Researchers from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) have been awarded a grant of $715,774 from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). This funding will support their ongoing work to improve healthcare provider training on gun violence and offer trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to individuals impacted by gun violence at the three PCOM Healthcare Centers in Philadelphia.
The SHELTER Program—or Support and Healing through Empowerment, Learning and Trauma Education in Recovery after gun violence—was developed by Erik Langenau, DO, MS, MAPP, professor and chief academic technology officer, and Michelle Lent, PhD, professor of clinical psychology, who serve as co-project directors for the program. The project team also includes clinical psychologists, Alexa Bonacquisti, PhD, Robert DiTomasso, PhD, and Megan Amatrudo, PsyD, with expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-informed care.
Together, they aim to equip healthcare professionals with tools to address gun violence as a public health crisis while broadening access to mental health services for affected patients and community members.
Before launching this initiative, verbal surveys conducted by volunteer PCOM students revealed that 64% of the Healthcare Centers' patients had been affected by gun violence—whether personally or through someone close to them. The mental health of patients, families and communities are greatly impacted by gun violence. In 2023, the North and West Philadelphia communities surrounding PCOM's Lancaster Avenue Healthcare Center, Cambria Healthcare Center and Hassman Family Medicine Center experienced 240 shootings, underscoring the critical need for trauma-informed care.
The SHELTER Program builds upon PCOM's ongoing efforts to address gun violence through research, student engagement and community outreach. It emerged from the work of the Holistic Approach to Addressing Gun Violence (HAAGV), a student, faculty and staff-led initiative launched in 2023 to educate the PCOM community about gun violence prevention and mental health impact.
“The HAAGV group started as a way to educate ourselves and our students about gun violence and how we, as healthcare professionals, could address it,” said Lent. “That led to a research project focused on improving physicians' communication strategies, which ultimately became the foundation for the SHELTER Program and this grant.”
The first component of the SHELTER Program, led by Langenau, focuses on equipping physicians, healthcare center staff and medical students with the skills to discuss gun violence with patients, recognize trauma symptoms, and provide connections to community resources.
“Our goal is to improve provider competence and confidence,” said Langenau. “We'll use standardized patient activities, role-playing exercises and educational materials to help clinicians learn how to screen for trauma, initiate conversations about gun violence and connect patients to local resources.”
PCOM's Healthcare Centers, which provide primary care services to approximately 20,000 patients annually, play a critical role in delivering care to those affected by gun violence. The second arm of the program, led by Lent and PCOM's Department of Clinical Psychology, will provide trauma-informed therapy for impacted individuals, offering cognitive behavioral therapy for patients at PCOM's Healthcare Centers in Philadelphia.
Despite the widespread impact of gun violence, no formal behavioral health program at PCOM previously existed to address the resulting trauma. With the launch of this CBT program, PCOM is taking a critical step to fill that gap.
Rooted in community-based care, the SHELTER Program aims to create lasting change by leveraging PCOM's whole-person care model and deep community ties—aligning with its osteopathic philosophy of treating the mind, body and spirit.
“PCOM is uniquely positioned to offer this program due to its integrated healthcare approach,” Lent said. “We have the healthcare centers, mental health training programs and a strong osteopathic philosophy that aligns with addressing gun violence holistically. Those pieces make us uniquely suited to not only offer this program, but to make it scalable for other institutions.”
The SHELTER Program is strengthened by PCOM's ongoing collaborations with local anti-violence organizations, such as the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting, which highlights how media coverage can retraumatize survivors; Up the Block, a community resource hub that curates and organizes violence prevention services in Philadelphia; and Healing Hurt People, a Drexel University program that offers trauma support to victims and families impacted by violence.
“There's a collective interest in supporting the community, and we all recognize that we're stronger when we work together,” said Langenau.
While the current grant focuses on urban gun violence in Philadelphia, Langenau and Lent envision this as just the beginning. With PCOM's multi-campus presence in Pennsylvania and Georgia spanning urban, suburban and rural communities, they hope to expand their work to address firearm-related suicide, which disproportionately affects rural populations.
Lent and Langenau expressed deep gratitude to PCOM, the PCCD, and their colleagues in the PCOM School of Professional and Applied Psychology for their contributions to the grant application and program development.
“Without the support of PCOM and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, this program wouldn't be possible,” they said. “We're so grateful for the opportunity to address this unmet need and improve care for our patients and community.”
Established in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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