SPR 2022 Fellows
This year, we are pleased and proud to present the tenth cohort 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.
Kevin Haggerty, PhD
Dr. Kevin Haggerty’s research over a long career demonstrates the best of prevention science: attention to scientific rigor coupled with a focus on real‐world impact. The result is a body of work of tremendous breadth and depth that shows effective preventive interventions can improve the lives of youth and families in schools, communities, and human serving systems. Dr. Haggerty’s contributions to prevention science have been exceptional. He has 140 publications in peer‐reviewed journals, 22 additional book chapters and monographs, and 121 peer‐reviewed presentations. More significant, however, is the impact of Dr. Haggerty’s work. Dr. Haggerty’s scientific leadership is demonstrated by his role as Principal Investigator (PI) on 25 different prevention grants awarded by federal agencies and foundations, numerous federal and state contracts, and contribution as a Co‐Investigator on many additional awards.
Dr. Haggerty’s influence on prevention science over time traces the pivotal issues the field has contended with: building the evidence base for effective prevention, and translating, adapting, and implementing evidence‐based interventions to extend their reach and impact. He has developed or co‐developed curricula for 11 different preventive interventions for use in schools, communities, and agency settings with universal and selective populations—remarkable depth and breadth and a testament to his goal of reaching young people with a variety of needs and in a variety of settings preventively. Tests of these interventions that he has led, or on which he has played a seminal role, have had groundbreaking implications for the field.
The significance of Dr. Haggerty’s contributions to prevention and the broader field of social work has previously been recognized in his 2019 induction as a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, and in his receiving the Society for Prevention Research Translational Science Award in 2015 and Prevention Science Award in 2016.
Leslie Leve, PhD
Dr. Leslie Leve’s scholarship investigates the roles of family and peer environments on children’s healthy development, with a particular emphasis on understanding how genetics and cultural contexts impact well‐being throughout the lifespan. Dr. Leve is an exceptional researcher that is nationally recognized for her work in the field of prevention science and developmental psychology. Dr. Leve’s research is grounded in methodological approaches from the field of prevention and influenced by public health and biology. Her work is embedded within the social ecological model of health and focuses on how individual level factors such as genetic influences interact with complex environments (e.g., family, peers) and cultural context to impact child health. Her research has spanned etiology, intervention development and testing, and implementation. Furthermore, her basic research has been translated to efficacious and effective prevention interventions which have been evaluated using rigorous designs such as longitudinal parent‐child adoption designs and randomized controlled trials.
The impact of Dr. Leve’s research is exemplary. Her research has appeared in over 200 peer reviewed publications in high impact journals, including Prevention Science, Epidemiology, Obesity, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and has been cited over 10,000 times during her career. Additionally, she has made several hundred presentations both nationally and internationally. Finally, she has been continuously funded throughout her career by multiple federal agencies, including NIH, NIJ, and DOE with over 50 grants during her career. Not only is Dr. Leve an influential prevention scientist, but she is also a devoted mentor to early career prevention scientists, and a servant leader in the larger prevention science community. She received the Society for Prevention Research Prevention Science Award in 2011 for her work, served as chair of the SPR 2012 Annual Meeting, and also served as president of the Society from 2017‐2019.
SPR 2022 Awards
Presidential Award: The Presidential Award is given to those who have made a major lifetime contribution to prevention science research.
James C. Anthony, PhD
Dr. Jim Anthony is a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Michigan State University. His research accomplishments appear in
more than 300 published articles and books, and have been recognized in awards and honors, including designation as a “highly
influential” contributor to the research literature of “psychology/psychiatry” and “general social sciences.” He has been elected to serve as President of the Alpha Chapter of the Delta Omega Society, the premier public health honors society in the world, as chairman of the Section of Epidemiology and Public Health of the World Psychiatric Association, and as a member of the Board of Directors for the College on Problems of Drug Dependence. He is an NIH Senior Scientist awardee, with a K05 Senior Scientist award to support his research and mentorship activities, as well as continuous NIH R01 award support since the early 1980s, and he has been founding director for two NIH‐funded drug dependence epidemiology training programs, one for US citizens (now with more than 20 years of funding) and one for epidemiologists from overseas (now in its 13th year of funding, with a South American base at UPCH in Lima, Peru). He maintains a focused attention on the research career development of new investigators, and more than a dozen of his trainees have become NIH principal investigators, including one who has become a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and another with a NIDA MERIT award.
