PI's Larry Cohen receives Alex Kelter Vision Award
Prevention Institute is thrilled to announce that our Executive Director Larry Cohen has been recognized with an Alex Kelter Vision Award from the Safe States Alliance. UNITY Co-Chair Billie Weiss presented the award today in honor of Larry’s lifetime dedication to advancing a primary prevention approach to preventing violence and reducing injury.
Larry currently co-chairs Prevention Institute’s UNITY Initiative (Urban Networks to Increase Thriving Youth through Violence Prevention), a national initiative funded by the CDC and in part by the Kresge Foundation, which builds support for effective, sustainable efforts to prevent violence before it occurs, so that urban youth can thrive in safe environments with supportive relationships and opportunities for success.
Larry’s contributions to injury prevention include the Spectrum of Prevention: Developing a Comprehensive Approach To Injury Prevention, designed to expand prevention efforts beyond education models by promoting a multifaceted range of activities for effective, primary prevention. The Spectrum is our signature tool, and is now used broadly throughout the public health field. Larry also co-authored The Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Reform in America, which analyzes the intersection of transportation, health, and policy, and provides policy recommendations for improving environments to prevent injuries from occurring. Learn more about PI's approach to reducing injuries, in the first place.
In recent years, Larry has also pioneered the growing effort to understand how increasing safety can also strengthen chronic disease prevention approaches. Our brief, Addressing the Intersection: Preventing Violence and Promoting Healthy Eating and Active Living explores the inter-relationship between violence, healthy eating, physical activity and community health. Download the paper, and learn more about the six community pilot projects implementing policy and environmental changes that support safe and healthy neighborhoods.