Prevention Science and Community-Based Participatory Research

This course is aimed at students who have interest in learning about prevention science and community-based participatory research (CBPR) to address individual, family, community, and other contextual factors that influence development. Course topics will examine theoretical, empirical and practical foundations of prevention science and CBPR related to the design, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of interventions to prevent mental, behavioral and chemical health problems and promote healthy development. The course will cover the origins and multidisciplinary roots of both prevention science and CBPR, key concepts, current trends and directions, theoretical approaches, program development and assessment, science to service, evaluation methods, best practices, policy development, and implementation and dissemination approaches in community systems of care. Specific emphasis will be placed on the role of family systems and learning environments and on the need to incorporate a focus on structural inequalities based on race/ethnicity, geography, family structure, and other demographic variables into prevention-oriented research.