Rachel Kennedy, PhD

Research Interests

The focus of my research is to promote violence and injury prevention through community-based, person-centered public health nursing research, education, and advocacy, with a vision to ensure the ethical and equitable implementation of forward-thinking, human-centered resources & research that effectively supports and gives voice to those affected by violence. Areas of violence and injury prevention research that I have worked in include intimate partner violence among adult women in the US and Kenya, adolescent dating abuse (including technology-facilitated dating abuse), adolescent sexual violence, and firearm injury among military. These experiences are augmented by my clinical role as a Forensic Nurse Examiner at the University of Colorado Hospital, where I care for patients affected by all forms of violence and abuse (e.g., physical and sexual assault, child/elder abuse, human trafficking) and apply research to practice.

Publications

• Kennedy, S. R., Stanley, I. H., Friedman, K., Meza, K., Johnson, M. L., Villarreal, R. I., & Betz, M. E. (2025). Firearm Suicide Prevention in the Military Health System: A Qualitative Study of Clinician Training, the “Lock to Live” Decision Aid, and Connection to Out-of-Home Firearm Storage. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 1-14. https://doi-org.proxy.hsl.ucdenver.edu/10.1007/s11414-025-09945-3
• Kennedy, S. R., Li, K., Rosenberg, S., & Brooks-Russell, A. (2025). Sexual Violence Among a State Sample of High School Students: The Impact of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 0(0). https://doi-org.proxy.hsl.ucdenver.edu/10.1177/08862605251329502
• Kafka, J., Kennedy, R., & Wright-Kelly, E. (2025). TO-POLICY COLLABORATION| Written Briefs Sexual Violence in the United States. https://evidence2impact.psu.edu/resources/sexual-violence-in-the-united-states/
• Kennedy, S. R., Foote-Lucero, C., Aschman, E., Peterson, K., & Yannetsos, C. (2025). Lockdowns Causing Lock-Ins: Impact of the COVID Pandemic on Trends Observed by Forensic Nurse Examiners. Journal of the Academy of Forensic Nursing: 3(3). https://mrujs.mtroyal.ca/index.php/jafn/issue/view/71/32
• Kennedy SR, Buck-Atkinson J, Moceri-Brooks J, Johnson ML, Anestis MD, Carrington M, Baker JC, Fisher ME, Nease DE Jr, Bryan AO, Bryan CJ, Betz ME. Military community engagement to prevent firearm-related violence: adaptation of project safe guard for service members. Inj Epidemiol. 2024 Feb 15;11(1):7. PubMed PMID: 38355727
• Betz ME, Stanley IH, Anestis MD, Bryan CJ, Buck-Atkinson J, Carey N, Ghahramanlou-Holloway M, Heintz Morrissey B, Holloway K, Houtsma C, Kennedy R, Paine CM, Ramchand R, Simonetti J, Walsh A, Wright-Kelly E. (2023). Firearm suicide prevention in the US military: Recommendations from a national summit. Military medicine, 188(9-10), 231-235.
• Wood, S., Kennedy, S., Akumu, I., Tallam, C., Asira, B., Zimmerman, L., Glass, N, Decker, M. (2022). Understanding the link between reproductive coercion and covert use of contraception as a safety strategy for women experience violence in Nairobi’s urban informal settlements. Violence Against Women. 10778012221108422.
• Wood, S. N., Kennedy, S., Akumu, I., Tallam, C., Asira, B., Hameeduddin, Z., ... & Decker, M. R. (2022). Correlates and contributors of reproductive coercion across the socioecological framework among intimate partner violence survivors in Nairobi, Kenya. Journal of Family Violence, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-022-00374-w.
• Decker, M., Wood, S., Kennedy, S., Hameeduddin, Z., Tallam, C., Akumu, I., Wanjiru, I., Asira, B., Omondi, B., Case, J., Clough, A., Otieno, R., Mwiti, M., Perrin, N., Glass, N. (2020) Adapting the myPlan safety app to respond to intimate partner violence for women in low- and middle-income country settings: app tailoring and randomized controlled trial protocol. BMC Public Health, 20:1-13.
• Decker, M. R., Wood, S. N., Hameeduddin, Z., Kennedy, S. R., Perrin, N., Tallam, C., ... & Glass, N. (2020). Safety decision-making and planning mobile app for intimate partner violence prevention and response: randomised controlled trial in Kenya. BMJ global health, 5(7), e002091.
• Wood, S. N., Kennedy, S., Akumu, I., Tallam, C., Asira, B., Hameeduddin, Z., ... & Decker, M. R. (2020). Reproductive coercion among intimate partner violence survivors in Nairobi. Studies in family planning, 51(4), 343-360.
• Wood, S. N., Kennedy, S., Hameeduddin, Z., Asira, B., Tallam, C., Akumu, I., & Decker, M. R. (2019). “Being Married Doesn’t Mean You Have to Reach the End of the World”: Safety Planning With Intimate Partner Violence Survivors and Service Providers in Three Urban Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. Journal of interpersonal violence, 0886260519879237.