蝌蚪窝

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Comprehensive Injury Center (CIC)

MCW Division of Suicide Research and Healing Research

The research conducted by the Division of Suicide Research and Healing centers around suicide, suicide prevention, and supporting suicide-loss survivors. Their research includes focuses on:
  • Data to understand the burden of suicide in Wisconsin, e.g., number of suicides in a year, demographics of those who die by suicide, areas of the state where suicide deaths occur, health equity and disparities surrounding suicide, and comorbidities associated with suicide
  • The complex factors that may contribute to suicide
  • Evaluation of evidence-based suicide prevention programs
  • Need and effectiveness of support programs for suicide-loss survivors
  • Best ways to support local communities in suicide prevention efforts

We seek to advance the science of suicide and suicide prevention through novel discovery.

Our work focuses on understanding factors contributing to suicide, and how to prevent suicide.

DSRH Active Projects

蝌蚪窝 Living Room

蝌蚪窝 Living Room

In collaboration with community partners, 蝌蚪窝 Living Room will establish and evaluate pop-up spaces to create social connection and belonging in Winnebago County. Through welcoming and inclusive spaces, opportunities will be created for social connection and decreasing loneliness.
Immigrant Dairy Farmworker Mental Health

Immigrant Dairy Farmworker Mental Health

This project has two aims. First, we will train farm owners and farm managers on how to support the mental health of their immigrant dairy farmworker employees. Second, we will create connection and increase wellness of immigrant dairy farmworkers through offering Bienvenido training.
Investigating the Potential Misclassification of Traumatic Injuries (IMPACT)

Investigating the Potential Misclassification of Traumatic Injuries (IMPACT)

The aims of this project are to examine risk for suicide among traumatically injured patients who do not disclose suicidal ideation upon admission to the trauma center, and better understand the mental health needs of these patients, in order to better identify and treat suicide risk in the trauma center setting.
School to Suicide Pipeline

School to Suicide Pipeline

The aim of this project is to better understand the relationship between school discipline and death by suicide, and also to understand the mental health needs of students within a diverse urban school district. Findings from this study will be used to help bolster school-based suicide prevention supports.
Strengthening Fox Cities

Strengthening Fox Cities

This project aims to enhance mental health and suicide prevention efforts in Calumet, Outagamie, and Winnebago Counties. Through initiatives such as expanding the adult suicide death review across these counties, adapting the Fox Cities Mind Your Wellness Survey to better capture data on mental health disparities among BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and LGBTQ+ communities, and establishing a community-led suicide prevention action team, the project seeks to build a sustainable infrastructure for coordinated, data-driven strategies.
Stronger than Traumatic Experiences with Police Study (STEPS)

Stronger than Traumatic Experiences with Police Study (STEPS)

This project examines the impact that experiences of police violence have on the mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviors of young Black men.

Seeking Peer Outreach

Seeking Peer Outreach is a peer-based mental health support program for medical, graduate, and pharmacy students at the 蝌蚪窝. Students are trained to serve as peer supporters and are available to serve as resources to their peers as they encounter stress or other mental health challenges. While Seeking Peer Outreach is not a crisis service, it does provide early intervention for mental health challenges, which can help to prevent these challenges from escalating to a crisis.
SPO* is based on a tiered approach which aligns with the three levels of prevention (primary, secondary, and tertiary). By implementing strategies at these three levels, we are ensuring that our efforts reach our entire student population, including those who might be experiencing a mental health challenging and those in a suicide crisis.
蝌蚪窝 Readiness Assessment Image Text Split

蝌蚪窝 Readiness Assessment

This community readiness assessment was conducted in 2023 and aimed to answer the question, 鈥淲hat is our community鈥檚 level of readiness to tackle suicide prevention as a health priority?鈥� Twenty-six interviews were conducted with individuals from across Milwaukee County, and across a number of stakeholder groups, from individuals with lived experience to first responders to educators.

