Guillermo (Willy) Prado is a Distinguished University Professor of Nursing and Health Studies, Public Health Sciences, and Psychology at the University of Miami. He is a pioneer in health disparities and behavioral interventions for the prevention of substance use, sexual risk behaviors, obesity and mental health in Hispanic families.

He has received approximately $30 million in continuous NIH and CDC funding since his doctoral studies, including approximately $1 million per year in active funding as PI and over $150 million as Co-I, mentor, or collaborator. His research has led to over 200 peer-reviewed articles and chapters.

Prado’s scholarship on family-based preventive interventions and Hispanic adolescents is internationally recognized. At the time that Prado and his colleagues began developing family-based preventive interventions for Hispanics, there were no such interventions for this population.

For significantly advancing knowledge in the behavioral interventions, health disparities, and adolescent health literature, he has received numerous awards and honors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Hispanic Science Network; the Community, Culture, and Prevention Science Award from the Society for Prevention Research; and election to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine.

His research has been featured in multiple media outlets, including the Miami Herald, NBC, Univision, and CNN en Español. He has also been invited to serve as a witness to the U.S. House Select Committee on Economic Disparities and Fairness in Growth to speak about prevention science and health disparities.

Beyond research and scholarship, Prado is strongly committed to teaching and mentoring. In addition to his well-funded research program and his administrative responsibilities since arriving at the University of Miami in 2007, Prado has taught courses in prevention science, research methods, professional development, and biostatistics.

In recognition of his teaching, Prado received the inaugural faculty teaching award in the Department of Public Health Sciences, awarded by the Public Health Student Association.

Prado is also dedicated to mentoring and training the next generation of prevention and health disparities scientists, particularly those who identify as underrepresented minorities. In fact, more than 80 percent of his doctoral mentees in the past 10 years have been underrepresented minorities. All his doctoral mentees have pursued careers in research, academia, and industry.

Prado has received mentoring awards, including the ECPN award for mentoring early career preventionists from the Society for Prevention Research and the Presidential Award of the Florida Education Fund for his commitment to training underrepresented minorities.

Prado served as interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and previously as vice provost for Faculty Affairs and dean of the Graduate School.

He previously served as the founding director of the Division of Prevention Science and Community Health, director of the Epidemiology Division, and director of the PhD program in Epidemiology in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Miller School of Medicine.

He is past president of the Society for Prevention Research and a former member of Research America’s Executive Committee. He currently chairs one of the National Academy of Medicine’s 12 sections.

Dr. Alyssa Lozano is a Research Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Miami. She earned both her Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Prevention Science and Community Health from the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Her graduate training provided the foundation for a career rooted in translational, equity-focused research.

Dr. Lozano’s research program focuses on reducing HIV, substance use, and mental health disparities among Hispanic adolescents through the development and implementation of culturally responsive family-based interventions.

Increasingly, her work integrates implementation science approaches to improve the reach, adoption, and sustainability of evidence-based interventions in community and healthcare settings.

In 2025, she was awarded an NIH K01 Career Development Award, “Planning for Implementation of Family-based Intervention for Prevention of HIV, Substance Use, and Mental Health Problems among Hispanic Youth at Risk: A Community-Engaged Approach,” which supports her development as an independent implementation scientist and advances her goal of improving behavioral health outcomes among Hispanic adolescents and families.