Arthur Kellermann

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page. (December 2007)

Dr. Arthur L. Kellermann, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.E.P. (born 1955) is professor and founding chairman of the department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and founding director of the Center for Injury Control at Rollins School of Public Health, a collaborating center for injury and violence prevention of the World Health Organization. His writings include more than 180 peer-reviewed papers^{[citation needed]}, monographs and book chapters on various aspects of emergency cardiac care, health services research, injury prevention and the role of emergency departments in the provision of health care to the poor.

Kellermann co-chaired the Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance of the Institute of Medicine of the United States National Academies, of which he is an elected member. Kellermann holds career achievement awards for excellence in science from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine^[4], and the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section^[1] of the American Public Health Association. As a 2006-2007 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation^[2], he joined the Professional Staff of the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in Washington, D.C. In 2007 he was awarded his profession's highest leadership and career achievement award] by the American College of Emergency Physicians.^[3]

Kellermann is well known for his research on the epidemiology of firearm related injuries and deaths, published over two decades in 50 peer-reviewed publications.^{[citation needed]} In a 1995 interview, Kellermann saw firearm and other injuries not as random, unavoidable acts but as preventable public health priorities: "I grew up around guns. My dad taught me how to shoot when I was eleven or twelve years old. Firearms are fascinating pieces of equipment. I enjoy the sport of shooting, although I rarely shoot anymore. However, as a clinician, as someone who is committed to emergency medicine, it is equally evident to me that firearm violence is wreaking havoc on public health."^[4]

[edit] Criticism

In this polarized debate, Kellermann’s studies quantifying the risk of mortality associated with gun ownership attracted criticism from pro-gun organizations and individuals. The National Rifle Association of America contends that Dr Kellermann “severely understates defensive uses of guns,” and that his “conclusions provide anti-gunners propaganda.”^[5] Kellermann’s findings have been linked to the June, 1996 Republican-led decision of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee to strip US$2.6 million from the budget of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control – the exact amount previously set aside for NCIPC/CDC research into the causes and effects of firearm-related death and injury.^[6] With regard to his academic research on gun violence, his statistical methods and his research designs have been criticized in both academic and legal journals.^{[7] [8][9]}

[edit] References

• Kates et al. (1994) "Guns and Public health: epidemic of violence or pandemic of propaganda?" Tennessee Law Review 61: 513-596.
• Kellermann AL. and Reay DT. "Protection or peril? An analysis of firearm-related deaths in the home." N Engl J. Med 1986. 314: 1557-60.
• Kellermann AL, Rivara FP, Rushforth NB et al. "Gun Ownership as a Risk Factor for Homicide in the Home." N Engl J Med. 1993; 329(15): 1084-91.
• Sloan JH, Kellermann AL, Reay DT, et al. "Handgun Regulations, Crime, Assaults, and Homicide: A Tale of Two Cities." N Engl J Med 1988; 319: 1256-62.
• Kellermann AL, Rivara FP, Somes G, et al. Suicide in the Home in Relationship to Gun Ownership. N Engl J Med. 1992; 327: 467-72.
• Kellermann AL and Mercy JA. "Men, Women, and Murder: Gender-specific Differences in Rates of Fatal Violence and Victimization." J Trauma. 1992; 33:1-5.
• Kleck G, Hogan M (1999) National case-control study of homicide offending and gun ownership. Social Problems 26(2): 275.
• Polsby D (1995) Fireams cost, firearms benefit, and the limits of knowledge. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (Northwestern) Guns and Violence Symopsium 86(1): 207.