Jeffrey Swanson, PhD

Our next speaker for the Brody Center Seminar Series this spring will be Dr. Jeffrey Swanson from Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Swanson will be presenting on “Mental illness, gun violence and the law: Balancing risk and rights for effective policy.”

More on the speaker: Jeffrey Swanson is a Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine. He is a faculty affiliate of the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law School, the Center for Firearms Law at Duke Law School, and the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. Swanson holds a PhD in sociology from Yale University. He is a social scientist researcher who collaborates across disciplines to build evidence for interventions, policies, and laws to improve outcomes for adults with serious mental illnesses in the community, and to reduce firearm-related violence and suicide. He led the research group that published the first empirical evaluations of risk-based, temporary firearm removal laws in Indiana and Connecticut, precursors to Extreme Risk Protection Order laws that were later adopted in many states. He received the 2020 Isaac Ray Award from the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law for outstanding contributions to the psychiatric aspects of jurisprudence. He received the 2011 Carl Taube Award from the American Public Health Association for outstanding contributions to mental health services research.