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The SPRC Discussion Series on Suicide Prevention

Suicide Prevention: Restricting Access to Lethal Means

Dr. Matthew Miller, Harvard Injury Control Research Center
March 23, 2006

Dr. Matthew Miller, the featured presenter, Associate Director, Harvard Injury Control Research Center. Participants will learn:

Participants will have a chance to discuss their successes and challenges implementing strategies to restrict access to means.

Speaker's Biography

Dr. Matthew Miller attended Yale College and Yale University Medical School, completing his medical internship, residency and chief residency in Internal medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital. From 1993 - 1996 Dr. Miller was a clinical fellow in Medical Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Acting Director of Phase I Clinical Oncology Trials 1995 - 1996. Dr. Miller earned a Master's of Public Health Degree from Harvard School of Public Health in 1996 and in 1999 received a Doctoral Degree in Health Policy and Management. In 2000 Dr. Miller was appointed Associate Director of Harvard Injury Control Research Center and in 2003 joined the faulty at Harvard School of Public Health as Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Injury Control. Dr. Miller's research in injury prevention has focused on the prevention of violent injuries, such as suicide, homicide and unintentional firearms deaths, especially among youth. Dr. Miller's work has been cited as evidence that the ready availability of firearms in homes increases the risk if suicide, homicide, and unintentional firearms death and that the risks associated with ready availability have particularly large effects on impulsive groups such as youth. Dr. Miller has participated in the development of proxy measures of firearm availability that has allowed researchers to study the relation of firearm prevalence to various outcomes, including burglary, assault and firearm accidents. Dr. Miller has also written on the ethics of human experimentation on vulnerable populations, drawing on his experience as director of Phase I trials during his tenure at the Dana-Farb er Cancer Institute.