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Violence
and Gender
Editor-in-Chief: Mary Ellen O'Toole, PhD
Remembering Jeremy G. Richman, PhD
Associate Editor and Supporter of
Violence and Gender
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It is with great sadness and tremendous heartbreak that we respond today to the devastating loss of Jeremy Richman, a luminary, colleague, friend, leader, and founder
of The Avielle Foundation, an organization that speaks to the core mission of
Violence and Gender as its official journal. Jeremy dedicated his life to better understanding the link between brain health and preventing violent behavior and we are forever grateful to have had the distinct opportunity to work together with
him in this quest. An influential neuro-pharmacologist—whose concern was always with wanting people to lead more fulfilling lives—Jeremy worked tirelessly on the improvement of understanding of the basis for violent compulsions. He traveled and spoke at many
events, inspiring others to humanize, destigmatize, and advocate for brain health.
"Jeremy was not only an esteemed researcher, but a very caring and kind father and husband," says
Mary Ann Liebert, Publisher of Violence and Gender and Founder and CEO of the company that bears her name. "He was a founding Associate Editor of
Violence and Gender, and focused all of his attention and resources to advancing research that might help to explain what goes on in the brains of perpetrators of random acts of violence. We grieve with his family, for his friends and staff, join
them in our condolences, and will do everything we can to move his mission forward."
Together with his wife, Jennifer Hensel, Jeremy led The Avielle Foundation, named for their daughter, a girl with a “spitfire personality and a love of laughter." Avielle was one of 20 children and 6 school staff members murdered in the 2012 shooting
at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The Foundation’s mission is to prevent violence and build compassion through neuroscience research, community engagement, and education, in order to, in Jeremy’s words, “ensure this doesn’t happen again.” You can learn more
about how to support The Avielle Foundation in a statement from Jeremy
here.
In this moment, we must collectively recognize the responsibility that we bear surrounding violence and mental health. In just over one week, there have been three apparent suicides associated with mass shootings – two students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School in Parkland, FL, and now the father of a child murdered in the Sandy Hook shooting. In at least one case, the victim had suffered from survivor's guilt and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Now is not only the moment to call for,
but to yell for more competent funding and legislation for mental health support, and for far more reasonable gun control. We cannot ignore the devastation that is caused by an absence of either.
Jeremy fought for this, and in his memory Violence and Gender will continue to push forward this mission by being the journal of record for impactful dialogue and peer-reviewed research on violence. Please join us in driving these critical conversations
forward and preventing tragedies.
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