Health Criminology Research Consortium

The Health Criminology Research Consortium at Saint Louis University is an interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers investigating the nexus of health, crime and the criminal justice system, and how to improve effectiveness in the areas of prevention, clinical intervention and policy.

“The health criminology knowledge terrain is rich and inherently transdisciplinary, spawning exciting research questions and approaches that can hopefully improve our understanding of the causes, correlates and distribution of outcomes as well as the effectiveness of prevention, clinical intervention and policy at the intersection of health and criminal justice.”- Michael Vaughn, founder and director

What the Consortium Does

Dedicated to scientifically rigorous research, transdisciplinary inquiry, and dissemination of findings, the consortium brings together experts from diverse fields within SLU, partnerships with the community, and researchers from other universities.

The result is a social network that can leverage substantial intellectual and social capital focused on increased theoretical and empirical understanding and enhancing health and well-being among populations that are not only already involved with the criminal justice system but persons at elevated risk for problem behaviors early in the life course and at later contact or re-arrest.

If you are interested in collaborating with us, contact Michael Vaughn, HCRC founder, by email at michael.vaughn@slu.edu.

What Drives Our Work?

Currently, a host of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from criminology and criminal justice, social work, medicine, psychiatry, and other health science disciplines engage with marginalized populations who are at elevated risk of drug use, violence, health and mental health problems directly related to public safety and well-being over the life course.

These life-course risks often lead to early aggression and conduct problems and short-term (e.g., truancy, detention, jail) and long-term (e.g., prison, parole) contact with the criminal justice system. Given the covariation in the etiology of criminogenic and poor health risk, as these fields increasingly overlap, the distinctions between them are blurred. The long-term human and economic costs of antisocial behaviors over the life course are vast. Moreover, the United States’ correctional system rivals many nation’s health care systems in scope and exceeds them in other areas, such as mental health needs.

Our mission is to improve our understanding of the causes, correlates, and distribution of outcomes as well as the effectiveness of prevention, clinical intervention, and policy at the intersection of health, crime, and the criminal justice system.

How Do We Do This Work?

Currently, with about 20 faculty across Saint Louis University and 20 external partners at universities across the nation, the Health Criminology Research Consortium is comprised of two research clusters and a health criminology evidence synthesis initiative.

Research Clusters

Etiology and Epidemiology Cluster

Sound decision making at the interface of health and criminal justice depends on uncovering the population-level distribution, correlates, etiology, and life course of criminogenic phenomenon (including violence and victimization), and health of criminal justice-involved populations. Cluster one research represents “front end” studies that can not only inform policy but also help refine “back end” programming and intervention field research found in cluster two.

Health and Mental Health Promotion Systems in Criminal Justice Research Cluster

Criminal justice populations, both juvenile and adult, represent marginalized groups with extensive health needs including chronic disease (particularly with an aging correctional population), HIV infection, reproductive health, notable mental health and substance use disorders, and employment rehabilitation needs.

The heart of the clusters’ activities will be focused on local programming and evaluations (clinical and policy) of health promotion clinical intervention research, extant system programming, systems analyses, and related health disparities driven research.

Meet the Health Criminology Researchers

We are actively seeking collaborations with other university and community partners. Find more information below about the researchers involved.

From Saint Louis University

Tae-Hyuk Ahn, Ph.D., — Computer science
Marianne Dunstan, M.D. — Pediatrics
Noelle Fearn, Ph.D. — Criminology
Katie Holzer, M.S.W. — Pre-doctoral fellow, social work
Jacqueline Landess, M.D., J.D. — Psychiatry
Don Linhorst, Ph.D. — Social work
Travis Loux, Ph.D. — Biostatistics
Dyan McGuire, Ph.D., J.D. — Criminology
Vithya Murugan, Ph.D. — Social work
Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters, M.P.H. — Otolaryngology
Terri Rebmann, Ph.D. — Public health and biosecurity
Craig Rolling, Ph.D. — Biostatistics
Fred Rottnek, M.D. — Family medicine
Sabrina Tyuse, Ph.D. — Social work

The consortium is led by:

Michael Vaughn, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director
Lisa Jaegers, Ph.D., O.T.R./L., Associate Director
Jennifer Bello Kottenstette, M.D., M.S., Clinical Medical Director
Brandy Maynard, Ph.D., Evidence Synthesis Director

External Fellows

Ingrid, Binswanger, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Investigator, Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado
Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
David Córdova, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of Michigan
Matt DeLisi, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Sociology, Iowa State University
Ernest Drucker, Ph.D., Research Scientist and Professor of Public Health, College of Global Public Health, New York University
Tracy Gunter, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University
Dylan Jackson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, The University of Texas at San Antonio
Ryan C. Meldrum, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, Florida International University
Erik J. Nelson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health
Brian E. Perron, Ph.D., Professor, School of Social Work, University of Michigan
Alex R. Piquero, Ph.D., Ashbel Smith Professor of Criminology and Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas
Megha Ramaswamy, Ph.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas School of Medicine
Dennis E. Reidy, Ph.D., Behavioral Scientist, Division of Violence Prevention, Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Science, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health
Christopher P. Salas-Wright, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Social Work
Jeffrey Shook, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh
Adam Vaughan, Health Policy Fellow, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University
Daphne C. Watkins, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Social Work, University of Michigan
Brie Williams, M.D., Professor, Division of Geriatrics, University of California – San Francisco
Liliane Windsor, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Nickolas Zaller, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences