In response to youth violence incidents such as the shootings at Columbine, government agencies and professional organizations have undertaken an assortment of recent initiatives to address the escalating problem of teen violence.

In September of 2001 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded a five year grant to UAB to study the causes of youth violence. Four other universities (Columbia, Harvard, Johns Hopkins and the University of Hawaii) received grants to establish their  comprehensive youth violence centers.  Dr. Michael Windle, the UAB principal investigator, and his Comprehensive Youth Violence Center (CYVC) scientist colleagues hope that the studies conducted at the CYVC will produce innovative intervention programs directed towards reduction in violent behavior and related health and social problems in many youths. The University of Alabama (UA) at Tuscaloosa is a partner with the UAB CYVC and Dr. John Lochman of UA is the Co-Director of the center.

         One of the major research studies of the UAB CYVC is the Birmingham Youth Violence Study (BYVS). The BYVS is a five-year study of 800 children starting at age 10. The goal of the study is to identify children who exhibit early risk factors for serious violence and persistent patterns of criminal activity. A second major research study is the  Coping Power Intervention Study directed by Dr. John Lochman of UA, and focuses on anger management and social competencies among high risk children to prevent subsequent violence and substance abuse. In addition to the BYVS and Coping Power Intervention studies, the CYVC funds several pilot studies each year. Pilot study awards are competitive opportunities to receive pilot study funding for research projects and are open to faculty across the UAB and UA campuses. As such, all are vital ingredients of the overarching CYVC mission to help the nation, the State of Alabama, and the local communities achieve a significant reduction in violence-related morbidity and mortality.