Violence is typically seen as a problem to be addressed by criminal justice enforcement – but are we seeing the issue the wrong way? This month on Ethics Talk, we discuss what it means to think about violence as an epidemic, and how this frame might transform the way our society responds to violence.

AMA Journal of Ethics theme editor Terri Davis, a third-year MD student at West Virginia University School of Medicine, interviewed Ranit Mishori, MD, about how to respond to incidents of suspected human trafficking in health care settings.

Dr Jamaji C. Nwanaji-Enwerem joins Ethics Talk to discuss his collection of images: Intentionally Retained, Intentionally Fragmented, Accidentally Retained, and Accidentally Fragmented.

Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder using a clinical approach that enables victims to recover with the help of their own coping strategies and healing strength.

Trauma surgeons’ role in gun violence prevention is hampered by restrictions on funding for research with implications for public health interventions.

Public health surveillance for infectious disease provides a model for a mandatory reporting policy for human trafficking, which poses risks for survivors.

Implementation of child abuse reporting laws may help policymakers assess the potential risks and benefits of mandatory reporting of human trafficking.

What’s the evidence base for future standards of care for trafficked patients?

Violence reduction efforts should be modeled on noncontagious diseases, which have as their root cause environmental determinants, not contagious diseases.

Violence reduction efforts should focus on interrupting transmission of violence and changing behaviors rather than mitigating environmental risk factors.