Whenever you step outside your home, remember to conduct yourself as someone who is “incredibly precious,” he says. “Think about how much you mean to your family.” Dr. Goldberg and Mr. Charles each bring something unique to their teamwork. “We balance each other,” Dr. Goldberg says. She grew up in a Philadelphia suburb where she was “fortunate,” she says. “I didn’t have to worry about gun violence.” As a trauma surgeon, however, she saw the toll that guns were taking and wanted to do something to stop the violence. Dr. Goldberg’s patients also inspired her. “They are very challenged by their injuries, and I see how hard they have to work,” she says. Dr. Goldberg asked Mr. Charles to help her develop a violence prevention program. She knew she needed him to work with victims and families. Amy Goldberg, M.D., and Scott Charles Reducing gun violence by telling hard stories 10 They talk, cry, and laugh together. If one needs help the other will lend a hand. They lean upon each other because that makes it easier to tackle an enormous issue: Preventing gun violence. Dr. Amy Goldberg and Scott Charles have worked as a team for nearly 10 years at Temple University Hospital. Dr. Goldberg, a trauma surgeon, cares for gunshot victims in the critical hours and days after they arrive at the hospital. She often saves their lives. Mr. Charles, the trauma outreach coordinator, counsels the victims and their families to help them move their lives forward after a tragedy. Together, they developed a program at the Temple hospital that has educated more than 8,000 Philadelphia-area teenagers about the dangers of guns. In their program, they describe the true story of Lamont Adams, from his birth in North Philadelphia until his death from bullet wounds at the age of 16. It’s a heartbreaking story. Dr. Goldberg and Mr. Charles share Lamont’s story because they want children to take stock of their lives. They want them to make good decisions and be safe. “Think about where you want to be and ask yourself, ‘Are you hanging with the people who want to be going in the same direction as you want to go?’” Mr. Charles says.