Society for Prevention Research
2015 Awards Presentation at 23rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC
May 28, 2015
Download 2015 awards program booklet (PDF)
SPR 2015 Fellows
This year, we are pleased and proud to present the 2015 class of SPR Fellows. The SPR Fellowship is an honor that the Society for Prevention Research bestows upon a small and select group of members who have a particularly distinguished record of contributions in the field of prevention research. A distinguished record reflects a substantial body of work that has had a broad and significant impact on prevention science.
Read Press Release, 6/3/2015 (PDF)
Dr. Linda M. Collins is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the Department of Statistics at The Pennsylvania State University. She is also the Director of The Methodology Center at Penn State. Her current work focuses on experimental and non-experimental design, particularly for building, optimizing and evaluating behavioral interventions. She has also significantly contributed to research methods related to models for longitudinal data, particularly latent transition analysis, and other latent class models. Recently, she was named Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
Dr. Collins is a world-renowned, groundbreaking scientist who has dedicated her career to tackling social and behavioral health problems. What sets her apart from other prevention scientists is her particular expertise to design new methods to assist with understanding the etiology of social and behavioral health problems and innovative methods to conduct trials of preventive interventions. Dr. Collins has sought to lift the level of discourse about prevention as a science and has played a major role in improving the methods of the science. She has been the PI of the Methodology Center at Penn State for over 20 years. The Center brings together top scientists and the best ideas to help prevent serious behavioral health problems. She has been PI on this center grant, which has been continuously funded since 1994. Dr. Collins has produced a significant body of work that has impacted the way that prevention is conducted.
As noted by her colleagues, “her work on the use of factorial experiments and multiphase optimization (MOST) are making a big impact, and we can expect them to be used more widely in the future of prevention science.” Her contributions to statistical and research design methodology in prevention science will be remembered and used for decades to come. Some of her most fascinating methodological research includes her work on the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) and the Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART). In her many collaborations, “researchers are now using these models and it has created substantial excitement and innovation. Her previous work on latent class and latent transition methods have also led to breakthroughs in discovering important population heterogeneity allowing more precision in predictive models.” Her book, Latent Class and Latent Transition Analysis for Applications in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, represented a major innovation in methods. There is no question that her focus on developing latent class and latent transition methods has helped us to understand developmental processes in a
deeper and more thoughtful manner.
Dr. Collins has contributed to SPR in many important ways. She has served two terms as a SPR board member and as President (2009-2011). She is a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, American Psychological Association, Division 5, and Association for Psychological Science. She is also Past President of the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology. Finally, among colleagues both nationally and internationally, Dr. Collins is highly respected and her advice is greatly valued. The combination of the quality and thoughtfulness of her work and her integrity lead her to such a high level of respect in the field. She is not only a fine scholar and precise thinker, but she is a caring and thoughtful colleague and superb mentor, who treat her fellow faculty, collaborators and students with both high expectations and warm support. She is one of the finest models of an actively engaged scholar.
Dr. Thomas J. Dishion is Professor in the Department of Psychology, Founder and Director of the REACH Institute at the Arizona State University. He is also a Research Scientist at the Child and Family Center at the University of Oregon. His work focuses on translational research on relationship dynamics associated with child, adolescent and young adult mental health and competence. His work uses various methods including longitudinal studies, observational and social neuroscience techniques such as high-density array EEG. His intervention research involves the design and testing of empirically supported interventions such as the Family Check-up, and identifying intervention strategies that are potentially iatrogenic to youth development.
