SPR 2026 Plenary Sessions
The Society for Prevention Research 34th Annual Meeting will feature a series of plenary sessions highlighting leadership, innovation, and multilevel strategies in prevention science.
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Presidential Plenary
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 3:00 pm – 4:15 pm, Eastern
Bipartisan Leadership and the Strategic Role of Government-philanthropic Partnerships in Scaling Evidence-based Interventions.
Chair

Phillip W. Graham, DrPH, MPH
SPR President and Principal Scientist
Director for Behavioral Health Epidemiology, Implementation, and Evaluation Research, RTI International
Speakers

Jon Baron, Esq.
President, Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy

Justin Milner
Executive Vice President of Evidence and Evaluation, Arnold Ventures

Kelsey Soderberg
Senior Policy & Partnerships Advisor, Office of Governor Wes Moore, Maryland
Plenary Session I
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 8:30 am – 10:00 am, Eastern
Innovative Approaches: Multilevel Strategies to Tackle Systemic Barriers in Addressing Social Determinants of Health
Chairs

Frances Gardner, PhD
Professor of Child and Family Psychology, Centre for Evidence-Based Intervention, Department of Social Policy & Intervention, University of Oxford

Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, PhD
Associate Professor, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University
Speakers

Felicia A. Brown, ScD, MPH
Senior Research Social Epidemiologist, Center for Policy Systems Innovation, RTI International

Yeeli Mui, PhD, MPH
Bloomberg Assistant Professor of American Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Nason Maani, PhD
Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, Inequities and Global Health Policy, School of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh
Plenary Session II
Thursday, May 28, 2026, 8:15 am – 9:45 am, Eastern
From Complexity to Impact: Methodological Innovations for Multilevel Prevention Science
Chairs

Bethany C. Bray, PhD
Interim Assistant Dean for Research, Senior Research Scientist, Institute for Health Research and Policy, Research Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago
Pablo Montero-Zamora, PhD, MSc
Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology & Health Education, College of Education, Director, Community Health Research & Implementation Science Lab, The University of Texas at Austin

Jonathan Moyer, PhD
Statistician, National Institutes of Health, Office of Disease Prevention
Speakers

Mirjam Moerbeek, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Methodology and Statistics, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University

Elizabeth A. Stuart, PhD, AM
Professor, Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Qilu Yu, PhD
Lead Biostatistician, National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Office of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs
Plenary Session III
Thursday, May 28, 2026, 2:45 pm – 4:15 pm, Eastern
Multilevel Interventions for Systemic Challenges: Implementation and Dissemination
Chairs

William A. Aldridge, II, PhD
Senior Implementation Specialists, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Brittany Cooper, PhD
Professor, Human Development, Extension Specialist, Youth and Family Program, Graduate Faculty, Prevention Science Graduate Program, Washington State University
Speakers

Jacquie Brown, MES, RSW
Principal, Jacquie Brown and Associates

Valerie B. Shapiro, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Social Welfare, Co-Director, Center for Prevention Research in Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley

Sarah C. Walker, PhD, MS
Research Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, School of Medicine
Plenary Session IV
Friday, May 29, 2026, 10:45 am – 12:00 pm, Eastern
Challenging Assumptions: Navigating Myths, Limits, and Promises in Multilevel Interventions
Chair

Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, PhD
Associate Professor, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University
Speakers

Felicia A. Brown, ScD, MPH
Senior Research Social Epidemiologist, Center for Policy Systems Innovation, RTI International

Jacquie Brown, MES, RSW
Principal, Jacquie Brown and Associates

Nason Maani, PhD
Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, Inequities and Global Health Policy, School of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh

Mirjam Moerbeek, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Methodology and Statistics, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University

Yeeli Mui, PhD, MPH
Bloomberg Assistant Professor of American Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Valerie B. Shapiro, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Social Welfare, Co-Director, Center for Prevention Research in Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley

Elizabeth A. Stuart, PhD, AM
Professor, Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Sarah C. Walker, PhD, MS
Research Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, School of Medicine

Qilu Yu, PhD
Lead Biostatistician, National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Office of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs
