Profile
Leading the Charge: A Visionary in Healthcare and Emergency Response Innovation
Meet Dr. Christina Blackburn, a trailblazing scientist who is revolutionizing care for women and children who are victims of violent crimes through scientific innovation and ground-level advocacy. With a remarkable track record of success, Dr. Blackburn has emerged as a leader and inspiration in the field, earning accolades such as winning first place in a prestigious healthcare innovation competition at Mount Sinai in New York City.
At the forefront of Dr. Blackburn's endeavors is a steadfast commitment to addressing this pressing population health issue through scientific research and systems re-engineering. Her groundbreaking work in these areas has not only garnered recognition but has also sparked meaningful change within impacted communities.
What sets Dr. Blackburn apart is not only her expertise and innovation but also her unwavering dedication to making a difference. She and her team work tirelessly for change, leveraging their skills and platform to create more equitable and compassionate healthcare and emergency response systems for frontline professionals and those they serve in New York and beyond.
As Dr. Blackburn continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in healthcare and social innovation, she serves as an inspiration to aspiring students, professionals, and change-makers alike. With her leadership and vision, the future of violence prevention and intervention is more promising than ever before.
Degrees Held
Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) Population Health, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA (12/2024)
Master of Science (MSc) Management, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN
Bachelor of Science (BS) Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Professional Affiliation
Speranza Human Compassion Project, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD/DIRECTOR, New York, NY | 2012–Present
Project Management Institute (PMI) New York City | EVENTS COMMITTEE MEMBER, April 2018–Present
United Nations (UN) Women, NY Metro Chapter | CONTRIBUTOR, Nov 2018–Present
American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) | MEMBER, Jan 2025–Present
International Chiefs of Police Association | MEMBER, 2024–Present
NonProfit New York | MEMBER, 2022–2024
Community College of Philadelphia | SCHOLARSHIP REVIEW BOARD, 2013–2022
The Art Museum of Philadelphia | EVENTS COMMITTEE MEMBER, 2016–2018
Recent Publications
Publication 9/2024: An urgent call to reform New York’s crisis response to high-conflict relationship incidents. Both first responders and hospital personnel lack adequate training in domestic violence. https://www.cityandstateny.com/nyn-media/2024/09/opinion-urgent-call-reform-new-yorks-crisis-response-high-conflict-relationship-incidents/399910/?oref=csny-category-lander-river
Dissertation 12/2024: “In Harm’s Way”: A Critical Examination of Emergency and Medical Personnel’s Readiness to Handle Potentially Lethal Domestic Violence Incidents https://www.proquest.com/openview/c7bf044ad8ec483a821647fcc0c7859b/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Performances and Appearances
PROJECTS
SCIENCE & ENGINEERING COMPETITION JUDGE - New York State Science & Engineering Fair (NYSSEF), New York Hall of Science | Mar 2026 NYSSEF is the ISEF/Society for Science-affiliated state fair for New York. The NYSSEF ISEF is the world’s preeminent international science project competition for students in 9th through 12th grades. NYSSEF ISEF brings together students, teachers, scientific researchers, corporate executives, and government officials from around the world. Students compete for over $8 million in scholarships, tuition grants, scientific equipment, and scientific trips. https://ny-nyssef.zfairs.com/App?f=cd180318-f7de-4bdc-bb12-218bdc67b438
HOSPITAL EXECUTIVE BRIEFING & STRATEGY CONSULTATION, NYCHHC, New York, NY | Jan 2026 - present Conducted executive‑level gap analysis with executive and clinical leadership, identifying critical deficiencies in violence intervention training for physicians, nurses, social workers, and security teams. Delivered targeted recommendations to align training investments with the hospital’s highest-priority patient safety and operational needs, prioritizing high-risk scenarios with greatest clinical and financial impact. Partnering with hospital executives to drive a scalable violence intervention program, projecting 20–30% improvements in staff preparedness and reduction of repeat violence‑related ED visits. The solution also addresses the hospital's liability exposure.
EVENT PRODUCER & PRESENTER, Thomas Jefferson University Health System Emergency Medicine Conference (32 hospitals), Phila, PA | Oct 2025 Produced and presented at an emergency medicine conference for Thomas Jefferson’s 32-hospitals, delivering actionable training to 103 clinicians to strengthen system-wide crisis response capabilities and operational readiness.