His extensive published works are highly focused and reflect an integration of theory, basic research, and preventive and clinical intervention. As noted by one of his colleagues, “the manner in which Dr. Dishion dealt with a finding from his own intervention speaks volumes about his integrity.” The Adolescent Transitions Program was designed by Dr. Dishion and colleagues to prevent deviancy with samples of at-risk teenagers. The randomized, controlled study tested three conditions, a parenting group providing parent skills training, a teen group that taught social skills, and a control group. Contrary to hypothesis, the skills training groups for youngsters led to iatrogenic effects, with increased externalizing behavior and increased tobacco and drug use. Some intervention designers might have underplayed or ignored such a finding. Instead, he announced the problem loud and clear and searched for others who may have produced similar iatrogenic effects in their own work. Dr. Dishion received an award for best journal article in 2002 for this work. He is an intellectual giant, an innovator, and a strong yet playful leader. He is driven by a mission to improve conditions for children and families, especially those who suffer from harsh ecological and contextual constraints (e.g., poverty, neglect, and prejudice). His integrity, competence, commitment, innovativeness, and disciplined work style have already made a lasting effect on the field. His scientific impact is truly impressive. He has published over 200 journal articles, book chapters and books over the past 30 years, and his papers have been highly influential. He has been honored with numerous awards for his scientific contributions including, the Distinguished Contributions to Family Psychology from the American Psychological Association, the Best Journal Article Award from the Society for Research in Adolescence, Fellow status in the American Psychological Society, and most impressively the Prevention Science Award from the Society for Prevention Research.
As noted by his colleagues, in order to appreciate his contributions to prevention research, “it is helpful to look more closely at his intervention work. His research on the Family Check-up represents the best of preventive intervention research in prevention science. He pioneered the application of the motivational interview as a preventive intervention with families.” He also designed the intervention to be implemented in multiple settings, most notably as part of the Family Resource Center in schools and WIC centers with poor families, and more recently in clinical and health settings. His evaluation of the effects of the Family Check-up have used randomized trials, very sophisticated quantitative models to deal with selection issues and model program effects, have measured outcomes up to seven years following program delivery and have tested the mediation pathways that account for program effects. For example his long-term follow-up studies have found support for cascading mediation model in which program induced improvement in parent-youth relationship at post-test led to increased parental monitoring and reduced early sexual activity two years later which in turn led to reduced level of high risk sexual behavior seven years later. Dr. Dishion’s scientific prominence is matched in its integrity by his collaborative approach to working with colleagues and providing scientific leadership to the field. Dr. Dishion embodies the very best of this enterprise in the science he produces and in the process by which prevention science is conducted.
Dr. John W. Graham is Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. His work focuses on adolescent, young adult, and college student health promotion and disease prevention. He has an interest in prevention program development, and specializes in program evaluation and related research methods (survey and measurement design, missing data methods, structural equation modeling, detection and control of selfreport bias). His prevention research and methodological contributions, particularly involving approaches to missing data through multiple imputation, have helped shape the field of prevention science. In view of his research productivity, scientific contributions to prevention science, teaching, mentoring, and service to SPR, he has had the kind of distinguished career that has earned him recognition as a Fellow of SPR.
As noted by a colleague, what makes Dr. Graham’s work “so remarkable is that it not only has advanced prevention research methodology, but his work has addressed practical issues important to prevention scientists, such as how many imputations are needed when doing multiple imputation (Graham et al., 2007).” His many contributions and accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. He received the SPR Presidential Award in 2004 and Service to SPR Award in 2012. Dr. Graham has made major contributions to the methodology of prevention science. In addition to his published work, he has given generously of his time providing preconference workshops and guest lectures. His work has been used directly, or formed the basis of methods developed by others, for many hundreds of projects, and will continue to be used in the decades to come.
He has produced a remarkable body of work that has had a broad and significant impact on prevention science. His methodological contributions have changed the way prevention science is conducted both through the creation of research designs using planned missingness and through his tireless efforts to educate and mentor prevention scientists in the use of modern missing data procedures when data are missing. His contributions have been conceptually driven, empirically supported, and practical. His missing data imputation methods and guidelines have become the standards for handling missing data in prevention trials. His 2012 book Missing Data: Analysis and Design, has quickly become the handbook for prevention scientists designing and analyzing descriptive and experimental studies with missing data, whether the missingness is planned or unplanned. He has done groundbreaking work on measurement of drug use concepts, the ideal way to randomize schools to conditions when baseline data are available, and most importantly, he has brought modern missing data analysis to prevention science.
