Dr. David May, a sociology professor at Mississippi State University, will discuss mentorship during a Jan. 9 training and education session at Ochsner Rush Health in downtown Meridian as part of a new program targeting youth gun violence and injury prevention.

The mentor training is part of a program being launched through a partnership between Ochsner Rush Health and Project Inspire aimed at addressing the rising violent crime among at-risk youth in the community. The program focuses on youth intervention, mentorship and career development in helping to achieve its goals.

The mentor training/education session will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9, in the Third Floor Cafeteria Conference Room, also known as the Window Seat Cafeteria, located in the Ochsner Rush Ambulatory Care Center. Dinner will be provided.

“We are excited to have Dr. David May … from Mississippi State University with us, who will be discussing mentorship,” said Dr. Jason DeFatta, a trauma surgeon at Ochsner Rush Health who was instrumental in fostering the partnership between Project Inspire and the healthcare system.

May, who received his doctorate from MSU in 1997, previously worked at Purdue University Fort Wayne in Indiana and Eastern Kentucky University. He currently serves as a professor in the Department of Sociology at MSU and a faculty member with Mississippi State’s Center for Cyber Innovation. He has authored or coauthored six books and more than 100 scholarly articles and book chapters around his research interests of fear of crime, school safety, corrections, military sociology, cybercrime and policing, according to his bio on the MSU’s Department of Sociology webpage.

Originally introduced by University of South Alabama Health in 2017, Project Inspire is a semester-long, hospital-based injury prevention program aiming to reduce violence among at-risk youth by combining trauma center exposure, mentorship and career development.

Through an ongoing partnership with the Meridian Youth Court, local juvenile offenders will gain unique insight into the consequences of gun violence through tours of Ochsner Rush Health’s trauma services. They will also receive Stop the Bleed® training and participate in community service projects.

In addition to hospital-based learning opportunities, participants will complete career planning activities, such as professional development, resume creation and mock interviews. In partnership with East Mississippi Business Development Corporation, participants will shadow professionals throughout east Mississippi as they explore a variety of future career options.

Project Inspire is currently looking for mentors to work with the youth. Community residents interested in getting involved can learn more at the program’s website at ochsnerrush.org/inspire. They can sign up to help with the program or sign up to become a sponsor or make a donation.

DeFatta said the program is funded through grants, donations and sponsorships, and he encourages community residents to consider donating to the program or sponsoring a Project Inspire participant.

Anyone interested in attending the training session on Jan. 9 is asked to RSVP by contacting DeFatta at jason.defatta@ochsner.org. Anyone who is unable to attend the dinner meeting in person can join via Zoom. Contact DeFatta for more information.