EVENT PRODUCER & PRESENTER, City University of New York (CUNY) Medical and First Responder Conference, New York, NY | Mar 2023 Produced and keynoted a citywide conference on domestic violence for emergency responders, equipping attendees with integrated response protocols that enhanced cross-agency collaboration strategies.
CONFERENCE PRODUCER & PRESENTER, University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA | Oct 2016 Critical Incident Response Optimization Training. Engineered and delivered interdisciplinary violence intervention training for ED physicians, social workers, and nurses—facilitated by Perelman School of Medicine—driving enhanced protocols that strengthened high-risk patient safety, staff coordination, and clinical outcomes across emergency care settings.
NURSE PRACTITIONER TRAINING & IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE, Temple University School of Public Health & Nursing, NP Program, Phila, PA | 2014 Produced immersive training and lectured series for nurse practitioners, driving hands-on skill development that accelerated clinical readiness and adoption of public health practices in high-need communities.
AWARD-WINNING GUEST LECTURER & TRAINING PRODUCER, LaSalle University School of Social Work & Communication Sciences, Phila, PA | 2013–2016 Delivered award-winning lectures that earned Speranza Human Compassion Project “Top Innovative Company” recognition sparking a campus DV walk fundraiser and amplifying nonprofit impact.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
SCIENTIFIC POSTER PRESENTATION, Rutgers Center for Public Health – National Public Health Week Symposium, NJ | Apr 2026 Presented cutting-edge scientific poster to public health leaders, positioning novel population health strategies for adoption by hospital systems and influencing workforce development at scale.
GUEST PRESENTER, Care Lab @ The New School/Parsons – Visibilize-ing Care Conference, NY, NY | Mar 2026 Presented “Campus-Wide Collaborative Care for IPV/DV Intervention,” mapping scalable systems for P-20 responses that equip administrators and teachers with new intervention frameworks and direct support.
KEY PRESENTER & PANELIST, New York City Court System “Women in the Courts” Committee Luncheon, NY, NY | Oct 2024, Keynoted to 30 NY Supreme Court Justices enhancing judicial perspectives on violence intervention strategies and ways to strengthen cross-discipline partnerships for emergency responder safety.
GUEST PRESENTER/PANELIST, New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers – “No Victim, No Crime” Annual Meeting, New York, NY | Nov 2023 Presented to 331 judges and attorneys.
GUEST LECTURER, Thomas Jefferson University School of Population Health – PhD Technology Design Course, Phila, PA | Nov 2023 Lectured PhD candidates on technology design for population health, inspiring innovation and technology pipelines for hospital tech adoption and consumer solutions.
GUEST PRESENTER/PANELIST, American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Conference, Washington, DC | May 2023 Presented to 500+ clinicians at APHA conference, disseminating scalable violence prevention models that health systems may adapt for population-level impact.
EMERGENCY MEDICINE - GRAND ROUNDS, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA | Aug 2022 Delivered Grand Rounds training to ED departments at the TJU main campus and Abington Memorial Hospital, elevating clinical practices in critical violence responses.
POLICY BRIEFING, New York State Representatives (hosted by Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson), New York, NY | Mar 2022 Briefed state legislators on violence intervention policy to inform legislative agendas.
GUEST PRESENTER, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine – Graduate Course: Building a Case for Innovation, Philadelphia, PA | Mar 2021
Lectured to graduate students on innovation case-building, as well as pitching and scaling healthcare solutions.
GUEST PRESENTER, American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Conference, Washington, DC | Oct 2020 Presented violence prevention programming to a national audience, establishing benchmarks for easy adoption.
GUEST PRESENTER, Pennsylvania Psychological Association Annual Conference, PA | Jul 2017, Presented to psychologists and leaders advancing mental health strategies for emergency responders.
GUEST PRESENTER, Community College of Philadelphia Women Empowerment Lecture Series (facilitated by Dr. Claudia Curry), Philadelphia, PA | 2015 Presented “The Danger of Low Expectations,” empowering underrepresented audiences and informing strategies for community outreach.
Research Interests
Government and healthcare systems engineering/re-engineering
Lean business practices
Project management
Six Sigma
Professional development
Global entrepreneurship
Awards And Honors
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)/NVDRS Postdoctoral Research Award (2025)
Mount Sinai Diversity in Healthcare Challenge - Venture Capital Winner (2021)
Mount Sinai Innovation Partners - Innovations in Healthcare Challenge 1st Place Winner (2020)