Pre-Conference (PC) Workshops
The Society for Prevention Research provides training opportunities in prevention science during pre-conference workshops scheduled for Tuesday, May 29, 2018. All workshops require registration.
- PC Workshop I (full-day), 8:30 am – 5:30 pm, Bayesian Causal Mediation Analysis
- PC Workshop II (full-day), 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Overview (Meta-Review) Methods for Synthesizing Prevention Research Literature
- PC Workshop III (half-day), 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm, How to write a research grant application to the Institute of Education Sciences: (IES) Bringing Prevention Science Ideas to Education Research, Presented by IES, DOE (FREE)
- PC Workshop IV (full-day), 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Applications of Neuroscience for Prevention Scientists: Core Concepts and Emerging Directions
- PC Workshop V (half-day), 8:30 am – 12:00 pm, Developing Successful International Prevention Research, Sponsored by the SPR International Committee and ECPN
Pre-conference Workshop Registration Rates
| Registration Type | Early Bird On or Before 5/4/2018 | Full Registration On or Before 5/24/2018 | Onsite |
| Member and Non-Member | $150 | $175 | $200 |
| Student (Member and Non-Member) | $75 | $100 | $125 |
NOTE: Pre-conference Workshop III is free.
International Networking Forum
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Time: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
The International Networking Forum is designed to bring together colleagues who are working in the international arena on prevention science research, programs, and policies. This is an interactive forum and it is not a workshop nor a didactic session; rather it is an effort to foster international collaboration in pursuit of promoting prevention science world-wide. Participation is key to the forum. The forum is sponsored by the International Task Force and each year, projects are addressed that will further the underlying goal of supporting and networking colleagues who work in the international arena.
Evening Poster Session I, Technology Demonstrations and Opening Reception
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
NIDA International Poster Session and Reception
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
The International Program and Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research (DESPR) of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will host the 11th Annual NIDA International SPR Poster Session. The poster session will take place in conjunction with the SPR Tuesday Evening Poster Session and Opening Reception. Posters will highlight drug and/or alcohol use prevention research, including research on drug/alcohol-related HIV/AIDS prevention. The research presentations will have been conducted in international settings by international researchers, domestic researchers, or bi-national teams.
Pre-Conference Workshop I (full-day)
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Time: 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Bayesian Causal Mediation Analysis
Organizer and Presenter: David P. MacKinnon, PhD, Arizona State University
Presenters: Milica Miočević, Ph.D., Utrecht University, Netherlands, Matthew J. Valente, M.A., Arizona State University, Oscar Gonzalez, M.A., Arizona State University
Description:
The goal of the workshop is to describe statistical, methodological, and conceptual aspects of Bayesian causal mediation analysis. The one-day workshop consists of four parts. Part 1, covers definitions, history, and applications for the mediation model followed by estimation of mediation effects including assumptions, statistical tests, and confidence intervals. The methods described in this section serve as the foundation for causal inference methods in Part 2 and Bayesian mediation analysis in Part 3. Part 2 describes the potential outcomes framework and applies it to the single mediator model. Participants will learn about the causal estimators for the single mediator model and the assumptions necessary to make causal inferences. Part 3 describes methods for Bayesian mediation analysis and the extension of these techniques to Bayesian causal mediation analysis. Differences between frequentist and Bayesian frameworks are described, and inferences from the posterior distributions of the causal estimators are discussed. In Part 4, participants are taught how to perform Bayesian causal mediation analysis in SAS, Mplus, and R
Pre-Conference Workshop II (full-day)
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Time: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Overview (Meta-Review) Methods for Synthesizing Prevention Research Literature
Organizer and Presenter: Emily Alden Hennessy, Ph.D.,
Presenters: Rebecca L. Acabchuk, Ph.D, and Blair T. Johnson, Ph.D., University of Connecticut
Description: An overwhelming and growing body of primary study and systematic review literature evaluates health behavior interventions. Overviews systematically synthesize this vast literature to improve the utility of this evidence base in basic and applied health sectors; yet, there are few practical guidelines for overview authors to use. This workshop will provide participants with concrete steps to address the unique challenges that arise when authors familiar with systematic review methods attempt to conduct an overview.
