Just Science

In episode two of our Workforce Resiliency mini season, Just science sat down with Dr. Cara Berg-Raunick, a women’s health nurse practitioner and the Director of Clinical Quality and Advancement at Health Care Education & Training, to discuss vicarious trauma experienced by Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs). Vicarious trauma – the cognitive changes someone experiences after witnessing traumat...

In episode eleven of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Maureen Platt, State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Waterbury, CT, Denise Covington, Program Manager at the Gail Burns-Smith Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner’s Program, Danielle Lindgren, Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Coordinator and Forensic Science Examiner, and Bonnie Bentle...

In episode ten of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Rachel Lovell, researcher and professor at Cleveland State University, and Mary Weston, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and Director of the Cold Case Unit at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, to discuss the complexities surrounding crossover offending in sexual assault cases. Do...

In episode nine of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Ms. Marya Simmons, founder and CEO of Shift in Notion Consulting, to discuss considerations for supporting older survivors of sexual assault. Shift in Notion Consulting is focused on developing and implementing strategies for supporting all victims of sexual assault, regardless of gender,...

In episode eight of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Patricia Powers to discuss considerations for sexual assault cases involving older victims. During her professional career as a prosecuting attorney, Patricia Powers specialized in cases involving sexual violence, domestic violence, child and adult abuse, and much more. Now, she works as...

In episode seven of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Rachel Lovell and Mary Weston to discuss resolving partially tested sexual assault kits. Partially tested sexual assault kits create a unique barrier when it comes to the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases. However, re-opening these cases and conducting a comprehen...

In episode six of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Patricia Powers, an attorney advisor with AEquitas, to discuss supporting male victims of sexual assault through the criminal legal system. Research suggests that sexual assault is an often-underreported crime. Biases, myths, and societal expectations can further discourage male survivors...

In episode five of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Marya Simmons, founder and CEO of Shift in Notion Consulting, to discuss supporting male survivors of sexual assault. One of the common misconceptions about sexual assault is that it is always a male perpetrator and a female victim. However, research suggests that this isn’t always the ca...

In episode four of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Rachel Lovell, Research Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University, and Mary Weston, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, to discuss a recently published article detailing the case for an “investigate all” approach to sexual assault ki...

In episode three of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Natasha Alexenko, Jordan Satinsky, and Marya Simmons to discuss trauma informed, victim-centered interviewing for sexual assault cases. A sexual assault victim’s experiences with law enforcement and advocates can affect the way they approach future interactions with the criminal justice...

In episode two of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Julie Valentine, Associate Dean and Associate Professor at Brigham Young University in the College of Nursing and certified sexual assault nurse forensic examiner, and Heather Mills, Forensic Scientist Manager at the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services, to discuss evidence collection in s...

In episode one of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Rachel Lovell, Research Assistant Professor as Case Western Reserve University, and Mary Weston, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, to discuss lawfully owed DNA. Lawfully owed DNA is defined as a sample of DNA from a qualifying offender that shou...

In episode four of our 2021 NIJ R&D and Beyond mini season, Just Science sat down with Tracey Johnson, a physical scientist and program manager in the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at NIJ, to discuss the NIJ Biology and DNA research portfolio.  Although Tracey Johnson is relatively new to NIJ, she has a depth of professional experience from which she can draw. As a 20-year veteran...

In episode three of our 2021 NIJ R&D and Beyond mini season, Just Science sat down with Danielle McLeod-Henning, a physical scientist and program manager in the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at NIJ, to discuss Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Pathology. Danielle McLeod-Henning has been the physical scientist in charge of the forensic anthropology, pathology, and medicolegal death...

In episode two of our 2021 NIJ R&D and Beyond mini season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Gregory Dutton, a physical scientist in the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at the National Institute of Justice, to discuss NIJ’s Impression, Pattern, and Trace Evidence research portfolio.   Between latent fingerprints, firearms, footwear, paint analysis, and much more, the NIJ Impression, Pat...

In episode one of our 2021 NIJ R&D and Beyond mini season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Frances Scott, a physical scientist in the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences at the National Institute of Justice, to discuss the Seized Drugs and Toxicology research and development portfolio. With the introduction of new and more complex substances every year, forensic laboratories need access t...

In episode three of our Sexual Assault Awareness Month mini season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Patricia Melton, co-director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Training and Technical Assistance program, to discuss a new resource that will help criminal justice practitioners support sexual assault response reform.  Creating a comprehensive, improved resp...

In episode one of our 2021 Sexual Assault Awareness Month mini season, Just Science sat down with author, non-profit founder, and sexual assault survivor Natasha Alexenko to discuss her book, A Survivor’s Journey, and the importance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every survivor of sexual assault has their own story. Some have experienced successful case resolutions and others have not, but all...

In episode ten, Just Science interviews Josh Yohannan, a forensic chemist and expert in emerging drug trends, about polysubstance use in the opioid overdose epidemic. Polysubstance use dramatically increases the potential for overdose or negative side effects of drug use. While there is no “one-size-fits-all" description of a person who uses drugs, there is one common thread linking them together:...

In episode nine, Just Science interviews Clarence Jordan, the Vice President of Wellness and Recovery at Beacon Health Options, to discuss stigma and its impact to programs designed to support those with substance use disorder and on individual level outcomes. There is no shortage of stigma surrounding the overdose crisis facing our nation. The proliferation of stigma and its impact are constant b...

In episode eight, Just Science interviews DeMia Pressley from the DEA’s Diversion Control Division to discuss the importance of information sharing across law enforcement and public health agencies through forensic partnerships. The National Forensic Laboratory Information System, otherwise known as NFLIS, is a Drug Enforcement Administration program that collects results of forensic analyses and...

In episode seven, Just Science interviews Dr. Alex Kral, an infectious disease epidemiologist at RTI International, about innovative policy solutions to improve outcomes for people with substance use disorder. Community-based research takes place within community settings and involves community members which allows a better understanding of the struggles that each specific population faces. Dr. Al...

In episode six, Just Science interviews Tim Black of the White Bird Clinic in Eugene, Oregon about the CAHOOTS program, a community-based public safety model that provides mental health first response for crises involving mental illness, homelessness, and substance use disorder. In 1989, the White Bird Clinic in Eugene, Oregon launched the Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets program, othe...

In episode five, Just Science interviews Dr. Mallory O’Brien, Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, to discuss how partnerships can enhance Overdose Fatality Reviews. The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) is the only state-based reporting system that covers all types of violent deaths, including homicides and suicides. It pools more than 600 unique data elements fr...

In episode four, Just Science sat down with Bonnie Dunn, Co-Director of the West Virginia Healthy Grandfamilies Project, to discuss a free initiative that provides information and resources to grandparents who are raising one or more of their grandchildren. Although they aren’t a regular topic in the conversation surrounding the opioid epidemic, children are a population that are often impacted by...