Prevention Science Award: The Prevention Science Award is given for the application of scientific methods to developing and testing prevention strategies.
Myra Parker, PhD, JD, and Seven Directions Team, University of Washington, whose team members are: Christina E. Ore, MPH, DrPH, Maya Magarati, PhD, Danielle Eakins, PhD, Katie M. Hess, MPH, Leo Egashira, MBA, Lynnette Jordan, Carly Marshal, MPA, Jacob Fong‐Gurzinsky, MS, Sofia Singer, and student interns Adam Adelstein, Andrea Paz, Brenda Goh, Jamie Lan, Kiet Pham, Robin Long, Shino Someya, Darwyn Largo, and Kali Joseph.
Myra Parker, PhD, JD, is an associate professor in the Center for the Studies of Health and Risk Behaviors in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, in the University of Washington School of Medicine. She also serves as the director for Seven Directions: A Center for Indigenous Health. Dr. Parker has worked for over ten years on tribal public health program implementation, and coordination with tribal communities in Arizona, Idaho, and Washington, as well as with tribal colleges and universities across the United States. Her research experience in public health involves Community Based Participatory Research, cultural adaptation of evidence‐based interventions, and disparities research. As an enrolled member of the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes, she is aware of the historical health practices and misconduct perpetuated on tribes in the United States, as well as other minority and disenfranchised populations. Her background in law and policy has informed a broader understanding of the principles of ethics and serves as a framework for identifying methods to address the disparities in tribal control and access of research data through the use of formalized agreements and other mechanisms that support tribal sovereignty.
Dr. Parker’s research and clinical interests include: (1) cultural adaptation of alcohol and drug interventions among American Indians and Alaska Natives (with a particular focus on tribal college drinking harm reduction), (2) development and testing of parenting interventions to support early childhood development in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, (3) co‐morbidity of substance use with depression, suicide, trauma, and PTSD, (4) research capacity development, including ethical aspects of research, for tribal and urban Indian communities; and, (5) dissemination and translation of evidence‐based prevention and intervention approaches at the individual, institutional, and community level, including policy development. She has worked with tribal and urban Indian communities across the United States on these topics.
Public Service Award: The Public Service Award is given in recognition of extensive and effective advocacy for prevention science and research‐based programs.
David Muhammad
David Muhammad is a leader in the fields of criminal justice, violence prevention, and youth development. David is the Executive Director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR). Dr. Muhammad has worked to implement positive youth development into youth justice systems around the country and was the primary author of NICJR’s seminal report, A Positive Youth Justice System. For three years, David was extensively involved in developing a detailed reform plan for the Los Angeles County Probation Department, the largest probation department in the country. He also served as the technical assistance provider for the Sierra Health Foundation’s Positive Youth Justice Initiative, providing training and consulting to several California probation departments. NICJR is currently serving as a technical assistance provider to the City and County of San Francisco, working to reform its juvenile justice system and close its juvenile detention center.
Through NICJR, David provides leadership and technical assistance to the Ceasefire Gun Violence Reduction Strategy in the cities of Oakland and Stockton, California; Portland, Oregon; and Indianapolis, Indiana. David helped lead a partnership of organizations and technical assistance providers that achieved a 50 percent reduction in shootings and homicides in Oakland. In 2013, David was the first Executive Director of the Anti‐Recidivism Coalition (ARC) in Los Angeles. ARC has grown to become one of the largest and most prominent service providers and policy advocacy organizations for the formerly incarcerated in California. While Executive Director of The Mentoring Center in Oakland, California, David was contracted by the City of Richmond, to help design the Office of Neighborhood Safety, which has since been credited for bringing significant reductions in violence to the city.
Translation Science Award: The Translation 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.
Amanda Nguyen, PhD
Amanda Nguyen, PhD, MA, is an Assistant Professor of Education on the research faculty at the School of Education at the University of Virginia. Prior to her current appointment, she was a Post‐Doctoral Research Associate with Youth‐Nex in Human Services at the Education School. She holds a doctorate in public mental health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Denver.
Her primary research interests focus on partnering with community organizations to deliver and evaluate culturally appropriate mental and behavioral health programs for young people in lowresource settings. Her work leverages both qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine risk and protective factors, identify and describe psychosocial problems, validate assessment instruments, and evaluate interventions. Past work has included cross‐cultural examination of peer victimization and psychosocial outcomes, health promotion for Latino children, scale‐up of a mental health counseling program in Iraq, and qualitative assessment of psychosocial
problems in Chechnya. She currently collaborates on multiple research initiatives including cross‐cultural measurement of school climate, scientific evaluation of psychosocial support programs in humanitarian settings, and RCTs of interventions to reduce aggression among U.S. middle school students and to treat mental health problems of children affected by conflict in Myanmar.
Nguyen has led or co‐authored multiple peer‐reviewed publications, and has presented findings at national and international conferences including the American Public Health Association, Society for Prevention Research, Society for Research on Adolescence, and the European Conference on Youth Mental Health. She has also collaborated on handbooks and monographs for organizations including the United Nations and the World Bank.
Nan Tobler Award for Review of the Prevention Science Literature: 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.
David H. Barker, PhD
Dr. Barker is a staff psychologist at Rhode Island Hospital in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is a licensed clinical psychologist who earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in 2003. He obtained his PhD in Pediatric Health Psychology from the University of Miami in 2010. He completed his internship and a postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University. His research is focused on the social context of health behaviors in pediatric populations, applied statistical modeling in pediatric psychology and sleep science, and applying causal modeling techniques to evidence synthesis of individual‐participant‐data from clinical trials. In his recent article with colleagues in Prevention Science, David Barker and his team offer a novel approach to tackling individual participant data meta‐analysis to permit causal inferences to the target population. This work not only advances the field of HIV prevention among adolescents, but also offers innovative methodological approaches that will have a large impact on the field as IPD meta‐analyses gain prominence.
Advances in Culture and Diversity in Prevention Science Award: The Advances in Culture and Diversity in Prevention Science Award is given for contributions to the field of prevention science in the area of community and culture.
Trenette Clark Goings, PhD
Dr. Trenette Clark Goings is the Sandra Reeves Spears and John B. Turner Distinguished Professor of Social Work at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been recognized for excellence in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion by UNC, Virginia Commonwealth, and NIH. She’s been a member of SPR and presented at the annual meeting several times. Her scholarship addresses: substance use among Black adolescents and in Black families, violence prevention, and on the importance of anti‐racism in research. She also has done some impactful work patterns of substance use among biracial youth. She currently holds an R01 from NIDA titled “Substance Use among Biracial Adolescents and Emerging Adults: The Double Jeopardy Hypothesis.”
Dr. Goings is an international expert in substance use prevention among youth and emerging adults of color. Her work has been consistently funded — mostly by the National Institutes of Health — and has yielded publications in leading peer‐reviewed journals including Drug & Alcohol Dependence, Addiction, Development & Psychopathology, Addictive Behaviors, and Health Psychology. She is currently principal investigator of two major grants funded by NIH/NIDA and SAMHSA.
She serves on several national committees, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Society for Social Work and Research. She is a recipient of the very competitive and prestigious Society for Social Work and Research Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award. She was also awarded the Wallace Kuralt Early Career Professorship at UNC School of Social Work and the Making a Difference PhD Alumni Award from the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is currently an associate member in the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC‐Chapel Hill. She is also a faculty affiliate in the Center for Contextual Genetics & Prevention Science at the University of Georgia and in the Global Social Development Innovations research center at UNC‐Chapel Hill.
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.
Laboratory for Prevention Research (PrevLab), whose team members are Martina Feric, PhD, Valentina Kranzelic, PhD, Josipa Mihic, PhD, and Miranda Novak, PhD, University of Zagreb, Crotia
This international group established the internationally recognized Laboratory for Prevention Research (PrevLab) in 2017. PrevLab is the legatee to the Centre for Prevention Research (CPI) which was founded by Prof. Josipa Bašić in the year 2005 (she was a recipient of the Society for Prevention Research International Award in 2012) at the Department of Behavioral Disorders, Faculty of Education & Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb (Croatia). More about PrevLab is available at http://www.erf.unizg.hr/en/about‐us/organization/institute/prevlab.
The Laboratory for Prevention Research (PrevLab) team has received the European Society for Prevention Research (EUSPR) Award “Sloboda Medal” for continuous contribution to the development of prevention science in Europe and internationally. The award was presented on the closing ceremony of the 9th EUSPR Annual Conference “Prevention Technologies ‐ Improving the Use of Evidence in Prevention Practice” (24th ‐ 26th, October 2018, Lisbon, Portugal). More about the EUSPR award here: https://euspr.org/award‐winners/.
The researchers are also a leading and main teaching team of the Prevention Science and Disability Postgraduate Doctoral Program at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences. The Prevention Science and Disability Doctoral Studies Program is the first (and only) of such kind in Croatia, one of the rare ones in the world and (most likely) the only one in Europe. The Doctoral Degree Program has been delivered since 2007/2008 and currently, the fifth student generation is attending it (73 doctoral students attended or still attending it all together). The Doctoral Degree Program is carried out collaboratively, in partnerships with domestic and foreign teachers and scientists working in various scientific areas, fields or branches. They have been involved in many important national and EU projects in the field of prevention science, research, and practice, including as a leading or work package leading partners.
Service to SPR Award: The Service to SPR Award is given in recognition of outstanding service to the organization.
Brenda Miller, PhD
Dr. Brenda Miller is a senior scientist at Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation who studies prevention of violence, partner violence, and child abuse prevention. Miller has engaged in research studies in Thailand, India, and Brazil that focus on family‐based strategies to reduce adolescent use of alcohol and drugs. She is currently funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Her service to SPR has been centered around international collaborative research. Miller initiated the International Networking Forum in 2008 in San Francisco as an adhoc, Tuesday session at the SPR conference. It has been an annual conference event ever since that time. She served on the SPR Board of Directors from 2009 to 2012 and she was appointed as the first chair of the International Committee when it was established in 2011. She served as chair for four years. She chaired the 2011 SPR conference “Prevention Scientists Promoting Global Health: Emerging Visions for Today and Tomorrow.” She now chairs the SPR International Committee, International workgroup on climate change. She has been actively engaged with the Board via her work on this committee. Miller’s commitment to SPR and international collaborative research has been invaluable to SPR.
SPR/ECPN 2022 Awards
ECPN John B. Reid Early Career Award: The ECPN John B. Reid Early Career Award is presented to an individual 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.
Elizabeth M. Aparicio, PhD
We are thrilled to present the 2022 ECPN John B. Reid Early Career Award to Dr. Elizabeth Aparicio. Dr. Aparicio is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health at the University of Maryland; the Director of the Community THRIVES Lab; and a Licensed Certified Social Worker‐Clinical (LCSW‐C). Previously, Dr. Aparicio worked as an Assistant Professor at the University of Hawai‘i Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work. Dr. Aparicio holds a PhD from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, and was a predoctoral fellow at the Center for Public Health Social Work Education & Training. Dr. Aparicio’s research focuses on the implementation and evaluation of trauma‐informed mental health and reproductive justice services for marginalized children, youth, and families. She is currently leading three major projects in this area, and is extremely productive, working to translate knowledge through both academic and non‐academic outlets. Dr. Aparicio has also made key contributions to prevention science research and practice on the topics of trauma, abuse, and neglect in families. Dr. Aparicio has been engaged with SPR since 2015.
Friend of ECPN Award: 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. The recipient of the Friend of ECPN Award will have been active in supporting early career activities, either by helping ECPN as an organization; promoting training, funding, or early career preventionists in their work.