Dr. Graham has substantially improved prevention science with methodological and statistical innovations. He has done this in a sustained and humble manner by publishing influential papers and training a new generation of prevention scientists. He is a truly unique scholar with lasting contributions in prevention methods and the scientific evaluation of interventions. A colleague noted “I have known John Graham for 30 years. During that time, I have been his staff member, doctoral student, and faculty colleague. Over these many years, John has continued to be my mentor, colleague, and friend. Simply put, he is one of the best teachers I have ever had. Not only is he passionate about what he is teaching, but he is uniquely capable of conveying that passion and stimulating it among his students. His enthusiasm for topics like missing data analysis is infectious. As a teacher and mentor, he always “set the bar” at the highest level. In sum, Dr. Graham is an influential scientist, an inspirational teacher and mentor. Not only is he a fabulous teacher, mentor, and scientist, but also he is a warm, caring, and humorous person with the highest integrity.
Dr. Mark T. Greenberg is the Edna Peterson Bennett Endowed Chair in Prevention Research, and Professor of Human Development and Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University. He is also the Founding Director of The Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development, and served as its Director from 1998 until 2013. His research interests include intervening in the developmental processes in risk and non-risk populations with a specific emphasis on aggression, violence, and externalizing disorders; promoting healthy social and emotional development through school-based prevention; the study of community partnerships and the diffusion of evidence-based programs; the study of contemplative practices and mindfulness interventions; the interface of neuroscience, molecular genetics and prevention.
Dr. Greenberg has a distinguished record of prevention research, including a substantial body of work with a broad and significance impact on the field, as well as a notable national and international leadership effort to support the diffusion of evidence-based prevention programs. His core research contributions include the development of interventions to reduce risk for aggression, violence and externalizing disorders; the study of community partnerships and the diffusion of evidence-based programs; the study of contemplative practices and mindfulness interventions; and the interface of neuroscience, molecular genetics, and prevention. He has contributed to the developmental theory and documentation of risk and protective factors associated with social-emotional well-being and developmental psychopathology. He has made outstanding contributions to the development of preventive interventions, and to the innovative design of community-school partnerships that can support the diffusion of high-fidelity evidence-based prevention programming. His work has resulted in school and community programs fostering youth development and these programs are being implemented in countries around the globe. His visibility as an expert in the promotion of social-emotional learning is underscored by invitations to present and provide consultation to schools around the world, including diverse audiences ranging from the U.S. Department of Education to the Dalai Lama.
Dr. Greenberg has been a leader in several multi-site studies. He was the PI of the University of Washington site of the Fast Track project, a multisite trial of a multicomponent program targeting the prevention of conduct disorders. He is also the PI of the Penn State site of the NIDA-funded PROSPER project (collaborating with Dr. Spoth at Iowa State), examining the effectiveness of school community-university partnerships in diffusing empirically supported substance use prevention programs in middle schools. Dr. Greenberg is also the PI of the Penn State site of the Family Life Project (collaborating with Dr. Vernon-Feagans at UNC-Chapel Hill), a birth-cohort study of 1200 children growing up in rural poverty. In addition, he has served as the PI or Co-PI on a number of studies exploring innovative approaches to preventing conduct problems and reducing violence, as well as promoting mindfulness and contemplative practices to improve parenting, youth stress management and teacher efficacy.
Dr. Greenberg has also played an important leadership role in the field of prevention science. He served as the Founding Director of the Prevention Research Center for Promotion of Human Development at Penn State. His colleagues note that his leadership style is distinguished by his generativity and personal service. He has supported the work of many junior faculty and research scientists, helping them to launch their own effective research careers. He has also worked tirelessly to build strong community and policy connections, which increase the impact of his work (and that of others) in many important ways. For instance, he has developed partnerships with governmental units to improve state-wide dissemination of prevention programming and evaluation, along with early child care and early education methods. He has lead many efforts to provide policy-relevant information on best practices in prevention to federal, state, and local governments.
Dr. Greenberg has significantly contributed and has been recognized by SPR in many ways. He received the Research Scientist Award in 2002, Friend of Early Career Prevention Network in 2008, and the Presidential Award in 2013. He has also been recognized with the Distinguished Contributions to Public Policy for Children Award from the Society for Research in Child Development. Dr. Greenberg has been a leading light in prevention science for the past three decades. He is a leading prevention scientist in the world and has made significant contributions to prevention research. His work is exemplary and he seeks to ensure high quality dissemination and implementation of evidence-based curricula worldwide. He has also built one of the nation’s most important centers for research and training in prevention science.
SPR 2015 Awards
Presidential Award
The Presidential Award is given to those who have made a major lifetime contribution to prevention science research.
This year, we are pleased to present the Presidential Award to Dr. Richard L. Spoth, a national and international leader in the field of prevention science. His work has contributed significantly to the body of knowledge in the field in numerous areas, most notably concerning community-based universal preventive intervention, including intervention efficacy and effectiveness evaluation, program recruitment, and the sustained high quality community-based delivery of evidence-based interventions. One of Dr. Spoth’s concentrations is on the translation of evidence-based prevention programs into practice in large-scale settings, commonly known as Type-2 translation research (T-2). His work on T-2 research began with the recognition that there are existing service delivery systems with the potential to be platforms for evidence-based interventions (EBIs). The paradigm he co-developed with collaborators at The Pennsylvania State University implements EBIs uses personnel from the US Cooperative Extension Service and local middle schools. This ambitious program of research has produced a vast body of data and lessons on recruitment and retention of subjects, training and support of staff, acceptability of programming, adaptation of programming, sustainability of implementation systems, and population based outcomes.
Dr. Spoth is a prolific writer and his work appears in high quality journals. Dr. Spoth has authored or co-authored over 150 published journal articles and chapters, presented or contributed to approximately 300 professional meeting presentations. He has also served as Principal Investigator on over 20 funded prevention research projects. Importantly, this work led to the establishment of Iowa State University’s Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute in 2004. Dr. Spoth is the director and recipient of the University’s F. Wendell Miller Senior Prevention Scientist Endowment. He has served on numerous federally-sponsored expert, advisory and technical review panels addressing issues in prevention research and research-practice integration, including the Promise Neighborhood Research Consortium. In addition, he was invited to participate in the Congressional Education Briefing on Putting Science into Practice for Drug Prevention, has testified on community-university partnership-based preventive intervention research results in front of the House Subcommittee on Education Reform, and participated in the White House Conference on Helping America’s Youth.
Dr. Spoth has advised the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on a number of issues including family based prevention interventions and on the International Standards for Drug Use Prevention. He currently is a member of a team of prevention researchers who are developing a training program to bring prevention science and its application to the implementation of evidence based prevention interventions to prevention specialists around the world.
Advances in Culture and Diversity in Prevention Science Award
The Advances in Culture and Diversity in Prevention Science Award (formerly the Community, Culture, and Prevention Science Award) is given for contributions to the field of prevention science in the area of culture. Recipients of this award are recognized for work to enhance understanding of culture in prevention science and the development of and adaptation of effective prevention strategies for traditionally underserved and/or underrepresented populations, including racial and ethnic minorities.
This year, we are pleased to present the award to Dr. Nancy A. Gonzales. She is an Arizona State University (ASU) Foundation Professor of Psychology and Senior Scientist at the REACH Institute (formerly ASU’s Prevention Research Center). Her research focuses on the impact of cultural and contextual influences on the social, academic and psychological development of children in low-income communities and through the lens of cultural psychology. She investigates and translates findings on risk and resilience processes into community-based interventions that are effective at promoting successful adaptation and reducing social inequalities and health disparities for high risk youth. Her work focuses on how social determinants such as poverty, race, and ethnicity shape experiences, beliefs and processes that alter development across the lifespan. In her work, she has explored not only the negative consequences of social determinants but also how they affect development in positive ways; highlighting the role of culture and specific resilience factors. Her research shows that for ethnic minority youth, building cultural strengths can be as critically important as developing new competencies that align with the host or mainstream culture.
Dr. Gonzales’s most significant contributions have been through her ongoing and in-depth studies of Mexican American adolescents. She has developed and published strategies outlining culturally informed approaches to integrate cultural issues in family research, preventive interventions, and policy. Her work offers methods and models for integrating culture in studies of risk and protective processes in general and has specifically focused on the broad diversity that exists within the U.S. Mexican origin population. Her grant-funded research and scholarship include a broad longitudinal study of Latino families’ acculturation and enculturation, a longitudinal study of Latina mothers and their infants, and her centerpiece preventive intervention, the Bridges to High School Program/Proyecto Puentes a La Secundaria for middle school students, which reduces adolescent problem behaviors that impede academic and subsequent personal success following the transition to middle school. While her most significant contributions are related to her ongoing and rigorous studies of Mexican American adolescents, her findings have been translated to diverse communities in need, including Mexican American, African American, and Asian American children and families.
Dr. Gonzales’s work has been continuously funded since 1992. Her work has resulted in over 100 peer-reviewed publications and over 300 peer-reviewed conference and symposia presentations, and has translated into substantial training experiences for numerous mentees (e.g., junior faculty, research faculty, and graduate students at ASU and nationwide). She has been the recipient of several honors, including the Jeffrey S. Tanaka Memorial Dissertation Award from the American Psychological Association, the Victoria Foundation Outstanding Latino/a Faculty Research in Higher Education Award, the Women and Philanthropy Dean’s Distinguished Professorship, the Allen Edwards Endowed Lectureship in Psychology at the University of Washington, and the Bennett Lectureship in Prevention Science from Penn State University. She also recently received the 2015 Latina Trailblazers Award from the Raul H. Castro Institute for her contributions to the mentoring of Latina scholars.
Prevention Science Award
The Prevention Science Award is given for the work of developing and testing prevention strategies.
This year, we are pleased to present the Prevention Science Award to Dr. Deborah Gorman-Smith. Dr. Gorman-Smith is a Professor at the School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago. She has been developing and evaluating prevention programs to improve family functioning and children’s educational and social outcomes for more than 20 years. Her research focuses on individual and environmental influences on academic performance and aggression predominantly among economically-disadvantaged urban youth. She has striven to provide sound empirical evidence to aid in designing sophisticated, culturally-sensitive family-focused and school-based interventions for children and families and to inform public policies. She is currently funded for three developmental risk studies, the Chicago Youth Development Study (CYDS), Neighborhood Matters, and High-Risk Twins. Her research has been supported by NIMH, NSF, NICHD, NIDA, CDC-P, SAMHSA and the W.T. Grant Foundation.
For the past 10 years, Dr. Gorman-Smith has been the Director of the Chicago Center for Violence Prevention, one of the six currently funded Academic Centers of Excellence for Youth Violence Prevention funded by the Center for Disease Control. Her work with this Center addresses youth violence across developmental periods and with children and families at different levels of risk and involvement in youth violence. Dr. Gorman-Smith’s leadership of the Center has included a focus on providing training and technical assistance to support schools and community agencies in selecting, implementing and evaluating youth violence prevention programs.
In Dr. Gorman-Smith’s work as a Senior Research Fellow at the National Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy she works directly with officials from a number of Federal agencies to provide scientific guidance regarding educational, social, and prevention policy. She has influenced policy and advocated that the knowledge gained from prevention science as a whole, be integrated into policy decisions. She has also contributed to the area of measurement, developing new measures in the Neighborhood Matters study to assess neighborhood social processes thought to be important in understanding risk and protection for youth violence. She assessed and built on the success of the SAFE Children Schools and Families Education Children (SAFE Children) intervention, conducting a long-term follow-up study of this intervention and then implementing an effectiveness trial of SAFE with her team.
