects various aspects of an infectious disease including spatial and temporal clustering. We examined the spatial and temporal trends of gun violence in Syracuse, New York, a city of 145,000.

The Trauma Response Team: a Community Intervention for Gang Violence.

While violent crime has decreased in many cities in the USA, gang-related violence remains a serious problem in impoverished inner city neighborhoods. In Syracuse, New York, gang-related murders and gun shots have topped other New York state cities. Residents of the high-murder neighborhoods suffer trauma similar to those living in civil conflict zones.