The Prevention Research Training Program fosters the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary for rigorous and high-quality prevention research, with a focus on substance use, HIV/AIDS prevention, and problem behaviors in high-risk populations. The program is multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary, with an emphasis on both public health and behavioral sciences intervention approaches and rigorous science.

Sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the program supports two predoctoral trainees and four postdoctoral fellows annually in prevention research, especially in the design and evaluation of interventions in high-risk populations, including drug abusers, children and adolescents, women, and the multiple ethnic minorities with large populations in Chicago.

The training program is directed by Robin J. Mermelstein, PhD [1], professor of psychology, clinical professor of community health sciences, and director of IHRP.

The training program is part of the Center for Health Behavior Research [2], housed in the Institute for Health Policy and Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and located within the Illinois Medical District, one of the largest concentrations of advanced health care facilities in the world. The Center for Health Behavior Research works with many partners to conduct research, including Chicago Public Schools, community-based organizations, and service organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.

As part of the IHRP, trainees in this program benefit from a larger vibrant intellectual community. They also can participate in activities of other IHRP training programs. Read about current IHRP fellows. [3]