This six-session intensive training provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary exploration of firearm violence through forensic, legal, and clinical lenses. Designed for healthcare professionals, forensic practitioners, law enforcement, legal personnel, and public health advocates, the series aims to deepen understanding of gunshot wound (GSW) injuries, evidence handling, death investigations, and ethical responsibilities in testimony.

Each 60-minute session blends theoretical knowledge with practical application, case studies, and guided discussion. Participants will gain the skills and insight necessary to navigate the complexities of firearm-related harm with a strong emphasis on trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and ethical integrity.

• June 5, 6:30 p.m. ET – Firearm Violence Stats, Firearm Harm Reduction Strategies, and the Firearm Injury and Prevention Institute (FIPI). Jessica Buck-Atkinson & At Risk Intervention and Mentoring (AIM) program for patients involved in violence; Laurie Lovedale & REACH Clinic-Healing from Community-Based Violence; and Ginny McCarthy. Understanding the burden of community-based interpersonal violence — especially firearm injury and death from primary to tertiary levels of causality, prevention, and intervention — can inform tailored care to support collaborative research and practice to reduce the burden of injury and death due to violence.
  
  
• June 12, 6:30 p.m. ET – GSW Injuries. Christine Foote-Lucero. Patients with gunshot wounds may arrive at any time, and forensic nurses must be prepared to accurately identify, document, and collect evidence related to these injuries. Misclassification of wounds and poor documentation are common, with significant legal implications. This session will provide best practice guidelines for clinical care and evidence preservation, ensuring nurses are equipped to fulfill both medical and forensic responsibilities.
  
  
• June 19, 6:30 p.m. ET – Firearm Case Reviews. Christine Foote-Lucero & Jennifer Johnson. This presentation will utilize the previous session's education and training on gunshot wound (GSW) identification and apply it to actual patients who presented with GSWs. The case reviews will allow the learner an opportunity to identify and opine on complex GSWs that include discussion of range of fire, directionality, and missile trajectory
  
  
• June 26, 6:30 p.m. ET – Evidence Collection Principles. Frankie Wallis. Participants will be introduced to best practices in identifying, preserving, and documenting firearm-related forensic evidence. Topics include chain of custody, contamination prevention, and scene coordination. Special attention is given to the role of healthcare professionals in evidence collection and interfacing with investigative teams.
  
  
• July 10, 6:30 p.m. ET – Death Investigation of GSW Deaths and Related Crime Scenes. Frankie Wallis. This session explores the medicolegal investigation of gunshot wound-related deaths. Participants will examine autopsy findings, postmortem artifact recognition, and the integration of forensic pathology in determining cause and manner of death. Scene-to-autopsy correlation and common pitfalls in interpretation will be discussed.
  
  
• July 17, 6:30 p.m. ET – Ethical Testimony Principles for Cases Involving Firearms. Jennifer Johnson. There is a growing need for healthcare and forensic professionals to deliver clear, ethical, and evidence-based testimony in firearm-related cases. This session addresses the training gap in navigating legal and ethical challenges, offering practical strategies to strengthen courtroom skills, support interdisciplinary collaboration, and uphold professional integrity.
  
  

PRESENTER(S) 

