Hofstra professor Ibraheem Karaye presents statistics on the intersection of firearms, opiods and suicide. // Photo courtesy of ConcealedCarry.com
On Wednesday, Oct. 11, assistant professor of population health and director of the health sciences program Ibraheem Karaye presented the Distinguished Faculty Lecture.
This lecture was introduced in 1981 and has occurred each semester since. Each lecture is a presentation created entirely by the lecturer and is based on their specialization.
Karaye’s lecture, “Exploring the Tragic Triad: Firearms, Opioids and Suicide in the United States – A Public Health Perspective,” was an analysis of the effect of firearms, opioids and suicide and how they impact the death rate in New York and in the United States. Karaye also incorporated statistics in his in-depth analysis of how alcohol can lead to different suicide trends in different racial and ethnic groups.
“If you are really interested in improving a population health outcome, you will have to think of multiple factors at the same time,” Karaye said. “It is really not just one intervention.”
Karaye’s research focused on the health impacts of trauma on socially vulnerable populations, specializing in older adults and racial minorities. He also researched disparities in health and the global distribution of health outcomes in the world. Currently, Karaye is serving on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s committee and guides the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He has also contributed to various panels focusing on improving flood resilience for communities.
The keynote lectures are designed to educate and share research with the public, Hofstra students and Hofstra faculty.
“This fall’s lecture continues that tradition with the focus on public health as reinforced through Hofstra’s strategic visioning exercise two years ago and evidenced by the energy and creativity of the faculty,” said Charlies Riordan, the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Community-engaged scholarship is clearly a hallmark of Hofstra University.”
Karaye displayed a thorough understanding of the importance of learning about the various intersections of the effects of firearms and opioids on various populations.
“There is a lot that we really need to unpack and also study. We need to consider racial and ethnic disparities, [and] we need to consider geographical distribution of disease and health outcomes. We need to study sex differences,” Karaye said. “It’s really important that you consider co-occurring factors.”
An awareness of the concepts that Karaye presented in his lecture is important to preventing suicide and improving mental health across the board.
“It’s important to understand who is most affected by suicide and what the statistics really mean,” said Stefanie Marquez, a freshman political science major. “When we understand the driving factors, we can work on effective strategies to prevent it.”
Suicide, mental health and other related topics can be difficult to discuss, but they continue to be necessary to understanding and helping those affected by mental health issues around us.
“It can be hard to talk about these topics, but it’s still important that we do,” said Raíd Ranilla, a freshman forensic science major. “Talking about mental health lets people know that there are safe spaces.”
Many people hold optimistic ideas of how to help those in mental health crises.
“There is hope,” said Sharon R. Phillips, an associate professor of population health. “Policies can assist us in curbing the triad of endemics Dr. Karaye presented.”
Karaye was awarded the 2020 publication award from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the 2023 Rising Star Award from the Texas A&M School of Public Health Alumni Board and the 2023 Mentor of the Year award from Hofstra University.