Presidential Address

Thursday, June 3, 2010

3:00 pm – 3:45 pm

Welcome: Linda Collins, PhD, Penn State University

Keynote Speaker:

A. Thomas McLellan, Ph.D
Deputy Director
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

Goals and Goal Attainment in Translation of Prevention Science into Policy and Practice in the President’s National Drug Control Strategy
A. Thomas McLellan, PhD
Deputy Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

Abstract
Over the past few decades, extraordinary progress has been made in understanding the causes of and effective approaches to the prevention of mental, emotional and behavioral problems of young people - particularly drug and alcohol use. This is in part due to the careful attention that has been given to understanding the influences of risk and protective factors on development. These scientific findings have been incorporated as never before into the President’s National Drug Control Strategy.

This presentation discusses that scientific translation process and the particular prevention priority resulting within the National Drug Control Strategy. The presentation is in three parts. It begins with a general discussion of the function of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, specifically its role in creating the President’s Drug Control Strategy and in guiding the budgets of thirteen federal agencies to support that Strategy. The second part of the presentation briefly describes the goals and all the major strategy priorities within the Strategy. This leads in turn to a focused discussion of the role of prevention within the Strategy and particularly the translation of science into a community based prevention and early intervention strategy. Here we highlight the scientific origins, practical rationale and current design for a national system of Prevention Prepared Communities

The presentation concludes with some implications and opportunities for prevention and health services research in this area.