MVP - Mass Violence Podcast

For National Crime Victims’ Rights Week 2024, guest host Carter Coyle, NMVC's Public Information Director, leads a discussion with NMVC’s Associate Academic Program Director Anne Seymour, University of Utah School of Law Professor Paul Cassell, and VOCA expert Steve Derene. They explore the anniversaries and history of key Federal laws: VOCA (1984) and the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (2004), which help fund crime victim services and ensure Federal crime victims’ rights.

Guest host Jeff Hartle talks with Kathryn Turman, a pioneer in enhancing and expanding victim services while working at the Department of Justice's Office of Victims of Crime and as Assistant Director of the FBI's Victim Services Division during her long career of public service. They talk about first awareness of the needs of mass violence crime victims, her experience leading the international effort to support victims' families during the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial, and building a professional victim services division at the FBI. They are joined by regular host Dr. Dan Smith to talk about the study conducted by MUSC's National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center evaluating the services provided to the Flight 103 families.

Retired Aurora, Illinois Police Chief, Kristen Ziman joins MVP host Dr. Dan Smith on the Mass Violence Podcast. The two discuss the importance of training for response to a mass violence incident, her memories of an unforgettable February 2019 day in Aurora, and encouraging a culture of reporting to help prevent mass violence incidents.

MVP host Dr. Dan Smith is joined by Dr. Mario Gaboury, Dean of the Henry  C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven. Dr. Gaboury provides a brief history of Victims Rights and the legal system over time and they discuss the differences between criminal and civil legal remedies that may be brought forth after mass violence incidents.

MVP Host Dr. Dan Smith is joined by NMVVRC Director of Training, Dr.  Rochelle Hanson to talk about the Mass Violence Incident Core  Compendium, a free, highly-curated, learning resource available on the  NMVVRC website.

https://www.nmvvrc.org/learn/mvi-core-compendium/

The National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center’s Dr. Dan Smith is joined by a few of the legends in the victims’ rights world. The group brings over 160 years of experience assisting crime victims and survivors, including mass violence victims. 

Those interviewed include: 

• Jeanette Adkins, part of the original National Organization for Victims’ Assistance Crisis Response Team and currently a NOVA trainer; 
• Janice Harris Lord, former National Director of Victim Services for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and cofounder of Trauma Support Services of North Texas; 
• Anne Seymour, cofounder of the National Center for Victims of Crime and currently our Associate Academic Program Director, and; 
• Dr. Dean Kilpatrick of the National Crime Victims Research & Treatment Center and Director of the NMVVRC.

The National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center’s Dr. Dan Smith is joined by Dr. Puni Kalra, a clinical psychologist who worked with the Oak Creek Sikh community following the shooting at a temple there 10 years ago. Dr. Kalra shares her experience working with the community following the shooting, offers suggestions for working with communities that may be resistant to mental health care and the importance of cultural awareness in mental health care for mass violence survivors.

The National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center's Mikaela Porter is joined by NMVVRC Director of Resources & Technology, Dr. Dan Smith. Dr. Smith discusses Transcend NMVC, a mobile app the Center created for mass violence survivors, their families, and those who support mass violence victims and survivors. Dr. Smith spearheaded the years-long effort to create the app and explains the work behind it.

Starting our third season, the National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center's Dr. Dan Smith talks to Meg Garvin, Director of the National Crime Victim Law Institute, a nonprofit in Portland, Oregon that promotes comprehensive and enforceable legal rights for crime victims. The discussion focuses on protecting victims’ rights during mass violence court cases.

The National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center's Dr. Dan Smith is joined by Clarissa Whaley, the Victim Witness Coordinator and Victim Services Manager for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina. Clarissa shares her experience working through different levels of the criminal justice system – including revamping and reorganizing the structure of the state’s correctional system – and shares advice for victim advocates working with victims of crime, including mass violence.

