Understanding the Declines in Homicides and Overdoses in the United States

When the Bloomberg American Health Initiative launched in 2016, life expectancy in the United States was stagnating. In recent years, substantial declines in homicide rates and overdose rates have contributed to a significant improvement in life expectancy, even as much more progress is still needed.

The Initiative asked two national experts to examine the causes of these trends.

Understanding the Great Decline in Homicide Deaths in the United States

About the Author:

Daniel Webster, ScD, MPH, is one of the nation’s leading experts on the prevention of gun violence and has published widely on gun policy, community violence prevention, youth violence, intimate partner violence, suicide, and substance abuse. Dr. Webster’s research has informed policies to reduce gun violence at the local, state, and federal level. He previously led Baltimore’s Homicide Review Commission and the Johns Hopkins-Baltimore Collaborative for Violence Reduction.

Understanding the Recent Rise and Decline of Overdose Deaths in the United States

About the Author:

Nabarun Dasgupta, PhD, MPH is the first Gillings Innovation Fellow as well as Senior Scientist at the University of North Carolina’s Injury Prevention Research Center and winner of the MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship. He specializes in translating research into practice. Since 2002, he has led work in pain management, opioid overdose prevention, and addiction treatment. He also has deep expertise in infectious disease surveillance, including data visualization design. Through his work, Dr. Dasgupta aims to amplify community and patient voices in public health and provide innovative health-tech and community-based solutions.