For decades, healthcare providers have routinely discussed issues such as smoking, seatbelt use, substance abuse, and mental health with patients as part of preventative care. SAFE (Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic) believes firearm injury prevention should be approached with the same level of consistency and professionalism within healthcare education.
The nonprofit organization is focused on helping medical schools across the United States integrate firearm injury prevention training into their curricula. Through student-led chapters, physician partnerships, curriculum workshops, and online educational programs, SAFE is working to prepare future healthcare professionals to speak with patients about firearm safety in ways that are culturally competent, nonpartisan, and nonjudgmental.
SAFE’s broader mission centers on reducing firearm-related injury and death by normalizing conversations between clinicians and patients around secure firearm storage and risk reduction. According to the organization, many physicians still graduate from medical school without formal training on how to approach these discussions despite their role in preventative care.
Dr. James Bigham, SAFE’s Vice Chair and a faculty advisor for a SAFE chapter at his medical school, advocates for treating firearm safety discussions as a standard component of preventative healthcare. From his perspective, physicians are already trained to discuss a wide range of sensitive topics with patients, and firearm safety should be approached with the same professionalism, respect, and focus on patient well-being.
SAFE has built much of its momentum through collaborative curriculum-building workshops hosted with medical students and faculty members across the country. The organization’s chapters focus on a range of initiatives, including curriculum development, secure storage legislation awareness, and partnerships with local organizations to distribute firearm safes and gun locks within communities.
One of the voices helping shape the organization’s next generation of advocacy is Ariana Ali, a third-year medical student and SAFE board member who survived the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. That experience influenced her decision to pursue medicine and public health with an emphasis on advocacy and prevention.
For Ariana Ali, a third-year medical student and SAFE board member, firearm injury prevention is deeply personal. Having survived the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, she was inspired to pursue medicine and public health with a focus on advocacy and prevention. Through her work with SAFE and leadership of her medical school’s chapter, she supports efforts to equip future healthcare professionals with evidence-based training designed to reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths.
The organization’s work also includes “Clinicians and Firearms,” a free 90-minute educational course developed to help healthcare providers gain practical knowledge about firearm injury prevention. The curriculum covers firearm epidemiology, firearm basics, patient counseling strategies, and legal considerations for physicians discussing firearms with patients.
Dr. Dean Winslow, one of SAFE’s co-founders and a faculty member at Stanford School of Medicine, helped lead the effort behind the course’s development. SAFE designed the program so medical schools and healthcare systems could adopt it within existing educational structures while helping clinicians feel more confident discussing firearm safety in clinical settings.
SAFE’s leadership emphasizes that the goal is not political advocacy, but preventative healthcare rooted in evidence and patient trust. The organization frequently highlights research showing that respectful physician counseling can increase secure firearm storage practices in homes, particularly when conversations are framed around protecting children, family members, and communities.
At the center of SAFE’s work is the belief that medical students and healthcare professionals can play a meaningful role in prevention long before a firearm injury reaches an emergency room.
SAFE’s leadership continues to emphasize that trust, respect, and compassion are essential to effective firearm injury prevention efforts. The organization’s long-term goal is to foster a healthcare culture in which clinicians feel prepared to discuss firearm safety, and patients feel respected during those conversations. According to SAFE, improving communication around secure firearm storage has the potential to support responsible firearm ownership while helping reduce preventable injuries and deaths.
