UB: Rise Respond & Rebuild 9/11-12/2026
Why attend?
- Explore gun violence as a public health issue affecting communities nationwide
- Learn from experts working across medicine, public health, education and community-based practice
- Discover practical tools, models and strategies that support prevention, healing and collaboration
- Connect with colleagues and partners committed to creating safer, healthier communities
Friday, Sept. 11, 2026
1–1:30 p.m.
Registration & Welcome Reception
1:45–2 p.m.
Opening Remarks
2:15–3:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions:
- Community Resiliency After Gun Violence
Melissa Archer, MSN, PMHNP-BC, and Fred D. Archer, MD, will explore the impact of gun violence on individuals and neighborhoods, highlighting approaches to healing and community recovery following the Tops mass shooting. - Are Mass Shooters a Social Kind?
Kurt Blankschaen, PhD, will examine how terms such as mass shooter shape public understanding of gun violence and influence prevention efforts. - Stop the Bleed: Survivability, Engagement and Magical Thinking
Tracey Nerney, RN, BS, MPA, will discuss how Stop the Bleed programs combine lifesaving emergency-response training with community engagement and violence prevention.
3:15–3:30 p.m.
Break
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion:
Law Enforcement and Community Relations
Facilitators Eddie Payne and Adrienne Garr, LMSW, will lead a discussion on trust, communication and collaboration.
4:45–5:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions:
- Femicide as a Gun Violence and Public Health Crisis
Kimberly Slew-Ngarambe will examine the intersection of intimate partner violence, firearm access and gender-based violence through a public health lens. - Street Engagement Team: Violence Interruption in Buffalo
Pastor James E. Giles will discuss how Buffalo's community-based violence interruption program builds trust, prevents violence and strengthens neighborhood safety. - Teaching Medical Students How to Support Trauma Patients
Mike Lamb, PhD, will explore how trauma-informed training prepares future physicians to better understand and support patients beyond the hospital setting.
5:30–7 p.m.
Keynote Speaker and Dinner Reception:
- From Nonfatal to Fatal: Tracing the Community Firearm Violence Pipeline in Baltimore and Its Public Health Implications
- Brian Wade, PhD, will examine the pathways that connect nonfatal and fatal firearm violence, drawing on community-based research in Baltimore to explore the broader public health implications of violence exposure and opportunities for prevention.
- Hosted by Heather M. Gardiner, PhD, MPH, this conversation will further explore firearm violence as a public health crisis and highlight strategies for prevention, intervention and community healing.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026
8:30–9 a.m.
Check In / Grab-and-Go Breakfast
9–9:45 a.m.
Welcome and Poetry Performance
10–10:30 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions:
- Compassion Fatigue: Identifying Risk and Promoting Resilience in Health Care Workers
Chandra Grabill, PhD, will explore compassion fatigue, burnout and secondary traumatic stress, with practical strategies to build resilience and support well-being. - Means Reduction Through Erie County Suicide Prevention Coalition Initiatives
Members of the Erie County Suicide Prevention Coalition, including Elena Miller, will discuss how means reduction efforts are advancing suicide prevention across the community. - Showcasing the Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention (FIMP) Pilot Program
Representatives from SAFE (Scrubs Addressing Firearms), UB Chapter, will highlight how the FIMP pilot program is expanding across Western New York to connect patients at risk for firearm violence with safety resources.- This session will last a full hour.
10:45–11:15 a.m.
Networking
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
Keynote Speaker and Lunch Reception:
- Ethical and Equitable Considerations: The Use of AI and Digital Storytelling in Gun Violence Research
Joseph Richardson, PhD, will discuss how emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and digital storytelling, are shaping gun violence research and prevention efforts, with a focus on ethics, equity and community engagement.- Location: Active Learning Center
1:15–2:15 p.m.
Panel Discussion:
- Imagining a Childhood Without Firearm Violence
Patricia Logan-Greene, PhD, MSSW, will lead an interactive discussion exploring the impact of firearm violence on children, families and communities, while encouraging participants to envision prevention-focused approaches that promote safety, healing and healthier childhood experiences.
2:30–3:30 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions:
- There's Light on Our Faces, Now
Join Jillian Hanesworth for an interactive poetry workshop exploring community violence, healing and the power of storytelling. - From Trauma to Healing: Survivor-Led Solutions for Safer Communities
Aswad Thomas will share how survivor-led initiatives can transform trauma into healing, strengthen communities and help prevent violence. - Wellness-focused Session
3:45–4:30 p.m.
Community Conversation
Location: Active Learning Center
Images
Date and Time
Friday Sep 11, 2026 Saturday Sep 12, 2026
6/11/26 (1pm-7pm)
6/12/26 (8:30am-4:30pm)
Location
The conference will be held at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203.
Fees/Admission
$50
Printed courtesy of amherst.org/ – Contact the Amherst Chamber of Commerce for more information.
400 Essjay Road, Suite 150, Williamsville, NY 14221 – (716) 632-6905 – info@amherst.org