[ECPN] Grand Opportunity Initiative of NIH

[DEEJAY GARRINGO]

Dear ECPN member: 

 

We are putting together a proposal for the Grand Opportunity Initiative of NIH that would develop
intervention research in the nation's highest poverty communities. As you may know, President Obama
has proposed the creation of 20 "Promise Neighborhoods" that would be modeled after the Harlem
Children's Zone.  I believe that this effort-and the needs of the many neighborhoods that will not
be among the 20-will be strengthened if the behavioral scientist community gets significantly
involved in doing intervention research in these communities. We have the potential to truly
translate existing knowledge into broad public health benefits. 

 

Our plan involves having early career scientists funded on each of the teams we will create. The
idea is to enable them to get experience and support in developing this work and to thereby create
the infrastructure for the next generation of prevention research. 

 

If you are interested in being considered as one of the people to be involved, please send me your
vita.  This would not require you to move. You could work from you current position, provided that
we could work out a subcontract. 

 

This is due May 29, so if you are interested please contact me ASAP.

 

Here is an abstract for the project: 

 

               ABSTRACT

            This Grand Opportunity project will create the infrastructure to begin research on
comprehensive preventive interventions in the nation's highest poverty neighborhoods. Neighborhoods
of concentrated poverty are a major contributor to the high levels of drug abuse, antisocial
behavior, depression, academic failure, and intergenerational poverty in the U.S. and are thus a
critical target for public health interventions. The recent accumulation of evidence-based
preventive interventions (IOM, 2009) shows that substantial reductions in the prevalence of these
problems are achievable. However such changes will not be achieved until existing knowledge is
translated into effective interventions in high poverty communities. The Obama administration has
called for a "Promise Neighborhood" initiative in which twenty high poverty neighborhoods are helped
to implement comprehensive preventive interventions. However, the scientific infrastructure to
support such interventions and to do the research needed to evaluate them and refine them does not
exist. And, it is possible to assist more than twenty such neighborhoods. 

            We therefore propose to create the Promise Neighborhood Consortium, which will develop
the infrastructure by which the scientific community can assist America's high poverty neighborhoods
in translating existing knowledge into widespread improvements in wellbeing, including the
prevention substance abuse, antisocial behavior, risky sexual behavior, depression, and academic
failure. The Consortium will (a) build a network of neighborhood and community leaders and
behavioral scientists; (b) define and begin to implement measures of wellbeing and risk and
protective factors that are fundamental to evaluating preventive intervention in neighborhoods; (c)
develop research on the impact of evidence-based policies, programs, and practices when they are
implemented in high poverty communities. These activities will be supported by a state-of-the-art
website that networks people and organizations, obtains and displays data about neighborhoods,
disseminates information about evidence-based interventions, advocates for research and intervention
in high poverty neighborhoods, and supports intervention research in these neighborhoods. 

            Over two years this project will: (a) create a network of high poverty neighborhoods
that are linked together in systematic efforts to implement and evaluate preventive interventions;
(b) implement monitoring systems in these neighborhoods; and (c) develop experimental evaluations of
intervention research in these neighborhoods that will advance the efficiency and effectiveness of
efforts to reduce intergenerational poverty in America. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony

____________________________ 

Anthony Biglan, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Oregon Research Institute

1715 Franklin Blvd.

Eugene, OR 97403-1983

Phone: 541-484-2123

Fax: 541-484-1108

 

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