Society for Prevention Research
2010 Awards
June 2, 2010

The Presidential Award is given to those who have made a major lifetime contribution to prevention science research.This year we are pleased and proud to present the Presidential Award to Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin. Botvin is a Professor of Psychology and holds a joint appointment in the Departments of Public Health and Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and he is the Director of Weill Medical College’s Institute for Prevention Research. Dr. Botvin is also president of National Health Promotion Associates, which promotes evidence-based prevention and provides teacher training and technical assistance. Dr. Botvin has an international reputation as a behavioral scientist involved in the areas of health promotion and disease prevention, and is widely recognized as an expert in the field of tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse prevention. He has been a productive researcher, publishing over 140 peer reviewed articles and book chapters, and presenting over 160 papers and invited addresses at national and international scientific meetings. Dr. Botvin has been a principal investigator on 20 federally-funded school-based prevention projects involving over 300 schools and 40,000 students. He is currently the principal investigator on several NIDA-funded grants including a 10-year drug abuse prevention follow-up study, a drug abuse and violence prevention trial with inner-city youth, and a center grant with collaborators at Columbia University focusing on drug abuse prevention with multi-ethnic youth. Dr. Botvin is the developer of the highly acclaimed LifeSkills Training substance abuse and violence prevention program in the late 1970s. LifeSkills Training is a highly effective and well-respected evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention program with more than 25 years of peer-reviewed research behind it. It is a Blueprints Model Program and has been endorsed by many U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (part of the U.S. Department of Justice). Dr. Botvin has served as a consultant to numerous federal and state agencies, and as a member of many expert advisory panels and NIH grant review committees. He has served in these capacities for the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Education, and the White House Office on National Drug Control Policy, among others. In 1995, Dr. Botvin was the first prevention researcher to receive a prestigious MERIT award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse an award given to the most outstanding senior scientists funded by NIH. He is also the recipient of the Society of Prevention Research’s Disque Dean Presidential Award for Prevention Excellence. Finally, Dr. Botvin is the former president of the Society for Prevention Research and served as the first editor-in-chief of Prevention Science from 2000 to 2006.

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. Thomas Dishion. Dr. Dishion is currently a Professor of Psychology and School Psychology at the University of Oregon, and also Co-Director of the University of Oregon’s Child and Family Center, which he founded. He has dedicated his career to the understanding and prevention of conduct problems and associated problem behaviors, particularly substance use, in adolescence. He has been bold and innovative at many levels critical to advancing prevention of these problems. First, in basic developmental research (e.g., his work on parental monitoring; his observational studies of peer influences in the 90’s which focused on measuring and defining a dynamic called deviancy training that proved prognostic of growth in problem behavior from adolescence through young adulthood; the construct of entropy and how it describes specific peer interactions that are powerful for increasing problem behavior). Second, in assessment advances, particularly observational work (e.g., the Topic Code, the Peer Process Code; the analysis of interpersonal dynamics using the dynamic systems framework). Third, in collaborating in methodological advances (e.g., growth modeling approaches to examining intervention effects). Fourth, in developing prevention programs that are strongly theory driven and realistically designed for widespread adoption (e.g., the cost effective Family Check-Up based on motivational interviewing). Fifth, in being unafraid to face negative effects of interventions and shine a bright light on their causes in order to improve intervention (e.g., his work on the iatrogenic effects of negative peer influences via peer contagion for some interventions that group conduct problem youth). The intervention design work of Dr. Dishion and his colleagues has been rewarded by evidence of effectiveness. Several randomized intervention trials now reveal that the Family Check-Up model is associated with reductions in early adolescent drug use, antisocial behavior and general problem behavior. In addition, they have found that emergence of antisocial behavior in early childhood is reduced with the Family Check-Up. Studies have also revealed that changes in parenting mediate the effects of the Family Check-Up on child and adolescent problem behavior. This intervention model has evolved over time to its current version of an adaptive tailored approach to family centered intervention which moves away from “one size fits all” into a systematic approach to intervening with children and families in a way that meets their specific needs, and is less costly in terms of the number of sessions required to have effects.

The Public Service Award is given in recognition of extensive and effective advocacy for prevention science and research-based programs. This year we recognize The Honorable Diane DeGette as the recipient of the SPR Public Service Award. Chief Deputy Whip Diana DeGette is serving her 7th term in Congress as Representative for the First District of Colorado. As Vice Chair of the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce, an exclusive congressional committee with vast jurisdiction over health care, trade, business, technology, food safety, and consumer protection, she is one of the leading voices in the health care debate in this country. As lead whip, she played a vital role in the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, has fought for tough food safety legislation, and was a key player in crafting a comprehensive consumer product safety bill. She was a forceful leader for inclusion of the maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting in H.R. 3590 (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), which provides $1.5 billion over five years to support evidence-based home visiting for at-risk pregnant women and parents of young children. This part of healthcare reform represents a significant shift toward rigorous evidence playing a much larger role in driving federal policy and investments in rigorous prevention programs. U.S. Rep. DeGette is also the chief architect of legislation to expand stem cell research, which has been passed twice with broad, bipartisan support in Congress. A life-long Coloradoan, U.S. Rep. DeGette is the author of the landmark Colorado Wilderness Act, which would protect and preserve 1.6 million acres of pristine land across Colorado for generations to come. She has fought to enhance her constituents’ access to affordable quality health care, expand mass transit, improve transportation in the Denver area, clean up environmental waste sites, and improve opportunities for small business.

