Plenary Sessions and Roundtables

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

8:30 am – 10:00 am - PLENARY SESSION I
Prevention Science in an Increasingly Globalized World
Grand Ballroom A
Chair: Zili Sloboda, University of Akron
Presenters: Eduardo Simoes, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nancy S. Padian, RTI International, Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, University of California, Los Angelos

In a world of increasing globalization, prevention science faces new challenges and opportunities to impact social health and well-being. Millions of people, the majority children, die each year from diseases that are treatable and preventable. The most fundamental aspects of context -- extreme poverty, social disparities, political systems, infrastructure and resources – impact the ability to reach and affect those most in need. In this plenary, three distinguished scientists working across areas of prevention science, from epidemiology and etiology to the development and implementation of evidence-based interventions, will discuss their programs of research in developing countries around the world.

10:15 am – 11:45 am - PLENARY I ROUND TABLE
Grand Ballroom A
Prevention Science in an Increasingly Globalized World
Grand Ballroom A
Chair: Zili Sloboda, University of Akron
Presenters: Eduardo Simoes, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nancy S. Padian, RTI International, Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, University of California, Los Angelos
This session provides an opportunity for attendees to ask more questions and have more discussion than would be covered in the plenary alone.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

8:30 am – 10:00 am - PLENARY SESSION II
The Built Environment: Implications for Health and Social Connection
Grand Ballroom A
Chair: Deborah Gorman-Smith, Institute for Juvenile Research, University of Illinois at Chicago
Presenters: Jose Szapocznik, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Lawrence Frank, University of British Columbia, and Susan Saegert, CUNY Graduate Center

There is growing recognition that the built environment, the physical structure and design of communities, has enormous influence on our physical and mental health. The design of cities, neighborhoods and towns, impacts the ways in which we travel, exercise, and interact with others. It impacts the quality of the air we breathe and the kinds of environmental hazards faced. It influences our housing choices and the physical safety of our children and families. Although much is known about these relations, relatively little is known about the precise mechanisms through which characteristics of the built environment influence physical and mental health, or how these characteristics relate within specific subpopulations or groups. In this plenary, three distinguished researchers will present data from their individual programs of research evaluating the relation of the built environment, including design features, transportation systems, and housing, to the physical and mental well-being of children and adults. Implications for prevention science and policy will be discussed.

10:15 am – 11:45 am - PLENARY I ROUND TABLE
Grand Ballroom A
The Built Environment: Implications for Health and Social Connection
Grand Ballroom A
Chair: Deborah Gorman-Smith, Institute for Juvenile Research, University of Illinois at Chicago
Presenters: Jose Szapocznik, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Lawrence Frank, University of British Columbia, and Susan Saegert, CUNY Graduate Center

This session provides an opportunity for attendees to ask more questions and have more discussion than would be covered in the plenary alone.

Friday, May 30, 2008

10:15 am – 11:45 am - PLENARY SESSION III
Grand Ballroom A
The role of the environment and development in gene by environment interactions.
Chairs: Richard Catalano, University of Washington and Kathy Etz, NIDA and
Presenters: Kenneth Dodge, Duke University, Leslie Leve, Oregon Social Learning Center and Stephen Gilman, Harvard University

Building on the conference theme of Context and Prevention Science, the theme for this plenary is the role of gene-environment interactions, but with a primary focus on the environment and development. While most agree that “environment or context matters” in the gene-environment interaction, most investment and research has been directed to developing methods and understanding of the genetic side of the interaction including genome mapping, genetic measurement and analysis, less research has carefully characterized the environment. For example, most studies have taken a measurement at a single point in time of the environment based on available data. Accurately conceptualizing and studying socializing environments across development are critical areas in which prevention scientists could make significant contributions. Such contributions would aid our understanding of the ways in which context matters in designing interventions and understanding the effects on development, health and variations in intervention impact.

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm - PLENARY SESSION III ROUNDTABLE
Grand Ballroom A
The role of the environment and development in gene by environment interactions.
Chairs: Richard Catalano, University of Washington and Kathy Etz, NIDA and
Presenters: Kenneth Dodge, Duke University, Leslie Leve, Oregon Social Learning Center and Stephen Gilman, Harvard University

This session provides an opportunity for attendees to ask more questions and have more discussion than would be covered in the plenary alone.

Back to Top