Dr. Gorman-Smith is actively involved in other professional service. She reviews grants for NIH, NSF, the W.T. Grant Foundation, and the Medical Research Council (U.K.). She has served on several American Psychological Association committees, such as the Committee on Urban Initiatives, Public Policy Directorate and the Task Force on Urban Psychology. She is a member of the Editorial Boards of Journal of Youth and Adolescence and Journal of Child Clinical Psychology and a reviewer for several prominent journals. She also contributes to prevention science internationally having served on the United Nations Study on Violence Against Children and as a member of the Study Group on Primary Prevention of Antisocial Behavior for the U.K. Department of Health. Dr. Gorman-Smith has also served on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Center for the Violence Prevention. She has been recognized with a number of awards and fellowships, including a William T. Grant Distinguished Fellow Award and has been principal investigator on Federal grants totaling more than 30 million dollars.
Translational Science Award
The Translational Science Award is given to an individual in recognition for contributions to the field of prevention science in the area of Type 1 or Type 2 translational research.
This year, we are pleased to present the Translational Science Award to Dr. Kevin P. Haggerty. He is the Director at the Social Development Research Group (SDRG) and has been with the School of Social Work at the University of Washington since 1985. For more than 25 years, his work has focused on developing innovative ways to organize scientific knowledge for prevention so that parents, communities and schools can better identify, assess and prioritize customized approaches that meet their needs. For more than two decades, he has been project director of the Raising Healthy Children study, a school based approach to social development. His interest in the efficient and effective transition of tested programs into real-world settings has led to adapt the Staying Connected with Your Teen program for use in drug-treatment and foster-care settings. His colleagues have “witness his ability to take state-of-the art prevention science and translate it with those who were in most need of this knowledge. Dr. Haggerty has done this effectively, efficiently, and elegantly.”
Dr. Haggerty is also principal investigator on a variety of projects, including Utah Communities That Care (CTC) Training program, Staying Connected with Your Teen, Focus on Families and a National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded study on Family Connections. He is an investigator of the Community Youth Development Study, which tests the effectiveness of the Communities That Care program. He has worked on CTC since 1988 when it was originally tested as TOGETHER! Communities for Drug Free Youth. He has presented and published extensively on the CTC system, and has consulted on the adaptation and implementation of CTC in Australia, Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands, Colombia, and Chile; and on adaptations of CTC for First Nations populations. In addition, he is interested in research related to the intersection of biological and environmental risks for drug abuse on emerging adults. He has been an active collaborator of the Iowa State University’s Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute and Boy’s Town of Omaha, Nebraska.
An expert on substance abuse and delinquency prevention, Dr. Haggerty speaks, conducts trainings, and writes extensively on this field. He has presented papers at many national and international conferences throughout Europe, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Canada and the United States. He deserves this award for his accomplishment on the translation of CTC to webstreamed training and his long-standing body of work in bringing evidence-based preventive interventions to families, schools, and communities across all stages of
translational science.
Public Service Award
The Public Service Award is given in recognition of extensive and effective advocacy for prevention science and research-based programs.
Dr. Diana Fishbein’s and Dr. Neil Wollman’s work represents a major service to the field of prevention science; ensuring prevention is at the forefront of many high-profile policy conversations.
Drs. Fishbein and Wollman have worked tirelessly to develop the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives (NPSC) as a national network to advocate for the use of prevention science in federal and state policy. Their efforts have launched a cross-disciplinary effort to span the gap between science and policy. It has also led to a number of important successes, including the creation of a variety of resources and op-eds, four congressional briefings sponsored by federal legislators, and numerous opportunities to provide input into federal legislation.
In less than 2 years, the NPSC has made significant progress and undertaken a number of important initiatives to advance the use of prevention science in policy. Of particular note are their efforts to build bipartisan support for prevention, particularly in the realm of juvenile justice policy. This includes building productive working relationships with policymakers.
Drs. Fishbein and Wollman’s efforts have led to a growing coalition of prevention science groups (25+) including academic prevention centers, national program offices and professional societies. Their active listservs and committees provide a space for open discussion of issues facing the prevention field and frequently share opportunities for members to weigh in and become involved in new NPSC activities.
International Collaborative Prevention Research Award
The International Collaborative Prevention Research Award recognizes contributions to the field of prevention science in the area of international collaboration.
