Institute for Public Health Practice, Research and Policy

Policy Fellow Victor Soupene

Victor Soupene, a postdoctoral research scholar in the UI Departments of Occupational and Environmental Health and Emergency Medicine, is the 2025-2026 Policy Fellow. Soupene’s project will focus on suicide prevention among law enforcement officers in the U.S.

In previous research conducted for his dissertation, Soupene looked at firearm suicide rates across occupational groups and found that law enforcement officers face disproportionately high rates compared to all other occupational groups nationally. Suicide rates were more than twice the national average for male officers and six times the national average for female officers. Soupene’s dissertation research also revealed a gap in knowledge about what suicide prevention programs, policies, and practices are currently in place in law enforcement agencies, how effective they are, and whether they are acceptable to the officers they are meant to serve.

During his Policy Fellowship, Soupene will examine the acceptability and feasibility of existing suicide prevention interventions within law enforcement in Iowa as well as identify best practices for adapting and implementing these strategies. He will develop and share a comprehensive inventory and policy brief of suicide prevention policies, programs, and practices available to law enforcement agencies. He will also organize focus groups with Iowa law enforcement stakeholders to discuss strengths and barriers to implementing suicide prevention programs.

Additional team members include Carri Casteel, Lisa Roth, and Ann Saba from the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center.