Brittany Cooper, PhD
It is an honor to present the 2022 Friend of ECPN Award to Dr. Brittany Rhoades Cooper. Dr. Cooper is an Associate Professor of Human Development and the Director of the Prevention Science PhD Program at Washington State University. She is also the co‐lead of SAMHSA’s Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center. Dr. Cooper has made outstanding contributions to prevention science training and mentorship, both within her institution and SPR more broadly. Dr. Cooper has been engaged with SPR since 2016, and is currently a member of the SPR Board and serves as the Chair of the Training Committee. As noted by Dr. Cooper’s nominator, “throughout her career she has prioritized supporting the next generation of prevention scientists through her research, teaching, and
service…she is an inspiring and caring mentor and a visionary supporter of students and early career preventionists.” Her work to support early career prevention scientists includes the development of the first interdisciplinary PhD program in Prevention Science; the initiation of a Prevention Science Graduate Student Organization and weekly Prevention Science Research Colloquium series at her institution; the co‐development of a 10‐month prevention science fellowship program; the development of Prevention Science Curriculum Infusion packages; and leadership of SPR’s Prevention Science syllabi repository.
ECPN Service Award: The ECPN Service Award is presented to someone who has shown a commitment to the development and advancement of ECPN. The intention of this award is to recognize contributions above and beyond traditional steering committee
Marie‐Hélène Véronneau, PhD
We are most pleased to present the 2022 ECPN Service Award to Dr. Marie‐Hélène Véronneau. Dr. Véronneau is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Quebec at Montreal, where her research focuses on promoting youth resilience and social‐emotional competence in the context of adversity. Dr. Véronneau was active with the ECPN Steering Committee for almost a decade, and from 2013‐2017, served as ECPN Chair‐Elect/Chair. In her role as ECPN Chair, Dr. Véronneau supported the transfer of the Sloboda and Bukoski SPR Cup and the SPR Fun Run/Walk to the ECPN committee. Dr. Véronneau also adopted a committee structure during her time as ECPN chair that has allowed for more meaningful participation among multiple members of this growing group. Due to her efforts to collaborate with EU‐ECPN, there is also now travel support funding for two SPR ECPN members to attend EU‐SPR each year. As noted by her nominator, “Dr. Véronneau’s leadership not only has played an essential role to sustain ECPN during recent years but also in supporting the next generation of ECPN members.”
The Society for Prevention Research expresses special thanks to the top manuscript reviewers for Prevention Science.
Nick Ialongo, PhD, Johns Hopkins University
Kimberly Henry, PhD, Oregon Social Learning Center
Patty Lijten, University of Amsterdam
Joel Hektner, PhD, North Dakota State University
Gitanjali Shrestha, PhD, Washington State University
The Society for Prevention Research wishes to congratulate the Early‐Career Mentored Editorial Board Members. The following individuals have completed their terms:
Chanler Hilley, Arizona State University
Daniel A. Camacho, Johns Hopkins University
Kelly O’Connor, Virginia Commonwealth University
Katrina Prior, University of Sydney
Kylie Routledge, University of Sydney
Maria Schweer‐Collins, University of Oregon
Ani Movsisyan, University of Munich
Chynna S. McCall, University of Missouri
Gitanjali Shrestha, Washington State University
Lucine Francis, Johns Hopkins University
The following individuals are current Early‐Career Mentored Editorial Board Members:
Alejandra Fernandez, University of Miami, Department of Public Health Sciences
Elly Miles, University of Denver, Department of Psychology
Joanna Kim, Arizona State University, Department of Psychology
Sarah Rosenbach, New York University, Steinhardt School of Education, Culture, and Human
Development, Department of Applied Psychology
Summer Braun, University of Alabama
Radhika Raghunathan, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Pediatrics
Sonya Xinyue Xiao, Arizona State University, School of Social and Family Dynamics
Athena Chan, University of Minnesota, Family Social Science
Joseph Kush, Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health, Department of Mental Health
SPR 2022 Recognition and Honors Committee
Fellows Committee:
Beth Stormshak, PhD, chair
Celene Domitrovich, PhD
Gretta Massetti, PhD
Lisa Saldana, PhD
Sharlene Wolchik, PhD
Awards Committee:
Beth Stormshak, PhD, chair
Kim DuMont, PhD, DNC liaison
Renee Johnson, PhD
Sharon Lambert, PhD
Christine Lee, PhD
Keryn Pasch, PhD
Emily Tanner‐Smith, PhD
John Toumbouro, PhD, International Committee liaison
SPR/ECPN Awards Committee:
Deinera Exner, PhD, Chair ECPN Steering Committee