[ECPN] Grand Opportunity Initiative of NIH

[Cheong, Jeewon]

Dear Deejay,

Is it possible for us to receive a bit more detailed information about the project, e.g., what are the teams that you will create and what kind of roles the ECPN members would play if it gets funded? I am interested in getting involved in the prevention efforts but I'd like to know a bit more about the project.

Thank you.

JeeWon

---------------------------------------------
   JeeWon Cheong, PhD
   Assistant Professor
   Department of Psychology
   University of Pittsburgh
   210 S. Bouquet St.
   Pittsburgh, PA 15260
   E-mail: jcheong at pitt.edu<mailto:jcheong at pitt.edu>
   Phone: 412-624-3065
   Fax:   412-624-4428
---------------------------------------------

From: ecpn-bounces at preventionresearch.org [mailto:ecpn-bounces at preventionresearch.org] On Behalf Of DEEJAY GARRINGO
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 4:58 PM
To: 'Early Career Preventionists Network'
Cc: tony at ori.org
Subject: [ECPN] Grand Opportunity Initiative of NIH
Importance: High

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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