Erin Holsinger, MD, MS, is a lecturer in the Department of Health Policy and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics. In Health Policy, she is a co-director of the Health Services and Policy Research Scholarly Concentration in the School of Medicine and the administrative director of the Health Policy MS and PhD programs. In Pediatrics, she is an attending physician at the Gardner Packard Children’s Health Clinic. She is a member of Stanford’s LongSHOT (Longitudinal Study of Handgun Ownership and Transfer) team and performs research about the impact of gun ownership on the risk of death for the gun owner and those who live with them. 

Q. Tell us about a current research projects:

I am currently completing the analysis I began for my thesis: a case-control study that estimates the odds that a child who lives in a home with a gun will die by suicide compared to a child who lives in a gun-free home. I am also hoping to complete a manuscript describing the circumstances of homicides in California, such as where they are committed and by whom.

Q: What ignited your passion for health policy?

I was inspired to look for a research project that might shed some light on gun violence after the shooting at Parkland High School in 2018. My twin sons were 18 at the time, about the same age as many of the victims. Since then, it was David Studdert, Yifan Zhang and the rest of the LongSHOT team that encouraged me to complete my MS in Health Policy and continue to take on this tough issue.

Q: How would you like to see your research make an impact?

I would love to see our data influence policymakers to strengthen gun safety laws. Even more importantly, I hope that the information changes the habits of parents and guardians: storing their guns safely, moving them off-site when family members have mental health challenges, or ideally, choosing not to own guns while a child is in the home.

Q. What is something you do in your down time outside of academia?

I grew up in Texas and went to the University of Texas (as did my mom, dad, brother and sons.) My dad is a huge football fan, and his passion rubbed off on me. Every Saturday in the fall finds me watching College GameDay and then preparing to cheer for the Longhorns!