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 are pleased to present the Science to Practice Award to Dr. Kenneth Dodge. Dr. Dodge is the William McDougall Professor of Public Policy Studies and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. He is the first Director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, where he leads an effort to bridge basic scientific research in children’s development with public policy affecting children and families. The center provides an integrated system of research, debate and dissemination, public service and teaching, addressing issues of child and family policy. Dr. Dodge is trained as a clinical and developmental psychologist, has published more than 130 scientific articles, and is the principal investigator for several large research grants. Dr. Dodge’s particular area of scholarship has addressed the development and prevention of chronic violence in children and adolescents. He has conducted both laboratory and longitudinal studies of how chronic aggressive behavior develops across the life span. His work has identified early family experience factors (such as child physical abuse), peer relations factors, and social-cognitive patterns that serve as catalysts for aggressive behavioral development. With colleagues, Dr. Dodge used these findings to create the Fast Track Program, a comprehensive effort to prevent the development of chronic violence in high-risk children.

The Nan Robler 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 are pleased to present the Nan Tobler Award for Review of the Prevention Science Literature to Dr. Joseph Durlak and Dr. Roger Weissberg for the paper entitled “The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-analysis of School-based Universal Interventions,” to be published in Child Development (In press). Joseph A. Durlak, is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Loyola University Chicago and Roger P. Weissberg is an LAS Distinguished Professor, and a Professor of Psychology and Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Dr. Weissberg directs the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Research Group at UIC. He is also President of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). During the past two years Joe Durlak and Roger Weissberg have conducted a series of meta-analysis that have rapidly advanced the science of social and emotional prevention programming. The most recent report is a meta-analysis of over 200 experimental studies of social and emotional learning which have demonstrated that SEL programs not only impact social cognitions and behavioral adaptation, but in addition such programs have a substantial effect size on academic achievement. Congratulations to Joe Durlak and Roger Weissberg for this landmark study.

The Community, Culture, & Prevention Science Award is given for contributions to the field of prevention science in the area of community and culture. This year we are pleased to present the Community, Culture, and Prevention Science Award to the team of Drs. Hilda Pantin and Guillermo Prado. Dr. Pantin, is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Miami, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (DEPH), the Associate Director of the Center for Family Studies (CFS) and the Director of the Prevention Division at the CFS. Dr. Prado is also an Associate Professor at the DEPH and has collaborated with Dr. Pantin in developing, evaluating and disseminating the efficacy and effectiveness of Familias Unidas, a Hispanic-specific, family-based preventive intervention designed to prevent conduct disorders, illicit drug use, alcohol use, cigarette use, and sexual risk behaviors by improving family functioning among Hispanic youth. Through their work in pioneering Familias Unidas, they have enhanced the understanding of effective prevention strategies for the Hispanic population. According to the National Research Council’s Institute of Medicine, the Familias Unidas intervention is one of only five Hispanic-oriented preventive interventions to have an impact on substance use and the only culturally-specific intervention to have an impact on both substance use and HIV risk behaviors, such as unprotected sexual behavior. Moreover, the Familias Unidas intervention program was referenced in the most recent IOM report on Preventing Mental Health, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders among Young People. Drs. Pantin and Prado were Co-PIs of two completed studies, and Dr. Pantin was the PI of the third study. Dr. Prado is currently the PI of three funded studies on Familias Unidas, including a Stage III study examining the effectiveness of the intervention in 24 middle schools across Miami-Dade County. These National Institute of Health (NIH) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) funded studies have amounted to over 11 million dollars in extramural funding. In addition to their tireless efforts in expanding their systematic program of prevention research, they are members of several prevention focused organizations. Dr. Prado is a member of the NIDA-funded National Hispanic Science Network (NHSN) and the Prevention Science Methodology Group. Dr. Pantin is also a member and executive director of the NHSN, as well as a member of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Consortium on Family and HIV/AIDS and the Prevention Research Review Workgroup: NIDA’s Advisory Council.

