Society for Prevention Research 33rd Annual Meeting
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Prevention Science for Action: Leveraging Data Science & Technology to Enhance Research, Practice, & Policy

May 27 - May 30, 2025
Hyatt Regency, Seattle, WA

DEADLINE: October 31, 2024

1. Special theme #1: Leveraging Data Science & Technology: Collecting, integrating, and understanding data using innovative study designs, collection modalities, and analysis approaches.

   • Devices such as smartphones and ambulatory assessment devices (e.g., Fitbits, alcohol monitors) have made real-time data collection a daily fact of life.
   • Tools such as social media, community-driven data dashboards, and online data warehouses have made data integration across multiple sources a daily possibility.
   • Methods such as daily diaries and ecological momentary assessment have become routinely possible in prevention science.

   Volumes of data on momentary and longer-term behaviors, real-time and historical locations, and biological processes can be collected efficiently and with limited intrusion. These data can then be integrated with community-based contextual data (e.g., regional socioeconomic deprivation, migration patterns, large-scale weather events), neurobiological and genetic data, and/or administrative data obtained from local, state, or national resources.

   As new data collection modalities come online and need to be integrated with existing modalities, it is critical that high-quality, methodologically sound study designs, data integration techniques, and analysis approaches are developed and applied.

   • Submissions that are examples of successful quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method designs, techniques, and approaches, as well as lessons learned and best practices, are welcomed.

   • Submissions with community-based and/or policy-based focuses across all areas of prevention science, especially those focused on health disparities and promoting health equity, are particularly encouraged.

2. Special Theme #2: Leveraging Data Science & Technology: Developing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating tailored prevention programs and intervention services.

   • Prevention scientists have long been interested in program/service adaptation and tailoring.
   • Mobile and online technologies provide a wealth of new opportunities to design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate programs and services with increasing levels of precision.
   • The ability to deliver intervention content in real-time via mobile technologies (e.g., via ecological momentary interventions) has the potential to exponentially increase decision-making about delivering which content, to whom, when, and where.

   New opportunities for decision-making based on environmental context and based on information across multiple levels (e.g., family, peer, school, community) are available. For example, experimental designs to build adaptive interventions and just-in-time adaptive interventions (e.g., sequential, multiple-assignment, randomized trials, microrandomized trials) are in active development to help prevention scientists determine how to deliver intervention content.

   • Submissions that are examples of successful program/service development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination, as well as lessons learned and best practices, across all areas of prevention science are welcomed.

   • Submissions focused on multilevel programs/services developed, implemented, and evaluated in collaboration with community, practice, and/or policy-making partners across all areas of prevention science, especially those focused on promoting health equity, are particularly encouraged.

3. Special Theme #3: Leveraging Data Science & Technology: Advancing equity and action when using AI in prevention science.

   • Scientific and financial investment in data science and related technological tools have rapidly increased the pace at which data are collected and significant technical advancements have been made by statisticians, engineers, and programmers.
   • However, the pace at which new knowledge gained has impacted practice and policy has been slower.

   There is increasing recognition of bias within data sets and the algorithms applied to them. Detecting and mitigating bias is a growing area of research critical to prevention science.

   • Bias potentially can contribute to continued stigma and discrimination, promotion of inequities, and exacerbation of disparities.
   • Moreover, there is a risk of an increased digital divide, with more complex AI models requiring expertise and skills for developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating them that are not widely accessible.

   Despite concerns, AI-based content generation presents a growing opportunity to create and tailor program/service content and to return digestible take-home messages to individuals, families, schools, communities, and policymakers. Content generation combined with high-quality, user-friendly, attractive, and exciting data visualizations have the potential to revolutionize the way prevention scientists translate their work and increase its impact. Critically, a variety of audiences can be considered: individual data dashboards might be used to facilitate participant engagement or behavior change and community-level data dashboards or other visuals might be used to guide agencies and policymakers.

