Gaylene Armstrong

Gaylene Armstrong, Ph.D., serves as Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service at the University of Nebraska Omaha, with a primary affiliation in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Her research specializes in violence prevention, corrections systems, and evidence-based criminal justice policy evaluation, employing collaborative methodologies that engage law enforcement agencies, legislators, community stakeholders, and individuals with lived justice-system experiences.

Dr. Armstrong leads extensive research initiatives, having secured over $39 million in grants focused on:

• Firearm violence intervention strategies
• Reform in adult and youth correctional systems
• Juvenile justice policy assessment
• Hospital-based violence prevention programs

Her work emphasizes community-engaged solutions and cross-sector partnerships to address systemic challenges in criminal justice.

Recent publications predominantly explore hospital-centered interventions for violence prevention, utilizing mixed-method approaches to analyze risk factors, program efficacy, and sociocultural determinants of violence. These studies contribute to trauma-informed frameworks and policy redesign in urban safety initiatives.

Dr. Armstrong directs high-impact grant portfolios supporting violence intervention research and maintains active media engagement, having contributed insights to outlets like KETV and WOWT regarding law enforcement practices and criminal justice reform.