Session: Abstract of Distinction: Beyond Engagement and Fit: Building Partnerships to Embed and Sustain Prevention Science in Systems (Society for Prevention Research 26th Annual Meeting)

Introduction: This forum presents the central role of partnership building and partnership maintenance when researchers engage among themselves and with systems around initiating, adapting, implementing, evaluating, disseminating, and sustaining prevention science. Most often, partnership building and partnership maintenance are perceived as non-scientific and non-researcher led, and a threat to scientific capital and research integrity. We present eight examples of researcher initiated strategies involving communities, local health organizations, national health organizations, and federal organizations that emphasize key principles for partnership creation and maintenance.

Methods: Each poster will highlight 1) the structural characteristics of the system(s) being engaged; 2) strategies for identifying, establishing, and measuring mutual self-interest, a key ingredient in successful partnership building; 3) system(s) level power dynamics and successful power negotiations; 4) detecting change in the system(s) as a result of the partnership; 5) maintenance through partnership-crises management.

Discussion: Failures in the use of prevention science by health systems are due in part by the lack of investment in training and guidelines for partnership building. We examine the unique and shared characteristics of the strategies employed to carryout each key principle for partnership creation and maintenance, their application in different health systems, what success looks like, and lessons learned that further the relevance of prevention science to systems.