Pre-Conference Workshop III (half-day)
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Time: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
How to Write a Research Grant Application to the Institute of Education Sciences: (IES) Bringing Prevention Science Ideas to Education Research
Presented by: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
Presenters: Katherine A. Taylor, Ph.D., Emily J. Doolittle, Ph.D., Jacquelyn A. Buckley, Ph.D., Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
Description:
This workshop will provide instruction and advice on writing a successful application to the Institute of Education Sciences’ (IES) Education Research Grants Program (84.305A) and Special Education Research Grants Program (84.324A). The workshop will focus on 1) the research topics that make up these two grant programs, 2) the research goal structure under which these programs operate, and 3) the four sections of the Research Narrative (Significance, Research Plan, Personnel, and Resources) that comprise the most important part of the grant application. This workshop will also include a focus on IES’ relatively newer requirement that its grantees disseminate the findings of their IES research projects in appropriate ways to a variety of researcher and non-researcher audiences. Direct instruction on these topics will be accompanied by review of examples, application to participants’ own work, and discussion.
Applicants make a large investment in writing an application to IES’ grant programs (and peer reviewers make a substantial time investment in reading them). Applications that do not address all of the requirements for the four sections of the research narrative are not accepted for review and are a poor investment of applicant time. Applications that do not respond well to the requirements and the Institute’s recommendations for a strong application often receive poor reviews and again represent a poor investment of applicant time and reviewer time. Although the peer review process provides feedback on substantive issues, it is more efficient for applicants to learn how to better present their intended research and avoid common pitfalls before submitting their application. This short course seeks to help applicants write clearer, responsive applications that can be judged on their substantive merits by the peer reviewers
Pre-Conference Workshop IV (full-day)
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Time: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Applications of neuroscience for prevention scientists: Core concepts and emerging directions
Organizer and Presenter: Lawrence Sweet, Ph.D., University of Georgia
Presenters: Adriana Galvan, Ph.D., University of California, James MacKillop, Ph.D., McMaster University, Michael McCormick, Ph.D., Auburn University, Uraina Clark, Ph.D., Icahn School of Medicine, Allen Barton, Ph.D., University of Georgia
All presenters are also affiliated with the Center for Translational and Prevention Science (CTAPS), a P30 Core Center of Excellence funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
(P30 DA027827; PI: G. Brody)
Description:
This workshop is designed to provide attendees with instruction on core concepts and emerging directions regarding the application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques to prevention science. MRI and fMRI analyses represent a rapidly growing field in basic and applied research, providing scientists and clinicians with information on brain activity and neural systems that may underlie risk-taking behavior and impaired health. In this workshop, participants will be given an overview of MRI and fMRI methodology as well as specific applications of neuroscience to topics such as risky decision making, delay of gratification, and early life stress. Procedural considerations for conducting longitudinal MRI and fMRI research with adolescent and understudied populations will also be addressed.
Pre-Conference Workshop V (half-day)
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Time: 8:30 am – 12:00 pm
Developing successful international prevention research
Sponsored by the SPR International Committee and the ECPN
Organizers:
Jeremy Segrott, Ph.D., Cardiff University, Wales and Moshe Israelashvili, Ph.D. Tel Aviv University.
Presenters: Moshe Israelashvili, Ph.D. Tel Aviv University and Amanda J. Nguyen, Ph.D., University of Virginia
Description:
The key purpose of this workshop is to assist participants to develop and refine international prevention research collaboration plans. International prevention research is increasingly recognized as a key dimension in the development of high quality Prevention Science. It facilitates the exchange of important contextual knowledge on epidemiology, cultural and socio-political considerations, situational circumstances and intervention design, which might otherwise remain in national silos. As international prevention research enables interventions to be adapted and disseminated to countries around the world, it provides important opportunities for prevention researchers to develop new perspectives and address questions that would not be possible within solely intra-national research groups.