This year, we are pleased to present the International Collaborative Prevention Research Award to Drs. J. Mark Eddy and Charles R. Martinez, Jr. Dr. J. Mark Eddy is the Director of Research at Partners for Our Children in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington in Seattle. His work focuses on child and family wellbeing within the context of the child welfare system. He specializes in conducting rigorous longitudinal research studies of prevention and intervention programs intended to benefit children and families. Dr. Charles R. Martinez, Jr. is a clinical psychologist, professor, and department head in the Department of Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership at the University of Oregon, where he also directs the Center for Equity Promotion.
Drs. Eddy and Martinez have been instrumental in the development and implementation of a major initiative in Central America aimed at the prevention of youth violence and drug and gang involvement. In collaboration with the German aid agency Deutsche Geselleshaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), they have provided guidance and support to GIZ staff in four countries: Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Their contributions are focused on the development and implementation of a culturally-adapted curriculum called “Miles de Manos” (“Thousands of Hands”). This program was founded on the U.S. evidence-based programs Linking the Interest of Families and Teachers (LIFT), Nuestras Familias (Our Families), and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). The curriculum has undergone a series of revisions and was first implemented in Honduras, then Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. After each implementation, Drs. Martinez and Eddy have guided revisions to the curriculum based on feedback from participants, facilitators, and GIZ staff. They have also consistently contributed the best of their scientific expertise, their personal skills, and their strong leadership to ensure the ongoing feasibility and success of their international work.
In addition, Drs. Martinez and Eddy have guided the development of data collection instruments, data collection and management protocols, and program for training locally-based data collectors and data managers in several international sites. The training of local data collectors and managers – and of the facilitators of the intervention – is part of Drs. Eddy and Martinez commitment to ensure that the knowledge and skills for implementing research and prevention programs become integrated as capacities of local communities, local universities and department of education. Their joint effort directly translates to better opportunities for sustainability and dissemination of evidence-based programs in international settings. They have been invited to present their work in many international professional conferences focused on violence prevention, including events sponsored by GIZ, as well as organizations in Guatemala, Columbia and Mexico. They have worked tirelessly to share foundational principles of research, including evidence-based practices, randomized control trials, methods for data collection, development of curriculum and training manuals, fidelity, and dissemination of prevention research. Their effort is creating and sustaining impact on an entire region of Latin America.
Service to SPR Award
The Service to SPR Award is given in recognition of outstanding service to the organization.
This year, we are pleased to present the Service to SPR Award to Dr. Brenda Miller. She is a Senior Research Scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation at the Prevention Research Center (PRC) in California. She is currently funded by National Institute of Drug Abuse and National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, at the National Institutes of Health, as the Principal Investigator to conduct the following research studies: 1) Prevention of Young Adult Drug Use in Club Settings —which focuses on the development, implementation, and testing of environmental strategies to reduce drug use and increase safety in night clubs that attract young adults; 2) Webbased Family Prevention of Alcohol and Risky Sex for Older Teens – which is an interactive family based approach for engaging older teens and their parents to improve communication and to develop safety strategies around these types of high risk behaviors. She has engaged in research studies in Thailand, India, and Brazil that focus on family-based strategies to reduce adolescent use of alcohol and drugs, and risky sex.
Dr. Miller’s contributions to the Society include service on the SPR Board of Directors and serving as Chair of the 2011 SPR Annual Meeting “Prevention Scientists Promoting Global Health: Emerging Visions for Today and Tomorrow.” Most notably, Dr. Miller has served as Chair of the Society for Prevention Research’s (SPR), International Task Force (ITF) since its inception in 2009. Dr. Miller hosted a meeting of international collaborators in May 2008 at her offices in San Francisco, CA. the day before the SPR Annual Meeting which was held in San Francisco. Based upon this first successful meeting, Dr. Miller’s recommendation to hold an International Networking Forum at the 2009 SPR Annual Meeting was approved by the SPR Board. Under her leadership the ITF was created to plan the International Networking Forum which has become an annual event. The International Task Force which Miller has chaired since 2009, collaborates with external organizations to improve networking and communication among international colleagues interested in prevention science, and actively identifies opportunities for supporting the research to practice to policy nexus with scientifically based findings and research. Her leadership and commitment to the goals of the ITF has ensured the ongoing, vital and motivated working group that it is today.
