Dr. Violanti is a Research Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo and a member of the University at Buffalo graduate faculty.

He was formerly a full professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology Department of Criminal Justice. He is a police veteran, serving with the New York State Police for 23 years as a trooper, criminal investigator, and later as a coordinator of the Psychological Assistance Program (EAP) for the State Police.

Dr. Violanti has been involved in the design, implementation, and analysis of police stress and health studies during his entire career. Recent projects include a longitudinal study on psychological stress and cardiovascular disease in police officers and the impact of shift work on police health outcomes funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
Dr. Violanti has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles on police stress and PTSD, police mortality, suicide, and cardiovascular health. He has also written and edited seventeen books on topics of police stress, psychological trauma, and suicide. He has lectured nationally and internationally at academic institutions and police agencies on matters of suicide, stress and trauma at work. Violanti routinely teaches and certifies first-responders on the QPR Technique for assessing first-responders level of lethality.