   • Submissions that are examples of bias detection and mitigation, AI-based content generation, and data visualization for translation of knowledge from algorithmic-based studies, including successful designs, techniques, and approaches, as well as lessons learned and best practices, are welcomed.
   • In addition, building AI literacy among preventionists and the public is an important step. Submissions focused on translational research and translational science, especially those focused on health disparities and promoting health equity, as well as those in collaboration with community, practice, and/or policymaking partners, are particularly encouraged.

General Conference Themes

Each year, the SPR Conference committee encourages basic, epidemiological, etiological, intervention, and dissemination and implementation research submissions across key themes that promote advances in prevention research.

1. Epidemiology and Etiology

   Submissions focused on describing distributions and patterns of health (including but not limited to, e.g., anxiety, cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression, HIV/AIDS, injury, substance use disorders, violence) and on identifying risk and protective targets of preventive interventions are welcomed. Submissions with a developmental and/or life-course approach, or that include genetic, neurobiological, equity, and/or contextual factors, are particularly encouraged.

2. Development and Testing of Interventions

   Preventive interventions can be tested for efficacy under conditions of high quality-assurance and strong research designs and tested for effectiveness under real-world conditions in settings and systems and with diverse populations. Submissions reporting findings from efficacy or effectiveness trials (including pilot studies with preliminary outcome data) are welcomed. Submissions that combine the findings of such trials with one or more of the special conference themes are particularly encouraged.

3. Dissemination and Implementation Science

   Dissemination, implementation, and translational science bridge the gap between research and everyday practice through a dynamic, collaborative process between the public health community and researchers. Submissions advancing scientific understanding of dissemination, implementation, and translation, including cost-efficient sustainability of preventive interventions into systems, are welcomed. Submissions that focus on program dissemination and implementation outcomes; dissemination and implementation processes; individual-, provider-, organizational-, and/or system-level factors; and community- and system-collaborator and decision-maker engagement are particularly encouraged.

4. Research, Policy, and Practice

   Decision-makers around the world emphasize evidence-based policy reform. New policy initiatives at local, state, and national levels require scientific evidence to guide further policy change. Submissions that evaluate or estimate the effects of planned, new, or existing policies, examine the impact of efficacious programs in emerging policy contexts, or demonstrate how empirical research has been used to inform and guide new policies are welcomed. A wide variety of content areas are welcomed, including both emergent areas (e.g., cannabis legalization, immigration policy, climate change impacts) and ongoing areas (e.g., anti-bullying laws/policies, cancer screening, education policy, firearm policy, medication adherence, mental and physical health parity, obesity prevention) of concern. Submissions that describe and evaluate processes by which policies have been formed, developed, and implemented are encouraged. Submissions focused on international research or comparative research across policy contexts and submissions that combine findings of such research with one of the special conference themes are particularly encouraged.

5. Innovative Methods and Statistics

   Submissions focused on “leading-edge” study designs and analytical approaches that address challenges to unlocking information contained in prevention science data, including studies on quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches, are welcomed. Submissions that use advanced methods and statistics but do not study directly a novel methodological or statistical question should be submitted to one of the other themes. Submissions addressing novel methodological or statistical challenges in studies promoting health equity are particularly encouraged. Submissions should highlight the prevention science challenges that these innovative designs and approaches can address, as well as the benefits gained by using these techniques.

NIDA International SPR Poster Session

The SPR International Program and the Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will host their annual NIDA International SPR Poster Session. Posters should highlight research on the prevention of drug use, prevention of drug use in combination with alcohol use, or prevention of HIV/AIDS in the context of drug use or drug and alcohol use. See their separate call for poster abstracts at https://preventionresearch.org/2025-annual-meeting/call-for-poster-abstracts-nida-international-spr-poster-session/ .

To submit to the NIDA International SPR Poster Session

• Select "Individual Poster Presentations"
• When you select the theme, select "NIDA International SPR Poster Session"

Abstract Submission Guidelines

Abstract submission guidelines for all presentation formats is available at
https://preventionresearch.org/2025-annual-meeting/abstract-submission-guidelines/

Begin a submission to the following: