Friday’s shooting, in which a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, has left Americans with a lot of questions about public policy and mental health in our society.

West Virginia University has several experts who are available to offer context to these issues in the aftermath of the second-deadliest shooting in the nation’s history.

• Carrie Rishel, associate professor of social work at WVU, focuses her research on children’s mental health, specifically the prevention of child mental health problems. Her recent publications in this area examine risk and protective factors related to children’s mental health and address implications for practitioners and policy-makers. She can be reached via e-mail at carrie.rishel@mail.wvu.edu.
• Helen Hartnett is associate professor and director of the Master of Social Work program at WVU. Her work focuses on social welfare policy, community and organizational practice and program evaluation. She can be reached via e-mail at Helen.hartnett@mail.wvu.edu.
• Cathy Yura, assistant vice president for WellWVU, and Al Kasprowicz, director of the WellWVU Carruth Center for Psychological and Psychiatric Services, can be reached at 304-293-4431.

To contact the following doctors, call Angela Jones-Knopf with public relations at the WVU Health Sciences Center at 304-293-1413.

• Dr. Lauren Swager is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who is on the clinical faculty at the WVU School of Medicine. Her specialties and special interests are in child development, child and adolescent programs, childhood mood and anxiety disorders, childhood onset psychotic disorders and stigma reduction. She practices at the Chestnut Ridge Center.
• Dr. Toni Goodykoontz is a psychiatrist and medical director of the acute adolescent program at WVU and holds both medical and law degrees. Her specialties and special interests are in child and adolescent programs, aggression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, oppositional behavior and school problems. She practices at the Chestnut Ridge Center.
• Dr. Christi Cooper-Lehki is a psychiatrist who is certified in forensic psychiatry and specializes in adolescent services. She also practices at the Chestnut Ridge Center.wvut

-WVU-

dm/12/17/12

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