More of what I’m reading now: When Men Murder Women–An Analysis of 2010 Homicide Data (PDF), published this fall by the Violence Policy Center. From the press release:

Nationwide, 1,800 females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2010. Where weapon use could be determined, firearms were the most common weapon used by males to murder females (849 of 1,622 homicides or 52 percent). Of these, 70 percent (597 of 849) were committed with handguns. In cases where the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 94 percent of female victims (1,571 out of 1,669) were murdered by someone they knew. Of these, 65 percent (1,017 out of 1,571) were wives or intimate acquaintances of their killers. Sixteen times as many females were murdered by a male they knew than were killed by male strangers. In 88 percent of all incidents where the circumstances could be determined, the homicides were not related to the commission of any other felony, such as rape or robbery.

The Stalking Resource Center is offering a webinar, Recognizing and Responding to Stalking in Later Life, January 31st from 1-2:30 pm ET. This webinar is part of events related to Stalking Awareness Month (read the President’s proclamation here).

I thought I’d share a few things I’ve been reading lately. Up first, Our Culture Is Our Medicine: Perspectives of Native Healers on Posttrauma Recovery Among American Indian and Alaska Native Patients. Published in the Winter 2012 edition of the Permanente Journal (Vol 16, no. 1), you can read the abstract after the jump, or download the PDF for free.

As we begin a new year, here is what I’d love to see more (and less) of in 2013:

Okay, so it’s one of several big changes happening in my world, but I wanted to make sure I let folks know: today is my last day as Medical Advisor at AEquitas. I have spent more than 3 incredible years working with this group, and I will look forward to occasionally teaching and consulting for them going forward. But it’s time for a change, particularly in terms of getting back to spending more time with my medical colleagues and taking on a few new projects, not to mention trying to curtail my travel schedule just a bit, so it is with a mix of sadness and excitement that I make this move.

I am going to take the next few days off to finish up last-minute wedding details, bake for the holidays and just generally enjoy friends and family. I will be back on the 26th with fresh content and news from my corner of the globe. Until then, here’s wishing all who celebrate it a very merry Christmas. I hope all of my FHO readers will share good food, good company and good stories with the people you love over the coming days, as we will here in DC. See you next week!

This weekend I talked with my daughter about what happened in Connecticut on Friday, and frankly it wasn’t as good a conversation as I would have liked (Facetime is no substitute for being able to reach out and hug your kid in times like these, so that was the #1 issue with our talk). It makes me think about how easily I can talk to patients about traumatic events, and yet how difficult it is for me to talk about similar issues with my own kid. Is it that I weigh every single word, making it feel like a more stilted conversation? I’m guessing some of you have some terrific insight into this phenomenon. In any event, my struggle as a parent makes me grateful for the resources that exist right now in helping children cope after trauma. It’s what I’ve been reading since last we spoke, and I’m guessing maybe you’ve been reading some of it, too. Feel free to add the resources you like in the Comments.

Today is my partner’s birthday. We applied for our marriage license today. Plenty of reasons for joy. Lots to be grateful for. But I have to tell you–as a parent, a healthcare provider and a citizen of this country I am filled with grief in the wake of the devastation in Connecticut and that is coloring everything around me. It is time for a meaningful conversation about gun control once and for all. This madness had to stop.

We are a military family. We own a handgun. I am not advocating for getting rid of all the guns. But the correlation between access and gun violence cannot be denied. All of us who do this work know just how easily violence flows through our communities. We are witness to it. Every day. Why on earth do we as a country continue to make it not only easy, but efficient for people to take lives?

The NRA has a powerful lobby here in DC, but who will be lobbying for those 26 people, most of whom were kids between the ages of 5 and 10, who died in Connecticut today? My prayers are with those victims and their families, the first responders and medical staff treating the wounded, and the entire town of Newtown, which will forever be shaped by this horror.