Laura Prater, PhD

Dr. Prater holds a doctorate in public health from the Ohio State University, with a focus in health services research, pragmatic intervention development and policy evaluation. Her work focuses on understanding the circumstances around firearm suicide among vulnerable populations and developing health systems interventions for suicide prevention through firearm safety. Using a public health lens, she works on tailoring interventions to meet the unique needs of vulnerable populations (e.g. dementia, terminal illness) at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. She is currently funded by the National Institutes on Aging and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to produce clinical decision-making tools to help persons with early dementia, their care partners, and primary clinicians, to make safer plans for firearm storage.

Other Affiliations

Associate Director, Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program, University of Washington School of Medicine

Recent Publications

Launching a Neonatal Resuscitation Escape Room to Combat High Infant Mortality Rates: A Quality Improvement Project.
(2026 Apr 21)
Adv Neonatal Care
Campos EM, Dambrino KL, Sternberg J, McCoy T, Garner SL, Natt K, Prater LS, Ke W, Lourduswamy L, Victor S, Kirubha V, Hallmark B, Honey J

Mental and Physical Health-Related Risk Factors Among Females Who Died by Firearm Suicide.
(2025 Apr 1)
JAMA Netw Open 8(4): e255941
Prater LC, Noghrehchi P, Duan N, Takagi-Stewart J, Mooney SJ, Hefner JL, Goldstein EV

Circumstantial variables preceding firearm suicide among females with and without mobility disability in the USA: comparative analysis using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System.
(2026 Jan 20)
Inj Prev 32(1): 127-132
Takagi-Stewart J, Prater LC, Marts E, Ayachit P, Jesus TS

Advance Care Planning (ACP) in Medicare Beneficiaries with Heart Failure.
(2024 Oct)
J Gen Intern Med 39(13): 2487-2495
Bose Brill S, Riley SR, Prater L, Schnell PM, Schuster ALR, Smith SA, Foreman B, Xu WY, Gustin J, Li Y, Zhao C, Barrett T, Hyer JM

Pregnancy-Associated Firearm Mortality in the U.S., 2008-2019.
(2024 Jul)
Am J Prev Med 67(1): 124-128
Joseph NT, Prater LC, Modest AM

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