HSRC News Briefs

2010 Waller Lecture

On April 14, Andrea C. Gielen, Sc.D., director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health delivered this year's Patricia F. Waller Lecture at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Each year the Waller lecture is held to commemorate Patricia F. Waller, Ph.D., a professor who founded the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and was a pioneer in injury control. Waller worked for nearly two decades as a researcher at the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, where she developed the concept for graduated licensing, which has been adopted nationwide.

Gielen's presentation, "Pediatric Injury Prevention: From the Trenches to the Ivory Tower and Back Again," spotlighted the development and dissemination of effective interventions to prevent pediatric injuries, drawing on her own work in health departments and intervention research over the last decade. Her research focuses on community and clinic-based programs that address health behavior problems affecting women and children, primarily among low-income families in urban areas.

To see the archived video of Gielen's presentation, please visit www.hsrc.unc.edu/news_room/events_waller-lecture.cfm

Connect with PBIC on Facebook

There's a new way to get the latest news and resources from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), the federal pedestrian and bicycle clearinghouse housed within HSRC. You can now become a fan of PBIC on Facebook. Regular wall updates will feature news from PBIC and the pedestrian and bicycle community, links to newly developed resources and tools, the latest research, training opportunities, and invitations to upcoming events.

Become a fan of PBIC today! www.facebook.com/pedbike

HSRC Staff Changes

Below are staff changes at the Highway Safety Research Center:

Dan Gelinne assumed his current role as project coordinator in February 2010, where he is responsible for coordinating a number of programs and research activities related to bicycling and walking. Dan is also the program manager for the PBIC. He holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Geography and Environmental Studies.

Blake Allen joined HSRC in December 2009 as human resources manager. She is responsible for all departmental HR functions and acts as a liaison between HSRC and the UNC Office of Human Resources. She also serves as executive assistant to the director. Previously, Blake worked in a similar role at the Gene Therapy Center in the UNC School of Medicine. She holds a B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Bevan Kirley joined HSRC in February 2010 as a research associate with the Occupant Protection Program where she conducts research on occupant protection issues and coordinates child passenger safety activities in North Carolina. Previously she worked as a researcher for Thomson Reuters and for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Bevan holds a B.S. from the University of Delaware and a M.S. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Dan Levitt joined HSRC in April 2010 as a research assistant with a wide-ranging array of responsibilities in the research data management realm. He is responsible for vehicle hardware installation, data retrieval and analysis file preparation for naturalistic driving studies. He devises and manages data collection systems for anything from coding video clips to
geocoding crashes for localized studies using SAS, Google Earth and ArcGIS. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from UNC Charlotte.

Davien Anderson joined HSRC in May 2010 as communication coordinator and is responsible for a number of marketing and outreach initiatives for the Center. Prior to joining HSRC, Davien worked with several public relations and marketing agencies including Gibbs & Soell Public Relations and Howard, Merrell and Partners Advertising. He holds a B.A. from North Carolina State University in Communication and Public Relations.

HSRC Bids Farewell to Peggy James

With 25 years at the Center, Peggy James said her goodbyes to the UNC Highway Safety Research Center with her retirement in December 2009.

Peggy began her journey with HSRC in 1974 as a Typist III. During her tenure with the Center, Peggy held several positions including administrative assistant and university program specialist. Upon her retirement Peggy held the title of business officer, lending her knowledge to the entire staff at HRSC. HSRC would like to wish Peggy congratulations and say thank you for her 25 years of service with the Center.

HSRC in the News

The following is a highlight of recent media stories that include information and research from the Center. Web links to the following news stories are time sensitive, so some stories might not be accessible after the initial publication date without required registration. To access more archived news media, please visit www.hsrc.unc.edu/news_room/archived_news.cfm.

Senate pushes for phone-free driving
News & Observer
June 22, 2010

Fewer 16-year-olds with licenses = more 16-year-olds alive
Chicago Tribune
June 22, 2010

Congress Targets Teen Driving, Mulls Federal Driver's License Standards
ABC News
June 6, 2010

UNC researchers: Ban cell phones while driving
WRAL-TV
May 10, 2010

Ride Smart: How to avoid the 5 most common bike-car collisions
Bicycling Magazine
May 01, 2010

Study shows teens favor texting over talking
Wichita Eagle
Apr 26, 2010

Ann Arbor bicyclist's dilemma: Ride on the street or the sidewalk?
AnnArbor.com
Apr 08, 2010

Before you hand over the car keys
Carolina Parent
Apr 01, 2010

Trooper didn't see her - he was busy texting
News & Observer
Mar 30, 2010

Walking, biking safety a concern
San Angelo Standard-Times
Mar 20, 2010

Boulder transportation official: Cyclists should have to dismount at crosswalks
Boulder Daily Camera
Mar 16, 2010

Point Person: Our Q&A with Lauren Marchetti
Dallas Morning News
Mar 05, 2010

More teens waiting longer to get driver's license
Knoxville News Sentinel
Mar 02, 2010