Our Team / Contact Us

Director of the OHSU Gun Violence Prevention Research Center and professor of public health in the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health

“There is so much we haven’t done that we can still do, need to do and will do,” she said. “Things are moving, and we’re seeing progress.”

For the last decade, Carlson’s work has positioned OHSU as a national leader in understanding the public health toll of firearm injury. She is a founding member of the Gun Violence as a Public Health Issue Initiative, an OHSU-PSU collaboration that brings researchers, health care professionals and community members together to leverage public health tools to reduce firearm injury. The OHSU Faculty Innovation and Excellence Award, made possible by the Silver Family Innovation Fund, also helped Carlson establish the OHSU Gun Violence Prevention Research Center, which serves as the go-to source of credible data on firearm injuries in our region.

Carlson is working with the Oregon Public Health Division to lead a first-of-its-kind analysis of data on firearm injuries treated in Oregon’s emergency departments. This work paints a picture of the firearm injury landscape across the state, revealing troubling increases in gun violence each year and underscoring the need for solutions. In December of 2023, Carlson’s team launched the Gun Violence Review Commission in Multnomah County, which brings together leaders with lived experience and across numerous disciplines — including health care, education, community violence intervention, law enforcement and public health — to identify and repair root causes of gun discharges and injuries in our region.

OHSU Gun Violence Prevention Research Assistant

Adam (he/they) is a volunteer Research Assistant with the OHSU Gun Violence Prevention Research Center. He is a second year MPH student at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, planning to focus on firearm injury prevention through public health efforts. Adam earned his BA in Journalism from the University of Kentucky in 2016. He is interested in how different community health and policy approaches can be utilized to reduce firearm violence in Oregon and elsewhere in the US.

Email: pennavar@ohsu.edu

Founder/Director Emeritus, Board President Emeritus and Consultant

From 2018 to 2024 I was the Vision Holder and Art Director for the Project. I’m grateful for OHSU/PSU’s School of Public Health for continuing to support a Team that believes in the power of art to affect social change.

Leslie Lee has been a professional artist her entire adult life. She and her husband, a ceramic artist, work at home in Portland, Oregon.

Website Administrator

As the Website Administrator for the Soul Box Project, I manage all technical and content aspects of the organization’s online presence, ensuring the website effectively communicates our mission of gun violence awareness and community action. My responsibilities include maintaining site functionality, optimizing content for clarity and search engine visibility (SEO), and implementing strategic updates to enhance user experience, drive engagement, and facilitate critical actions such as Soul Box contributions, event organization, and fundraising efforts.

By day, I am Manager of Marketing for a national fiber optic skills training company and hold a CDMP certification.