Victor La Cerva
Victor La Cerva, M.D, has been working in violence prevention for more than 16 years, and recently retired as medical director of the Family Health Bureau, New Mexico Department of Health. Dr. La Cerva holds a clinical faculty appointment with the Department of Pediatrics at University of New Mexico Medical School. He is author of Pathways to Peace: Forty Steps to a Less Violent America.
In 1984, he co-created the New Mexico Men’s Wellness movement, exploring the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of men in our society. In 1989, he organized four statewide workshops on violence with the New Mexico Public Health Association.
Let Peace Begin With Us was released in 1990, updated in 1993, 1996 and 2002, highlighting levels of homicide, suicide, child and elder abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault on a county-by-county basis. All four editions have served as catalysts for community involvement and have been used for innumerable grant applications.
Interviewed by Bill Moyers in the 1996 PBS series on preventing violence, Dr. La Cerva was later asked to consult with the Littleton Community after the Columbine school shootings.
He is co-creator of two award-winning videos, Man to Man (Emmy 1997), addressing issues of young men, and Stolen Childhood (Telly & Visions Awards 2001), which explores the adverse impact on children of exposure to domestic violence.