Call for Preconference Workshop Proposals

Call for Preconference Workshop Proposals

Initiate a preconference workshop proposal using the online submission process at: https://spr.confex.com/spr/spr2024/precon/cfp.cgi.

The Program Committee of the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) invites proposals for preconference workshops to be held on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, the first day of the SPR Annual Meeting. The workshops are primarily pedagogical, with hands-on instruction and specific learning objectives. Past workshops have provided continuing education in innovative quantitative methods, assembled experts to share theoretical perspectives, research findings, and real-world implementation experiences that can inform the field of prevention science, and presented information helpful in advocacy and/or grant writing efforts. These are intended as examples to stimulate creative thinking about potential workshop topics and approaches. The Program Committee encourages workshop proposals on any topic, as long as the workshop’s objective is to enable the audience to gain skills and knowledge that are important to prevention scientists.

Workshops typically are a full day in length. SPR will provide a suitable room and audiovisual equipment and will reproduce handouts if they are provided far enough in advance.

The SPR Training Committee will select four to five workshops on a diverse set of topics from the submitted proposals. All topics will be considered, but priority will be given to workshops that will address topics informed by the work of the SPR Training Needs Assessment Task Force (TNATF), which completed a two-year project that surveyed the SPR membership and other stakeholders on the training needs of prevention scientists (Chilenski et al., 2020; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11121-020-01151-1), and the work of the SPR Health Equity Task Force (Boyd et al, 2022; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11121-022-01462-5). Based on the work of the TNATF and this year’s conference theme, the following training needs have been identified as priorities for the 2023 preconference workshops: (1) applying innovative study designs (e.g., adaptive intervention design), technology (e.g., e-health) and/or analytic approaches (e.g., causal inference, qualitative methods) in prevention science research to enhance understanding of health equity and inequities; (2) research approaches that enable a better understanding of the synergistic effects and intersectionality of multiple social determinants of health and their underlying mechanisms; and (3) novel approaches (e.g., co-creation) to community based participatory research, partnering with communities and other non-academic partners throughout the prevention science research process and developing community participatory research programs; (4) Research approaches or methods that support health equity practices (e.g., expand context in the analysis of social disadvantage, expanding current eco-developmental models into testable multi-level models (Boyd et al, 2022;  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11121-022-01462-5).

In addition to the areas identified by the TNATF, we are also interested in proposals that address ethical issues in bringing prevention programs into community settings, i.e., how to develop ethical partnerships with historically disadvantaged communities, how to ethically conduct evaluations of prevention programs in communities, issues of privacy in an era of big data access, etc. (Leadbeater et al., 2018; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11121-018-0912-7).

Workshop proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria: clarity of workshop objectives; value of the topic to the field of prevention science; relevance to the conference theme(s), TNATF-identified theme(s) and/or ethical issues in prevention science; likelihood that the content and methods of the workshop will impart knowledge and/or skills successfully; relevant background of presenters; lack of redundancy with recently presented workshops (Click here for workshop history 2006-2024), use of bias-free language (Uses language that is sensitive to people’s sex, race, ethnicity, age, physical condition, and many other categories in a way that does not discriminate and treats others fairly), and health equity (Presents health equity constructs, theories, and/or research evidence which can inform the design and development of equity-focused intervention approaches).

To propose a workshop, please follow these steps.

STEP ONE: Initiate a preconference workshop proposal using the online submission process at: https://spr.confex.com/spr/spr2024/precon/cfp.cgi.

  1. Complete contact information for the workshop organizers and presenters.
  2. Enter the title of the workshop.

STEP TWO: Create your proposal according to the following outline, including all requested information. Then, compile it into a single PDF and upload it to the online submission website.

  1. Title of workshop.
  2. Name, affiliation, email, and phone number for all presenters, with primary contact listed first.
  3. Purpose of the workshop, including specific learning objectives. In other words, what new skills and knowledge will the attendees take away?
  4. Target workshop audience, including the background attendees should have.
  5. Materials to be provided to attendees.
  6. Maximum number of attendees, if any.
  7. Audio-visual requirements.
  8. Brief CVs of all presenters, and a brief explanation of how the presenters are qualified to conduct the workshop.
  9. Outline of workshop, including (a) roles of presenters if more than one is listed, and (b) which aspects of instruction are hands-on.
  10. Relevance to conference themes, TNATF-identified themes, and/or ethical issues in prevention science.

Submission Deadline: December 8, 2023

For questions regarding online abstract submissions or other details, please contact Jennifer Lewis by email at jenniferlewis@preventionresearch.org or telephone at 703-934-4850, ext. 3.