SPR 2004 AWARDS PRESENTATION at 12th Annual Meeting, Quebec, Canada
The International Collaborative Prevention Research Award
is given for contributions to the field of prevention science in the area of international collaboration. This year we recognize Dr. Matthew Sanders, professor of clinical psychology and director of the Parenting and Family Support Centre at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. His research focuses on population-based strategies for the prevention of social and emotional problems in childhood and adolescence. Over twenty years of research, he has developed a unique multi-level system of parenting and family support strategies known as the Triple PPositive Parenting Program which is undergoing several trials with investigators from various countries around the globe. His efforts have covered the spectrum from training of interventionists to influencing policy-makers at the state and national levels.
The Science to Practice Award
is given in recognition of continued support for the implementation of research based prevention practices in real world settings. This year we recognize Frances M. Harding, Associate Commissioner of the Division of Prevention Services in the State of New York’s Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) and President of the National Prevention Network. She has been the driving force in the redesign of the OASAS Risk and Protection Framework for Prevention for bringing scientific and evidence based theory and program design to the field. She was responsible for obtaining the competitive multi-million dollar CSAP Governor’s State Incentive Grant awards to help OASAS move forward in bringing science to practice in New York State.
The Public Service Award
is given in recognition of extensive and effective advocacy for prevention science and science/research-based programs. This year we recognize Charles G. Curie, Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). He has not only set new directions for SAMHSA to build resilience and facilitate recovery but has championed collaboration between SAMHSA and National Institutes of Health to enhance the infusion of research into practice. Through the services work of his Centers, he has encouraged opportunities to provide joint funding to enhance prevention effectiveness and efficacy trials.
The Presidential Award
is given to those who have made a major lifetime contribution to prevention science research. This year we recognize two outstanding individuals, Drs Linda Collins and John Graham. Linda is Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and Director of the Methodology Center at Penn State University. John is Professor of Biobehavioral Health also at Penn State. They are being recognized jointly, for the breadth and depth and incredible quality of their work, for the lifetime of accomplishments and contributions to prevention science, and for their commitment to excellence in every aspect of the research enterprise. Both have made important contributions to methodological developments over their lifetimes that have significantly advanced prevention research. Two such developments have been Linda’s leadership of Latent Transition Analysis for assessing the probability of transitions across stages of drug use and other psychological problems and John’s focus on strategies for missing data analyses which have become the standard in prevention work. Linda Collins and John Graham are a perfect representation of the values of excellence the Presidential Award is designed to honor.
The Nan Tobler Award for Review of the Prevention Science Literature
is given for contributions to the summarization or articulation of the empirical evidence relevant to prevention science. This year we recognize Dr. Mark Lipsey, Professor of Public Policy at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and Director of the Center for Evaluation Research and Methodology at the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies. He has focused and written extensively in the areas of public policy, program evaluation research, social intervention, and field research methodology. He is one of the major proponents for the use of meta-analysis for evaluating research efforts and is a recipient of the American Evaluation Association’s highest honor, the Paul Lazarsfeld Award.
The Prevention Science Award
is given for the work of developing and testing prevention strategies. This year we recognize Dr. Richard Price, Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan and Director of the Interdisciplinary Program on Organizational Studies. Rick is not a newcomer to awards. He has received the Lela Rowland Award for Prevention Research from the National Mental Health Association, and the Distinguished Contribution Award from the Society for Research and Community Action of the American Psychological Association. Rick has not only written extensively about prevention science but has also conducted prevention trials aimed at preventing mental health problems of adults. His work has been translated and implemented internationally for which he was previously given SPR’s Award for International Research in Prevention Science.
The Community, Culture, and Prevention Science Award
is given for contributions to the field of prevention science in the area of community and culture and to recognize work that enhances understanding, development and adaptation of effective prevention strategies for traditionally underserved populations. This year we recognize Dr. Tracy Harachi, a research associate professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington and a Principal Investigator at the Social Development Research Group. Dr. Harachi has been involved in cross-cultural work in the United States and other countries, particularly in southeast Asia, for many years. For example, her NIMH-funded Cross Cultural Families study is investigating the developmental trajectories of Vietnamese and Cambodian children in late childhood and early adolescence. Moreover, through SPR, she has coordinated a NIDA-funded multi-site summer training program for ethnic minority students interested in prevention research.
The Service to SPR Award is given in recognition of outstanding service to the Society for Prevention Research. This year we would like to recognize, Dr. Tony Biglan, a Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Center for Community Interventions on Childrearing at the Oregon Research Institute. He is and has been principal investigator of many high profile projects designed to prevent tobacco use, high risk behaviors, and drug abuse. He has also been heavily involved in advocacy efforts to improve parenting techniques and other conditions that directly influence the integrity of child development. Tony has also played a significant role in SPR’s development and evolution since its inception, from its research foci to policy directions. He has held several formal positions at SPR including being on the Board of Directors since 1997. In 2003, he was elected president-elect and will become president in June 2005. In sum, Tony has supported SPR in a variety of ways that have, in essence, contributed to its strength in numbers, the quality of the research it represents, and its future direction.
Early Career Award
We are pleased to give the ECPN Early Career Award to Esteban Cardemil, who is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Clark University. Dr. Cardemil’s research focuses on the prevention of depression in low-income minority children and their parents, with a special focus on Latino families. As a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania, Esteban worked with Martin Seligman and Karen Reivich to adapt and implement a depression prevention program for an unselected, school-based population of low-income African-American and Latino children. After earning his doctoral degree in 2000, Esteban obtained a grant from NIMH to develop and pilot-test the Family Coping Skills Program (FCSP), a depression-prevention program for Latino parents. More recently, Esteban extended his research with two new grants: one supporting a longitudinal study of symptoms of depression among Caucasian, African-American and Latino children; and the other supporting an evaluation of a randomized control trial of the Family Coping Skills Program in a population of low-income Latina mothers. Esteban has published early results from his empirical research as well as discussions of conceptual and practical challenges in conducting prevention research with traditionally understudied populations. Congratulations to Esteban for these early contributions to prevention science.
Friend of ECPN
We are very pleased to give the Friend of ECPN Award to Irwin Sandler. Irwin is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Preventive Intervention Research Center at Arizona State University, and for the past 20 years has played a leading role in efforts to enhance the training of new prevention scientists. As Director of the Prevention Center as Arizona State since it was initially funded in 1984, Irwin has helped to develop one of the core prevention training programs in the country, funding 41 predoctoral students and 31 postdoctoral fellows during that time, and providing access to prevention research projects for numerous other graduate and undergraduate students. Irwin has also worked with his colleague Laurie Chassin to share insights and lessons learned from prevention training efforts at ASU through two articles published in the past 10 years in professional journals. More recently, Irwin has been working directly through the SPR Training Committee to enhance learning opportunities for new prevention researchers. Congratulations and thank you to Irwin.