The National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center's Dr. Dan Smith is joined by Georgia state Senator Michelle Au. Months after being sworn into office, Sen. Au's district faced a shooting spree that primarily targeted Asian-owned businesses. Sen. Au talks about the Atlanta spa shootings and the simmering, hate-based violence the Asian American and Pacific Islander community has faced over the last two years.

The National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center's Dr. Dan Smith is joined by Lisa Geller, the State Affairs Manager from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, who this year published research that analyzed the connection between domestic violence and mass violence. Lisa's research found that "59.1% of mass shootings between 2014 and 2019 were (domestic violence)-related and in 68.2% of mass shootings, the perpetrator either killed at least one partner or family member or had a history of (domestic violence)."

The National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center's Dr. Dan Smith is joined by NMVVRC Director Dr. Dean Kilpatrick and NMVVRC Associate Academic Program Director Anne Seymour for a discussion about the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Dean describes the research he and his collaborators conducted on the mental health impact of the attacks across greater New York City and the lessons learned from that research. Anne describes how 9/11 helped shape the Center's partnership with mass violence victims/survivors and their input on the Center’s work.

The National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center's Dr. Dan Smith is joined by Maggie Feinstein, Director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership resiliency center in Pittsburgh, PA. Dan and Maggie discuss the response to the Tree of Life synagogue shooting on Oct. 27, 2018, and explore the components of a resiliency center. Maggie provides tips to victim service providers about working with faith-based communities and communities that might be different from their own upbringing.

The National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center's Dr. Dan Smith is joined by Dr. Rochelle Hanson, the NMVVRC's Director of Training and Technical Assistance and expert in the treatment of child trauma, for a discussion on how mass violence events impact children and teens. They talk about how trauma reactions vary in children and when should parents be concerned.

Starting our second season, the National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center's Dr. Dan Smith talks to crime victims' rights experts Aurelia Sands Belle, Anne Seymour and NMVVRC Director Dr. Dean Kilpatrick about the 40th anniversary of National Crime Victims' Rights Week. They look back on the history of this annual observance and how the NMVVRC works to support crime victims year-round.

In this edition of MVP, we chat with former Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley about the response to the Mother Emanuel church shooting of 2015. 

In this edition of MVP, we chat with victim advocate Anne Seymour about the different obstacles victims of MVI will face when dealing with the news media. We discuss the resources available to victims and touch on a few new tip sheets now live on nmvvrc.org.

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Alyssa Rheingold, a professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina and the NMVVRC Preparedness, Response and Recovery Director, about traumatic grief . As one of the nations leading experts, Dr. Rheingold outlines and explains what traumatic grief is, how it is different from other kinds of loss and what we know about helping those who are suffering. 

In this installment of M.V.P. we speak with Dr. Sandro Galea, the Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. Dr. Galea goes into detail about the world of public health and its interaction with mass violence. 

For episode five of M.V.P. we chat with Dr. Ben Saunders about the unexpected challenges communities face after a mass violence incident. Challenges include managing an influx of donations of materials or finances, dealing with scams and the possibility of encountering individuals challenging the event that took place. 

In this edition of MVP, we speak with Patricia Resick, Ph.D., ABPP about Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We go into detail about the different treatments available to combat PTSD, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) which was developed by Dr. Resick. 

In the third edition of MVP, we speak with NMVVRC Stakeholder Amy O'Neil, MS, LPC, about her experience at the Boston Marathon bombing. While competing in the event, Amy suffered injuries as she approached the finish during the second blast. We talk about that day and the events afterwards that helped her build resilience after the tragedy.  

In this edition of MVP we sit down with Bruce Shapiro, the executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a project of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.  We explore the many different challenges journalists encounter when covering a mass violence incident and how the Dart Center is preparing and coordinating efforts to help journalists with the difficult circumstances on the scene. 

The NMVVRC is excited to publish out first podcast episode! In this installment of MVP, we speak to the director of the NMVVRC, Dr. Dean Kilpatrick about the center and the work being done.