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VISION

Guided by science, the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives envisions a society that fosters nurturing environments and caring relationships for the well-being of all.

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MISSION

To prevent social ills and promote well-being by translating scientific knowledge into effective and sustainable practices, systems and policies.

VALUES

 

Integrity

Equity

Inclusivity

Purpose

Science-based

Compassion

Diversity

Solidarity

WHAT IS PREVENTION SCIENCE?

For 50 years, Prevention Science has generated practices that improve countless lives by strengthening the conditions for individuals, families, and communities to thrive. A wide range of effective programs and policies are now available to achieve these results. Strategies have been identified that fully support widespread scale-up, increase effective supports, and ensure nurturing environments across all communities. By leveraging the policymaking process, we can ensure that the benefits of these advances reach all communities across our country.

In 2019, the NPSC formulated an official description of Prevention Science with help from nearly 30 organizations.  If you're organization would like to endorse this description, please write to Dr. Diana Fishbein at dfishbein@psu.edu 

Read the official description of PREVENTION SCIENCE supported by nearly 30 organizations

Fourth Annual Board of Directors' Retreat Hosted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation Jan. 2018

We are comprised of scientists (across disciplines), educators, community stakeholders, practitioners and clinicians, policy makers, advocates, and foundation representatives. We work in a nonpartisan manner with congressional offices and caucuses on issues such as poverty and juvenile justice where some are incorporating the evidence-based knowledge we convey in proposed legislation. Additionally, we work with federal agency administrators who advise us and incorporate Prevention Science in their work (e.g., NIH, SAMHSA, ONDCP, and CDC). We also collaborate with like-minded groups and national organizations and are working to expand on those partnerships.

WHAT WE DO

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The NPSC advances broad, meaningful positive outcomes for all people in our nation by weaving the best scientific evidence available into public and administrative practices, systems, and policies. The field of prevention science has amassed a significant body of knowledge over the past 40 years that provides a clear path to this outcome. Thoughtfully designed and well-supported systems can be achieved via the implementation, scaling, and sustainability of strategies that have been evaluated and shown to significantly improve the health, development, and well-being of children, families, and communities. The NPSC focuses heavily on applying prevention science to comprehensively ameliorate adverse conditions and structural barriers to opportunity in concentrated disadvantage areas and marginalized populations. Due to the pressing need for the cross-sector embedding of preventive and health promotional strategies into systems and policies, the translational work of the Coalition primarily takes place in Congress and with state legislatures.

To achieve our mission, NPSC routinely engages in the following activities.

  1. Provides policymakers with evidence, resources, and expertise from the field of prevention science in an accessible format and platform with the goals to enrich their knowledge about the science, inform their decision-making, and translate those insights into actionable steps.

  2. Organizes educational events (e.g., briefings, webinars, trainings, and conferences) to inform the public, community stakeholders, practitioners, and policymakers about prevention science knowledge, practices, and policies.

  3. Advocates for increased federal investments in prevention research to identify the structural drivers of health disparities and generate evidence-based strategies that specifically ameliorate adverse social determinants of health.

  4. Conducts projects to demonstrate the practicality and acceptability of adopting prevention approaches in community-based settings.

  5. Assists stakeholders in understanding how preventive interventions are evaluated and determined to be evidence-based for selecting best practices in their communities.

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Key Accomplishments:

  • First and foremost, being the first organization in the country to translate prevention science to policymakers and the public.

  • Engaging prevention scientists/researchers in the advocacy process in an organized fashion.

  • Motivating creation of the Research-to-Policy Collaboration, a research translation model that has since been experimentally evaluated at Penn State (Crowley and Scott). NPSC supports implementation of this model to support engagement of prevention scientists in federal and state legislatures. NPSC also houses the award from William T. Grant Foundation, which has been critical for developing a sustainability and scale plan for the model. And this work has resulted in a spin-off nonprofit, TrestleLink, which provides technical assistance to research organizations for developing infrastructure for research translation and policy engagement. 

  • Developing relationships with multiple federal and state legislative offices

  • Becoming known to federal agencies such as NIH, SAMHSA, CDC, ONDCP, NASEM, and ACF who now contact us for consultation.

  • Developing the basis for a blueprint for a national comprehensive prevention service delivery system which has now been formally picked up by NASEM.

  • Becoming certified by the American Psychological Association to provide Continuing Education credits for courses we offer or facilitate

  • Producing and disseminating several white papers and policy guidance documents.

  • Formally partnering with numerous national, state, and community organizations, institutes, and universities

  • Holding 2 SPR-NPSC preconferences

  • Hosting an SPR-NPSC symposium with 3 presidents of major foundations

  • Bringing those major foundations to capitol hill to lead a briefing

  • Leading to the creation of a SPR Advocacy Committee which we partner with and provide guidance to

  • Partnering with UNC on a state-wide summit “Leveraging NC’s Assets to Prevent Childhood Trauma”

  • Developing CAPSOC – Consortium to Advance Prevention Solutions to the Opioid Crisis – which now has about 130 affiliate members who are many of the most senior prevention scientists and practitioners in the country to advise policymakers

  • Leading several science advocacy trainings for the public, researchers and students

  • Co-leading with CTIPP a series of national workshops “Building a National Movement to Prevent Trauma and Foster Resilience”

  • Leading about 25 congressional briefings

  • Working intensively with legislators in NC on trauma reduction legislation

  • Being awarded a contract from the National Governors Association, via a CDC grant, to work with governors’ offices on policies to disrupt the pathway from trauma to addiction.

  • Furthering access to preventive interventions in caregivers with SUD whose children are a very high risk for SUD themselves.

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Ultimately, our goal is to promote science-based investments in the health, development, and well-being of our children by fostering conditions that equitably and broadly afford opportunities to thrive.

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As a volunteer organization, funding for these activities is essential to our sustainability and ability to exert socially meaningful impacts. Please consider joining our membership or donating to support our efforts to bring life to science.

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