Director: Ayman el Mohandes, M.D., MPH
Deputy Director: Mark C. Edberg, M.A., PhD.

The Prevention Research Center (PRC) was formed in 1996 as a research home for faculty from social and behavioral sciences, health education and communications who conduct research in the area of health and mental health promotion.

Who We Are

The PRC currently includes faculty researchers with expertise in community development and planning, needs assessment, design and implementation of behavioral interventions, behavioral science theory and methods, evaluation assessment, qualitative and quantitative data analysis and user-focused program evaluation. The staff includes research scientists, research associates, research assistants and support staff. (View our current faculty and staff.)

Our Mission

The mission of the Prevention Research Center is to develop and evaluate innovative theoretical models and action strategies to promote health and prevent disease in diverse communities. We accomplish our mission by promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and fostering dynamic community partnerships.

Our Objectives

As a group of scholars representing a variety of disciplines we intend to:

• Assess populations at risk with special focus on the dynamics of interaction between biological, psychosocial, and behavioral risk variables that have an impact on health and disease;
• Design and implement innovative health and mental health interventions based on sound theoretical models and evidence-based practices in schools, worksites, clinic settings and community venues;
• Analyze complex interactions among variables using qualitative and quantitative methods and evaluate the efficacy of innovative strategies toward risk reduction and health enhancement, including individual and community-based interventions. A special emphasis will be to examine the applicability of such strategies to existing health and mental health care, and social services;
• Disseminate results of relevant research through training, symposia, seminars, and advocacy both at the community, professional, and policy arenas;
• Expand the agenda for health promotion by involving relevant academic disciplines in our research endeavors, including scholars from psychology, anthropology, education, sociology and public policy.

Our Approach

We achieve our objectives by 1) conducting research in health promotion; 2) sponsoring training and symposia; and, 3) fostering community collaboration and consortia. Each of our faculty researchers has extensive experience in promoting health in communities, working with diverse populations and community representatives. Much of our research is conducted in collaboration with community agencies, state and local health departments, school systems, and community clinics. We are committed to extending and disseminating best practices in health promotion. For our current activities please go to the Activities page.

Organizational Structure

The Prevention Research Center reports to the Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Services. The Director and Deputy Director were appointed by the Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Services. The Director is a full-time tenured Professor and Chair of the Department of Prevention and Community Health within the SPHHS. The Deputy Director is a full-time Associate Professor in the Department of Prevention and Community Health within the SPHHS. Participating scholars meet regularly to make decisions.

Finances

The Prevention Research Center has annual expenditures in grants, cooperative agreements and contracts of approximately $2,400,000 for fiscal year 2007-2008. Researchers have pending applications that could generate up to an additional $9,100,000.

In the future, we expect the total funding for the Prevention Research Center to increase, largely due to increased funding of research grants and contracts. The budget for the Prevention Research Center (PRC) is separate from the budget for the Department of Prevention and Community Health.

Where to Find Us

The Prevention Research Center is located in the Department of Prevention and Community Health within the School of Public Health and Health Services of the George Washington University. The address is 2175 K St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC. The telephone number is 202-416-0065.

School of Public Health and Health Services web site.