Content note: This story addresses topics that include gun violence and suicide prevention.
For many MSU health sciences researchers, addressing underrecognized issues and including undertreated communities in their work is essential to building a healthier Michigan where no one is left behind.
Their efforts are part of a long arc of change in medical research. About half a century ago, an awareness of health disparities began to grow in the health sciences, focused at first on women and men. Historically, clinical trials and medical research disproportionately studied men, often generalizing the findings to women without considering biological and hormonal differences.
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Changing trajectories with intervention
Observing the survivors of life-altering events like gun violence — their courage, strength and resilience — in the face of tragedy and loss inspired Alyse Ley to dedicate herself to end suffering by preventing trauma. “Throughout the years, my focus on trauma treatment transformed into trauma prevention work as I realized the best way to treat trauma-related disorders was through prevention,” says Ley, associate professor of psychiatry in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Ley has served on the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Gun Safety Commission, was appointed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the School Safety and Mental Health Commission in 2022 and has spoken with survivors and community members following the violence that occurred on MSU’s campus on Feb. 13, 2023. She started the pilot intervention model now known as Prevent 2 Protect in 2022 with state funding from the Michigan Department of Education’s School Aid budget.
Learn more on MSUToday here.