	Jessica Buck-Atkinson, MPH, is the Associate Director of the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (FIPI). In this role, she utilizes her expertise in research dissemination, community collaboration, and organizational strategy to advance FIPI’s mission and increase its impact. She is also responsible for and dedicated to developing cross-sector partnerships and coalitions that bring diverse voices together to understand, advance, and disseminate prevention approaches that integrate research and the lived experiences of impacted communities. Her decade of research experience has been rooted in injury and violence prevention, with an emphasis on firearm injury prevention. She has a Master of Public Health from Saint Louis University. Her hobbies include being her toddler's mom, film, and pottery.
	Christine Foote-Lucero, MSN, RN, CEN, SANE-A, SANE-P, AFN-C, DF-AFN, has been a licensed Registered Nurse in Colorado for 23 years, with a focus on critical care. She obtained her master’s degree in forensic nursing and currently manages a comprehensive forensic nursing program that responds to all patients affected by violence at the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) in Aurora, CO. Her clinical experiences as a forensic nurse have included death investigation and correctional nursing, as well as sexual assault, intimate partner violence, physical assault, strangulation, elder abuse, child abuse, and human trafficking. She holds four board certifications, including Certified Emergency Nurse, Sexual Assault Examiner for Adolescents and Adults, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for Pediatrics, and Advanced Forensic Nurse. Christine is a certified instructor through the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), teaching Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC) and Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC). She also currently serves as the Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Academy of Forensic Nursing (AFN) and chairs the AFN Journal Club. In her spare time, Christine likes to cook, travel, and make bath products.
	Jennifer Johnson, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, AFN-BC, AFN-C, SANE-A, SANE-P, DF-AFN, is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse with over 20 years of experience in women’s health and forensic nursing. She is certified to provide sexual assault examinations for patients across the lifespan and is a co-founder and Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Forensic Nursing. Jennifer earned her nursing degrees from Fort Scott College, Pittsburg State University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and completed her DNP at Maryville University. She leads Johnson Legal Nurse Consulting, LLC, where she provides forensic case reviews, expert testimony, and teaches at the collegiate level. Her work supports efforts to improve healthcare and legal responses to violence. Outside of her professional commitments, she enjoys scuba diving as a way to unwind and recharge.
	Laurie Lovedale is the Program Manager for Injury Prevention at the University of Colorado Hospital who holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. Laurie has over 20 years of experience in program development, implementation and evaluation around safety and injury prevention programs. Programming includes, but is not limited to, older adult falls prevention, hospital-based violence intervention, statewide prescription drug abuse prevention and awareness, distracted driving awareness for youth and adults, and vehicle and bicycle safety. Connecting with people and engaging them in their own health and well-being is the foundation of everything that she does. Laurie has extensive experience managing multiple statewide and federal grants to implement programming which includes strategic planning and sustainability efforts. She has presented and provided trainings at the local, state and national level. In her free time she likes to hike, bike, backpack, camp and garden.
	Virginia (Ginny) McCarthy, DrPH, MPH, MDiv, completed her DrPH at the Colorado School of Public Health (CoSPH) in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health. Ginny is an affiliate faculty member of the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative through the Injury and Violence Prevention Center. She serves as the Director of the REACH Clinic, which is a project of Denver Youth Program | GRASP (Gang Rescue and Support Project) in the Denver Metro area, which supports holistic healing for individuals who have been injured through community-based interpersonal violence. Ginny ‘s research and practice leverages multi-sector collaboration, qualitative research, and geospatial methodologies to supports frontline work in violence intervention and prevention. In her free time, Ginny enjoys baking burnt Basque cheesecakes, skiing, rollerblading, and spending time adventuring with her family and friends.
	Frankie Wallis, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, COI, currently serves as the AVP for the University of Alabama- Birmingham's Emergency Service, Level 1 trauma center & Critical Care Transport. He also holds adjunct academic appointments, teaching forensic nursing, men's health, and leadership. Dr. Wallis has a doctorate in advanced clinical practice and leadership from Samford University, a family nurse practitioner degree, and community health graduate degrees. He retired with 25+ years of service in law enforcement and has an extensive background in law enforcement and corrections. The majority of his law enforcement career centered around investigations and major cases. Prior to his nursing education, Wallis completed formal education in criminal justice and is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy (162nd). He enjoys fishing, baseball, and all sports. He and his wife enjoy spending time with family, traveling, and attending sporting events with their grandchildren.

Enduring Modules - This module originated on Jun 2, 2025 and will remain available for CE credit through Jul 17, 2027

Criteria for Successful Completion:

Live attendees must join the zoom link via the LMS site, be logged in for a minimum of 90% of the session, and successfully complete the attestation and evaluation. Upon completion, a CE certificate for 6.25 contact hours will be awarded. 

Recordings of the live session will be made available within one week of the live date. 

Asynchronous attendees must utilize the LMS to obtain resource information (if available), view 100% of recording(s), complete all modules, and successfully complete the attestation and evaluation. Upon completion, a CE certificate for 6.25 contact hours will be awarded.

No relevant financial relationships exist for any individuals in a position to control content of this educational activity.

NOTE:

The Academy of Forensic Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.