Published Research
Dr. Sakran has been recognized for his public health research, specifically on firearm injury prevention. He has been honored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Academy Health, and he is a 2020 recipient of Johns Hopkins’ Catalyst Award for pioneering research on physicians’ role in educating patients on safe gun storage.
Selected Publications
Firearm Injury & Gun Violence Prevention
The Impact of Bleeding Control – A Perspective Beyond Firearm Injury
Annals of Surgery, February 2020
Sakran, J.V.
“Over the next decade, 1 Million Americans will be shot. That number does not even begin to capture the impact on mothers, fathers, family members and friends leaving tens of millions devastated. The reality is that these are not just numbers and statistics. These are human lives, members of our community, and families that are the bedrock of society being destroyed with every senseless tragedy.”
A Multicenter Evaluation of a Firearm Safety Intervention in the Pediatric Outpatient Setting
Journal of Pediatric Surgery, January 1, 2020
Campbell, B.T., Thaker, S., Fallat, M.E., Foley, D.S., McClure, E., Sakran, J.V., Nasr, I.W., Ziegfeld, S., Ehrlich, P.F., Snodgrass, M., Levy, M., Naik-Mathuria, B.J., Johnson, B., Demello, A.S., Jones, S., Watters, J.M., Burke, P., Allee, L., Kozyckyj, T., Letton, R.W., Kuhls, D.A., Bulger, E.M., Stewart, R.M.
“For the past 30 years, many medical organizations have led efforts to address firearm injury and firearm violence, but most (if not all) of these efforts have become mired in a debate about personal liberty and the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. Some of this controversy has been internal to professional organizations, and some has been external. In general, this debate has not been productive - while death rates from other medical conditions such as traffic injury, heart disease, cancer, and HIV have decreased, firearm death rates in the US are increasing.”
Firearm Injury Research and Epidemiology: A Review of the Data, their Limitations, and How Trauma Centers Can Improve Firearm Injury Research
Injury Epidemiology, October 15, 2019
Hink, A.B., Bonne, S., Levy, M., Kuhls, D.A., Allee, L., Burke, P.A., Sakran, J.V., Bulger, E.M., Stewart, R.M.
“Firearm injuries increased from 2009 to 2012, driven by adults aged 18-to-44-years-old, and disproportionately impacting lower socioeconomic communities. Injuries also increased among young children. Firearm injuries remain a continued public health challenge, and a significant source of ED morbidity and mortality.”
Annals of Surgery, October 2019
Joseph, B.., Hanna, K., Callcut, R.A., Coleman, J.J., Sakran, J.V., Neumayer, L.A.
"Apart from the lives lost, survivors of semiautomatic rifle- and shotgun-related injuries suffer long-term mental health sequalae. These secondary and debilitating mental health outcomes are important considerations for capturing the overall burden of the disease."
Health Affairs, October 12, 2017
Gani, F., Sakran, J.V., Canner, J.K.
"Although future research is warranted to better understand firearm-related injuries, policy makers might consider implementing universal background checks for firearm purchases and limiting access to firearms for people with a history of violence or previous convictions to reduce the clinical and financial burden associated with these injuries."
Journal of the American College of Surgeons, September 12, 2015
Tasigiorgos, S., Economopoulos, K.P., Winfield, R.D., Sakran, J.V.
Firearm injuries represent a serious economic burden for the US health care system, costing more than $70 billion annually. The motives for gun purchase and the medical and socioeconomic background of gun owners vary among the US population, depicting the complexity of the problem. The increasing number of firearm-related incidents, including mass shootings in schools, justifies the urge for taking preventive measures in order to decrease the number of gun-related injuries and deaths. These measures entail the contribution of many disciplines within health care, including physicians, medical organizations, and immediate action from social and political parties.
Public Policy & Public Health
Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open, December 10, 2019
Winfield, R.D., Crandall, M., Williams, B.H., Sakran, J.V., Shorr, K., Zakrison, T.L.
"Kansas City is a microcosm for USA. Although Kansas City shows a relatively diverse population, it is one that is segregated along the lines of race and income. This is an inequity that is common to all cities across the country. With this inequity comes unequal opportunity to survive and to thrive. Firearm violence is a core component of this societal inequity. In this article, we present the proceedings of the 2019 Kansas City Firearm Violence Symposium, where distinguished experts in trauma convened to share their experience, evidence and voices of gun violence—directly and indirectly."
JAMA Surg November 28, 2018
He, K., Sakran, J.V.
“The definition of insanity is described as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We should know. We are surgeons, and we witness insanity on a regular basis when we operate on the victims of gun violence. These deaths are avoidable, and yet our elected leaders refuse to act.”
American Medical Association, June 6, 2018
Sakran, J.V.
“Among young adults in the United States, trauma is the leading cause of death and disability, accounting for more than 80 000 deaths each year among adults aged 18 to 44 years.1 The societal financial impact of traumatic injury is noteworthy, with medical and work loss–related costs reaching $214 billion for fatal trauma and $457 billion for nonfatal trauma in 2013.2 Trauma disproportionately affects persons of low socioeconomic status, persons of racial/ethnic minority status, and uninsured individuals, and both the quality of trauma care and patient outcomes have been reported to be worse in these sociodemographic groups. For example, both in-hospital and long-term trauma-related mortality are higher among uninsured people.”