Prior work has also included studies on violence and victimization, drinking and driving, and crime/social justice, environmental strategies and group-based prevention efforts. She was the Janet B. Wattles Endowed Professor and Director of the Center for Research on Urban Social Work Practice at the University at Buffalo (1998-2002). From 1996-1998, she served as Director at the Research Institute on Addictions in Buffalo, New York, where she was also was also Deputy Director (1988-1998) and Senior Scientist (1981-1998). She is a member of the American Society of Criminology, the Prevention Research Society, and the Research Society on Alcoholism. She received her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Albany. She has published extensively in these areas of research.
Friend of ECPN
The Friend of ECPN Award is presented to a mid-career or senior preventionist who has supported and encouraged early career prevention scientists or issues.
This year, we are pleased to present the Friend of ECPN Award to Dr. Karl Hill. Over the past 24 years, Dr. Hill has shown deep and genuine commitment to supporting early-career prevention scientists. He has been formally involved with 10 dissertation committees and with 12 research mentors. It has been said time and time again, that Dr. Hill is an attentive and accessible mentor who is deeply committed and demonstrates his commitment through his actions. He helps students learn to negotiate responsibilities and manage their anxiety by supporting them during difficult times while encouraging autonomy so that they can thrive as scholars.
Dr. Hill teaches, researches, and contributes to ECPN at SPR annual meetings, and as an SPR member. He also helps emerging scholars see the importance of successful interdisciplinary collaborations and professional networking to aid in their transition from student to academic professional and he has even invited junior faculty to collaborate on grant funded projects. Dr. Hill is a strong advocate who influences others on professional and personal levels. He supports his students, postdoctoral researchers, and junior faculty. Dr. Hill models professionalism and commitment to the field of prevention science. Dr. Hill has been an invaluable resource for many early prevention scientists.
ECPN John B. Reid Early Career Award
The ECPN John B. Reid Early Career Award is presented to a person early in their career in prevention. This award is bestowed on someone who has shown a commitment to prevention science through outstanding contributions to research, policy or practice.
This year, we are pleased to present the John B. Reid Early Career Award to Dr. Paula Frew. In the 8 years since Dr. Frew earned her doctorate degree, she has made impressive contributions to prevention science. So far during her career, she has served on 21 dissertation and thesis committees, and has mentored and supervised over 58 students including Public Health Master’s and Doctoral students, Medical Residents, and Fellows. She has contributed to 33 journal articles, 2 chapters, and a book. She has also made long-lasting efforts to mentor those around her by supporting, training, and collaborating on manuscripts, posters, and academic presentations with young scientists.
She has developed an impressive research agenda and positioned herself to make enormous contributions in the area of HIV/AIDS, maternal-child health, and immunization practice. Dr. Frew has utilized community based participatory research methodology with an impact assessment of behaviorally- and clinically-relevant outcomes in a longitudinal study to explore individual and network-level factors. Dr. Frew’s research has been supported by grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Emory University. Dr. Frew has made a positive impact not only on her students, but also on her community. Dr. Frew has contributed to the field of prevention science through her development of community-level interventions for historically underrepresented populations in the U.S. in regard to important health disparities such as HIV/AIDS, influenza, and medical access. Dr. Frew has also served as a model for translational research by developing outstanding, culturally-relevant, sustainable prevention and intervention programs for underserved groups. Through her strong relationships with those in her community, she has empowered community members to support, advocate, and engage in partnering to achieve better health outcomes. Dr. Frew’s connections with community partners has resulted in groundbreaking research in support of health policy change, and established pathways by which present and future health practitioners may reach historically underserved populations. Her high impact work could increase racial and ethnic minority participation across clinical research studies that could shift future policy. Dr. Frew has participated in teaching, mentoring students, conducting translational research, and service to the community.