SAVIR Announces Inaugural Class of Fellows

SAVIR is pleased to announce the inaugural class of Fellows of the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research. The Fellows Program recognizes members who have made substantial contributions to injury and violence prevention. This prestigious designation celebrates excellence, service, and leadership within the field.

Michael Mello, MD, MPH, is the director of the Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children’s, and director of its Collis Injury Prevention Research Fellowship for physicians. He is a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, as well as a professor of health services, policy and practice at the Brown University School of Public Health. He is also director of the Master of Science in Population Medicine program at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Corinne Peek-Asa, PhD, serves as the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, and Distinguished Professor in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and co-chairs the National Academies Accelerating Research in Traumatic Brain Injury Forum. She directs one of six National Institutes of Health-funded International Trauma Training Programs to build capacity in trauma and violence research. She is a founding member and past President of the Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Research and was named a ResearchAmerica! Public Health Hero.

Jeff Temple, PhD, is a Professor, Licensed Psychologist, and Director of the Texas Violence and Injury Prevention Research Center at UTHealth Houston. His research focuses on interpersonal relationships, with a particular focus on adolescent relationship abuse. All of his funding relates to the etiology, course, consequences, and prevention of violence. In addition to publishing more than 225 peer-reviewed papers (the vast majority of which are on violence), he is among the world’s highest cited violence researchers and has a seat at the table for violence prevention discussions at the national and global level.

Shankar Viswanathan, DrPH, is Vice Chair and Director of Quantitative Methods Core, UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate. He has been an active member of SAVIR since 2008, contributing through scholarship, service, and leadership. His research has addressed a wide range of injury mechanisms at both national and international levels, including unintentional injuries, suicide, child maltreatment, violence against women, falls, sports injuries, motor vehicle crashes, and occupational injuries. He also serves as a Senior Editorial Board Member of BMC Public Health and as an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion. 

Henry Xiang, MD, MPH, PhD, MBA is Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Director of Center for Pediatric Trauma Research & Director of Research of Center for Injury Research and Policy at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He has been an active member of SAVIR since 1997. His scholarship includes more than 280 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals such as JAMA Network Open, Pediatrics, BMJ, and as a co-author (expert group member) of the Nature Medicine DECIDE-AI guidelines on evaluating AI-enabled decision support systems. With continuous federal funding since 1995, Dr. Xiang has advanced methods in causal inference for trauma and injury research and led pioneering clinical trials of virtual reality therapeutics for pediatric pain and trauma care.

Mark R. Zonfrillo, MD, MSCE is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Mass General Brigham and a Clinical Epidemiologist. Dr. Zonfrillo’s research focuses on pediatric injury epidemiology, with emphasis on risk factors for motor vehicle occupant injuries, concussion, and disabling injuries in children. Over the past 15 years, he has advanced the science and practice of pediatric injury prevention through multidisciplinary, collaborative research and 185+ peer-reviewed publications. His work has informed evidence-based policy, clinical guidelines, and public health strategies that improve safety and outcomes for children and families. He has been an active member of SAVIR since 2014, with continuous contributions as a researcher, mentor, and collaborator.

The Fellows will be recognized at the annual conference, listed on the SAVIR website and receive special opportunities for leadership and mentorship. Nominations for the next class of Fellows will open in Summer 2026.