Ep. 44: Who Will Get Shot and How Do We Stop It? with Andrew Papachristos, Northwestern University

Doing Translational Research

In Chris' final episode as Doing Translational Research host and director of the BCTR, he talks to his friend and colleague Andrew Papachristos, a professor of sociology doing translational criminology. How can social science help identify who will become a victim of gun violence and how to best intervene? Chris and Andy discuss this as well as Andy's path to academia, the biggest barrier in translational work and Andy's approach to mentoring graduate students. Andrew V. Papachristos is a professor of sociology and the director of the Northwestern Neighborhood & Network Initiative. Papachristos aims to understand how the connected nature of cities—how their citizens, neighborhoods and institutions are tied to one another—affect what we feel, think, and do. His main research applies network science to the study of gun violence, police misconduct, illegal gun markets, Al Capone, street gangs and urban neighborhoods. He is also in the process of completing a manuscript on the evolution of black street gangs and politics in Chicago from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Papachristos is also actively involved in policy-related research, including the evaluation of gun violence prevention programs in more than a dozen U.S. cities. Hosted by Christopher Wildeman, director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research at Cornell University. Produced and edited by Carrie Chalmers.