Our findings present an opportunity for agencies engaging in suicide prevention to plan future activities focusing on building awareness around suicide as a health issue affecting Milwaukee County residents, and reminding community members that suicide prevention is everyone鈥檚 business.

Thank you to all of the individuals who offered their time and insights to make this assessment possible.

View Results Report - 2023 (PDF)

Suicide Review

A suicide review team is a group of local multi-disciplinary organizational representatives who come together to discuss risk factors and circumstances surrounding a death by suicide in order to recommend local prevention strategies. Suicide review is intended to be a 鈥渄eep dive鈥� of a suicide case, using all available data and information to understand the factors that preceded the death by suicide.
Learn About the City of Milwaukee Suicide Review Commission

Dr. Kohlbeck's Publications

  • (Anguzu R, Iregbu S, Kohlbeck S, deRoon-Cassini T, Bhandari S.) J Gen Intern Med. 2026 Sep 03 PMID: 42693368 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105049627080 09/04/2026

  • (Anguzu R, Sharda M, Amjad T, Pfankuch A, Iregbu S, Jha P, Kohlbeck S, Bhandari S.) Am J Prev Med. 2026 Aug;71(2):108371 PMID: 41962694 PMCID: PMC13089958 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105038975464 04/11/2026

  • (Kohlbeck S, Armanious M, Pickett M.) 蝌蚪窝 Ment Health J. 2026 Aug;62(6):1122-1129 PMID: 41673264 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105029855289 02/12/2026

  • (Barmettler G, Kohlbeck S, Cortina CS, Kantor O.) Am J Surg. 2026 Jul;257:116947 PMID: 41950722 PMCID: PMC13197973 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105035098399 04/09/2026

  • (Kohlbeck SA, Kant JM, Quinn KA.) BMC Public Health. 2026 Jun 15;26(1) PMID: 42298441 PMCID: PMC13495303 06/16/2026

  • (Quinn K, Schmitt M, Pearson B, Curtis MG, Kohlbeck SA.) AIDS Behav. 2026 Feb 28 PMID: 41762329 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105031840915 02/28/2026

  • (Esson MK, Kohlbeck S, Ballew A, Visotcky A, Dammalapati SG, Pickett ML.) Pediatr Emerg Care. 2025 Nov 01;41(11):854-858 PMID: 40660721 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-105010877501 07/15/2025

  • (Warner TD, Buttrick NR, Carpenter SM, Kohlbeck S.) Health Promot Pract. 2025 Sep 16:15248399251367349 PMID: 40956913 09/16/2025

  • (Monroe P, Wu D, Glassford R, Fuss L, Kant J, Kohlbeck SA.) Front Public Health. 2025;13:1721802 PMID: 41458413 PMCID: PMC12738331 12/29/2025

  • (Kohlbeck SA, deRoon-Cassini T, Bergner C, Monroe T, McCoy K.) Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2025;95(3):235-246 PMID: 39480290 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85208217507 10/31/2024

  • (Berger BD, Kohlbeck SA, Howard KP, Birgenheir DG, Chavin RS, Knowlton GG, Larsen SE, Larson ER, Smith HM, Spalding RL, Thomas KB, Vallejo LG, Buttery D, Hargarten SW.) Omega (Westport). 2024 Nov 15:302228241297553 PMID: 39547820 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85209377563 11/16/2024

  • (Kohlbeck S, Quinn K, deRoon-Cassini T, Hargarten S, Nelson D, Cassidy L.) J Agromedicine. 2024 Oct;29(4):665-675 PMID: 39105563 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85200519836 08/06/2024

Publications of from the

Contact the Division of Suicide Research and Healing

We would love to chat with you about any of our research or programming! Contact us using the information below.

Sara Kohlbeck, PhD, MPH

Director

skohlbeck@mcw.edu
(414) 955-7667

Tricia Monroe, MEd, MCHES

Postvention Program Manager

pmonroe@mcw.edu

Jacey Kant, BS

Research Program Coordinator

jkant@mcw.edu

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