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SPR
18th Annual Meeting Call for Papers
"Cells
to Society: Prevention at All Levels"
June 1 - 4, 2010
Grand Hyatt Denver Downtown
Denver, Colorado
Pre-Conference
Workshops June 1, 2010
The
Program Committee of the Society for Prevention Research
(SPR) invites submissions for presentations within all
content areas of public health, education, human services,
criminal justice, medical and biobehavioral sciences,
and genetics. Relevant topics include, but are not limited
to: reduction of health disparities, health promotion
and disease prevention, maternal health, infant and
child health, mental health/mental disorders, family
conflict, substance abuse and addiction (alcohol, tobacco,
illicit drugs), violence prevention, delinquency, crime,
academic failure, dropping-out of school, obesity, cardiovascular
disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, HIV/AIDS and other
sexually transmitted disease, unintended pregnancy,
unemployment, productivity, occupation safety, auto
crashes, unintended injury, poverty, welfare, and managed
care, policy-based interventions, and international
prevention. Issues related to global warming and effects
of global warming on communities are a new focus.
Conference
Themes
Each
year the SPR selects a special theme designed to highlight
specific areas of research relevant for prevention scientists.
These special themes guide the development of plenary
sessions, symposia and preconference workshops. We hope
that this year’s special theme brings new colleagues
to SPR by emphasizing topics that have not been well-represented
at prior SPR meetings. Our intent is to provide an opportunity
for conference attendees to explore scientific developments
that may influence research in the near future and to
create a forum for interdisciplinary interactions. We
remain committed to maintaining our strengths by providing
the general conference themes typically focused on different
stages of the prevention cycle. We strongly encourage
those submitting to consider one of the special or general
themes when crafting their submission.
Special Conference Theme: Cells to Society:
Prevention at all Levels.
This
theme builds on the work of the SPR Mapping Advances
in Prevention Science (MAPS) I, Type 1 Translation Research
workgroup emphasizing a recent shift in prevention science
to include the assessment of biomarkers for problem
behaviors that have implications for prevention. These
biomarkers can be identified using a wide variety of
tools such as assessment of hormones, brain imaging
studies and consideration of neurogenetic traits. Incorporating
advances in neuroscience into prevention research helps
to facilitate the early identification of markers, both
biological and behavioral, that can then be targets
of behavioral interventions. Plenary sessions and symposia
will be designed to promote the conference theme, including
presenters from each phase of intervention planning,
from the biologic laboratory to intervention to a public
health approach. Abstract submissions will largely reflect
the same type of integration of basic laboratory research
and intervention development.
Subthemes.
There are a number of “subthemes” that together
build the larger special conference theme of cells to
society.
Policy
and Practice: Implications of Biomarkers
on Prevention Science. Rapid advances in our
understanding of how genetic and neurocognitive factors
influence risk present an important public health challenge.
With the increasing availability of testing to consumers,
it is not a question of whether, but how and how effectively
genetic and neurobiological information on risk of disease
will become part of public health policy. A challenge
for investigators is to act as responsible interpreters
of the science in the process of translating knowledge
to practice.
Culture,
Context, Cells and Prevention. Research examining
biomarkers often neglects the study of culture and contextual
factors. Similarly, work focused on culture and contextual
factors often does not consider biomarkers. Prevention
research has demonstrated the importance of culture
and context in the risk of disease, thus research considering
culture, context and biomarkers is critical.
Cells
to Society: Change and Stability Across the Lifespan.
In order to maximize efficacy prevention research must
consider variability in developmental change across
the lifespan. The literature has further established
that physiological functioning (and therefore the biomarker
indices) varies by developmental stage. Integrating
our understanding of how physiological processes and
biomarkers change across the lifespan with approaches
generated by the prevention sciences represents an important
strategy for increasing our likelihood of success in
improving and preventing disease and dysfunction.
General Conference Themes: Advances across the
Stages of the Prevention Research Cycle
Epidemiology.
Basic behavioral science and epidemiology remain the
basis of strong intervention and prevention programs.
Submissions focused on describing risk factors within
specific populations, especially those with a developmental
and/or lifespan approach would be consistent with this
theme.
Etiology.
Etiological and basic science research efforts
generate knowledge that contributes to the development
of future preventive efforts. Submissions examining
biological and psychosocial factors in the development
of risk, problems and healthy development could be submitted
under this theme.
Efficacy Trials. Efficacy trials demonstrate
the “proof of concept” with a specified
population under conditions of high quality assurance
and strong research designs (typically randomized controlled
designs). Submissions reporting findings from efficacy
trials are welcome and those that combine efficacy trial
research with one of the special conference theme are
particularly encouraged.
Effectiveness
Trials. Effectiveness trials involve replicating
an efficacious intervention under real world conditions
in community settings.
Implementation
Science. Dissemination, implementation, and
operations research can help to bridge the gap between
clinical research and everyday practice through a dynamic,
transactional process between the public health community
and researchers. Studies should advance the scientific
understanding of dissemination strategies, adoption
of interventions, intervention fidelity and adaptation,
effectiveness, and sustainability of interventions –
and outcomes are encouraged at the individual, provider,
organizational, and system level. Operations research
can inform how best to effectively and cost-effectively
overcome the real-world challenges of implementation.
Innovative Methods and Statistics. “Cutting
edge” studies and methodological analyses that
address measurement, statistical and design challenges
to prevention science, as well as the benefits offered
by various innovative statistical methods are invited.
Submissions describing strategies that have been designed
or used to help overcome some of these unique challenges
to prevention science are especially encouraged (i.e.,
advances in methods and statistics for neuroimaging
and genetics).
In addition to the themes described above,
there are two special themes for the 2010 conference.
These themes, although distinct from the special and
general conference themes described above, may include
research that may also fit into one of the other conference
themes.
System
Science Perspectives. Exploring the use of
systems science approaches (e.g., computational modeling
and simulation, network analysis, engineering control
methods) to conceptualize prevention at the micro- or
macro-levels of analyses. System science involves taking
into account the big picture in all its complexity (i.e.,
a system view) while also taking into account the important
relationships between components of a system and changes
in the system over time. This topic is of particular
relevance for prevention science because translational
efforts in prevention are squarely aimed at maximizing
the population impacts of prevention intervention-related
scientific discoveries while also incorporating knowledge
from the basic neurobiological sciences for the possibility
of designing more finely targeted interventions.
International
Prevention Research. We are actively engaged
in promoting and encouraging international collaboration
in prevention research. We encourage submissions that
highlight prevention strategies employed in multiple
countries as well as from international prevention scientists.
NIDA
International SPR Poster Session. The National
Institute on Drug Abuse is sponsoring an international
poster session. Posters will highlight prevention and
prevention-related research completed in international
settings by international, domestic and cross-nation
teams of researchers. A separate call for submissions
to this international poster session will be issued.
All
abstracts will be submitted on-line at www.preventionresearch.org.
NB: This year SPR is using a new abstract submission
site. It is suggested you become familiar with the abstract
submission site as soon as possible. Please contact
Jennifer Lewis for questions (703-934-4850, ext. 213
or jenniferlewis@preventionresearch.org)
The abstract site will open Wednesday, September
16, 2009.
Deadline for Submission: Monday,
October 26, 2009, EXTENDED
TO NOVEMBER 9, 2009
Society
for Prevention Research
11240 Waples Mill Road, Ste 200, Fairfax, VA 22030;
703-934-4850, 703-359-7562 fax jenniferlewis@preventionresearch.org,
www.preventionresearch.org
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