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ROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — News of mass shootings has become devastatingly common in the United States, and at the same time the rate of suicide-by-firearm is silently increasing. The need to treat gun violence as a public health crisis has never been more urgent, many experts argue.

In that context, Dr. Megan Ranney — an emergency physician who is also an associate professor at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School and School of Public Health — wrote an editorial with two co-authors that examines the explosive spread of the Twitter hashtag, #ThisIsOurLane, born after a November tweet from the National Rifle Association. The three authors were among thousands of health care professionals across the country who assert that firearm injury prevention is, in fact, their lane.

The editorial was published on Wednesday, Dec. 5, in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

“We are working together, across the political spectrum, to solve this epidemic,” said Ranney, who is also an emergency physician and injury prevention researcher at Rhode Island Hospital. “As a physician and a researcher, I know that it doesn’t have to be this way. We can create innovative solutions to reduce firearm injury, the same way we’ve done for car crash deaths and HIV.”…Click to Read More

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A $31.6 million gift from Diana Nelson and John Atwater will fund a central convening space in the cutting-edge performing arts center being planned at Brown and support other essential University priorities.

Of the couple’s total gift, $20 million will create the Diana Nelson and John Atwater Lobby in the performing arts center (PAC), a project envisioned as a hub for music, dance, theatre and multimedia arts scholarship at Brown. Among other strategic priorities, the additional $11.6 million will support the Brown Annual Fund and The Brown Promise, an initiative that has replaced loans with scholarship funds in all University financial aid packages.

The gift extends a long track record of volunteer and financial support for Brown by Nelson and Atwater. Atwater is a Brown Corporation member and Class of 1983 graduate who is founder and CEO of Prime Group, a leading real estate equity and investment firm. His wife, Nelson, is chair of the global hospitality and travel company Carlson and board president at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. They have five children and live in San Francisco…

Financial Services major Eric Mauricio ’19 aspires to one day become a financial planner and assist those who need help reaching their financial goals. Though still a senior in college, he’s recently accepted a job as a Financial Solutions Advisor for Merrill Edge that will bring him one step closer to that objective. And he’s not alone – Mauricio is just one of Bryant’s seniors who have secured a job in their chosen field.

Courses in personal financial planning and consumer behavior, taught by leading scholars and industry professionals, helped Mauricio prepare for an internship with Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Advisor Development Program. That experience ultimately yielded several job offers, including the one he accepted.

“David Beausejour, my personal financial planning professor, would talk about his experiences with his clients, which I really enjoyed because he brought that real-world touch to what he taught,” Mauricio says.

He also valued Bryant’s focus on developing well-rounded professionals.  “I like that Bryant allows me to take a variety of courses from all different disciplines,” says Mauricio. “My friends ask me, ‘Aren’t you a Financial Services major? Why are you taking marketing? Why are you taking actuarial science? Why do you take this, why do you take that?’ And I tell them, ‘Because I’m going to need it.’”…Click to read more

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — October 1, 2018 – The City of Providence has installed 15 conversation benches, designed by a Johnson & Wales University (JWU) graduate, along Wickenden Street in the Fox Point neighborhood.

In collaboration with Providence City Councilman Seth Yurdin, the Wickenden Area Merchants Association and the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, Jonathan Harris, associate professor in the JWU College of Engineering & Design, led a class project in which students submitted designs for benches and tree grates that serve as conversation spaces.

“This kind of project gives our College of Engineering & Design students an opportunity to showcase their talents and capabilities, all while making a positive impact in the community,” said Jonathan Harris, associate professor. “It also provides students a chance to help a neighborhood achieve its goals. I’m proud of this collaboration and look forward to finding other ways to partner with the community.”

“Great thanks to Johnson & Wales University, the Wickenden Area Merchants Association, and the Fox Point Neighborhood Association who worked together to make this project happen,” said Councilman Seth Yurdin, Ward One, who successfully advocated for Community Development Block Grant funding for the project. “This is great example of how our public and private sectors work together to make a better neighborhood for residents, strengthen Providence’s unique urban fabric, and support our local businesses. A special congratulations to JWU Alum, Ali Aljassas, whose design was chosen for this project.”…Click to read more