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 Dr. Steven W. Gust. Dr. Steven Gust has directed the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) International Program since 1999. He is responsible for the Institute’s efforts to foster rigorous collaborative and peer-reviewed international research and promote cooperation between NIDA and other U.S. agencies, foreign governments, and international, regional, and nongovernmental organizations. Dr. Gust oversees NIDA’s efforts to build research capacity, administering fellowships for postdoctoral scientists and midcareer drug abuse professionals from low- and middle- income countries as well as research exchange programs for senior scientists. To disseminate NIDA’s research methods, findings, and tools to international scientists and organizations, Dr. Gust supervises NIDA’s international scientific exchange activities, the NIDA International Program bimonthly E-News Letter, and the NIDA International Program Web page. Before assuming leadership of the NIDA International Program, Dr. Gust served as deputy and acting director of the Institute’s Office on AIDS and as a special assistant to the director responsible for research on the medical uses of marijuana. He joined NIDA in 1986 in the Clinical and Behavioral Pharmacology Branch, Division of Clinical Research, and has served as chief of the Research Section for the NIDA Division of Applied Research Workplace Performance Research Branch. Dr. Gust also conducted research at the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health. In 1993, Dr. Gust received a prestigious appointment as a congressional fellow, where he worked with the U.S Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota). He has served on the Surgeon General’s Advisory Group on the Health Effects of Smokeless Tobacco; the Transportation Research Board Committee on Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Transportation; and the White House Health Care Reform Task Force. Lastly, Dr. Gust brought the NIDA International Poster Session to the SPR Annual Meeting in 2008 and we are very pleased to have continued to host this important international event in 2009 and 2010.

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. Michael Schoeny. Michael Schoeny is a senior researcher at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and an investigator on several longitudinal and preventive intervention studies. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree at Indiana University, and a Master of Arts and a Doctoral Degree from DePaul University. Dr. Schoeny has served as the Annual Meeting Abstract Review Chair for the last three years. The work of the abstract review chair, which may take some 60 to 80 hours each year, is essential for the success of the annual meeting. Dr. Schoeny has tirelessly handled the abstract reviewer assignments for the blind, peer review process that involves more than 120 reviewers and manages the 10- 12 thematic review sub-committees for each annual meeting. His wide knowledge of prevention science and his reading of the more than 600 abstracts each year ensure a high-quality program. We thank Michael for his contributions over the past three years.

The ECPN Early Career Award is given in recognition of a person early in their career in prevention who has shown a commitment to prevention science through outstanding contributions to research, policy or practice. This year, we are pleased to present the ECPN Early Career Award to Dr. Catherine Bradshaw. Dr. Bradshaw earned her Master’s in Education in counseling at the University of Georgia and her PhD in Developmental Psychology at Cornell University in 2004. In October of 2004, Dr. Bradshaw joined the faculty of the Department of Mental Health at Johns Hopkins University, where she was recently promoted to Associate Professor. Currently, she serves as the Associate Director of the Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence (funded by CDC) and as Co-Director of the Center for Prevention and Early Intervention (funded by NIMH and NIDA). To date, Dr. Bradshaw has been the PI or Co-PI of 12 federally-funded research grants and the Co-Investigator on several additional federally-funded research grants. Three of these grants consist of randomized trials of Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports programs, each involving multiple school districts. As of February 2010, her CV included 56 peerreviewed publications and 14 book chapters. She has taught multiple courses on etiology and youth development related to psychopathological outcomes and serves as advisor to several doctoral candidates. Dr. Bradshaw also has served her community well by advancing prevention in multiple venues. She has served on multiple Baltimore city and Maryland state task forces or expert panels to review educational policies, during which she has written portions of state policy on prevention and training. Dr. Bradshaw has conducted at least 20 training sessions for educators and other professionals on prevention of problem behaviors such as bullying. Clearly, Catherine is quickly gaining recognition as a leader within the field of prevention research. It is our pleasure to count Dr. Catherine Bradshaw among the recipients of ECPN Early Career Awardees.

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 honored to present The Friend of ECPN Award to Dr. Kelli Komro, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Health Policy and Associate Director of the Institute for Child Health Policy at the University of Florida, College of Medicine. Dr. Komro served on the ECPN Steering Committee from 1998 - 2000 and received the ECPN Early Career Award in 2003. Dr. Komro has since continued to network with and support the growth of early career scientists and students directly or indirectly through ECPN. She has advised several PhD students at the University of Florida and the University of Minnesota. She is also a primary or co-primary mentor of two K-awards from NIH. A major emphasis of Dr. Komro’s research is the design and evaluation of theory-based multiple-component interventions to create social and environmental contexts that promote health and lower risk, with the goal of preventing or reducing deleterious health outcomes and high-risk behaviors among youth. Her current projects include a long-term follow-up survey of a cohort of low-income youth in Chicago and a recently funded multi-site project to support the scientific infrastructure for President Obama’s Promise Neighborhood initiative to further promote high-quality research within low-income neighborhoods for child health and well-being. Dr. Komro has involved early career scientists in all of her projects and for at least the last 5 years, she has participated in ECPN activities during the SPR Conference. We are honored to present this award to Dr. Komro for her continued support mentoring the next-generation of prevention scientists.