08/09/2021

Member Spotlight: Kevin Borrup

Kevin Borrup, DrPH, JD, MPA, Executive Director, Injury Prevention Center, Office for Community Child Health, Assistant Professor in Pediatrics, UCONN School of Medicine, Connecticut Children’s -  kborrup@connecticutchildrens.org

1. Tell us about your areas of interest within injury and violence prevention. Why did you decide to pursue a career in this field?

By training I am a lawyer and it was in law school that I first was exposed to communities and families impacted by violence. I worked as a volunteer with the domestic violence unit in the Camden County Courts, with youth impacted by violence as part of the Holistic Justice Center, and with victims of violence volunteering with West-Southwest Victim Services in Philadelphia. After that I ended up in NYC as the compliance officer for a national accreditor of children and family service agencies dealing with compliance issues involving neglect, abuse, and even deaths of children. However, most of this work was secondary or tertiary prevention and it was not until I joined the team at Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center in 2004 that I discovered public health, injury prevention science, and primary prevention. I therefore had an accidental (unintentional) epiphany of, “yes, this is what I want to do.”

2. How long have you been a member of SAVIR? What has been your favorite part about being involved with SAVIR?

I have been often recruited for SAVIR, but only recently joined bringing in the Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center as a Center member. Our center has a 31-year track record of research and I thought that it was about time we joined.

3. What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career so far?

I have been in the field now for just about 17 years and when I look back at my career, when I look back at the data, I can see that the work our team has done is making a difference in the lives of children and families. There are people celebrating birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries who, but for our collective work, would have otherwise died in a motor vehicle crash, by suicide, or even just crossing the street.

4. What do you like to do in your free time?

First and foremost, I enjoy time with my family. My wife and I have two high school-aged kids and being there for them is a priority. I also read (non-academic) regularly, run twice per week, kayak occasionally, spend time with my dog, and, for those who know what a table top role-playing game is, I play with a group of friends once per week in the evenings. I also, not so secretly, love what I do, so in some of my “free time” you will find me writing proposals and working alongside my community outreach team at events.