Spring 2015 Newsletter
A note from the Directors:

The Prevention Research Center is now six months into its first year, and all projects are moving full steam ahead. We have recently submitted our year one progress report to the CDC, and are busy preparing for their site visit in mid-May.

Karen Glanz
PhD, MPH

Kevin Volpp
MD, PhD
In This Issue
CDC Site Visit: 
May 18th and 19th
The site visit will be conducted by key leaders of the PRC Program from the CDC, and will cover the core center grant and all four of the 2014-awarded SIPs.
Welcome, Benjamin Louis Richards!
Congratulations, Amy Bleakley! The first PRC baby boy was born on December 30, 2014.
Welcome, Eloise Jane Green!
Congratulations, Sarah Green! The first PRC baby girl was born on March 12, 2015.
Winter/Spring 2015 Activities:
Community Advisory Board (CAB) Meeting
The first CAB meeting was held on January 20, 2015 at the PHMC Offices in Center City. The next meeting will be April 21, 2015 at the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Internal Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting
The first UPenn PRC IAB meeting was held on January 30, 2015 at Penn. The IAB discussed strategies to successfully connect the PRC with other centers and groups at Penn.

"Linking Research and Practice"
On February 5, 2015 the second session of the "Linking Research and Practice" series was co-sponsored by the UPenn PRC Training Core and the Center for Public Health Initiatives (CPHI). US Department of Health and Human Services Regional Health Administrator, Dalton Paxman, was the featured guest expert. The third event will be held May 29, 2015 with Don Schwarz, Vice President at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The PRC Website is Live!
Thanks to Amy Jordan and the Communication and  Dissemination Core as well as the IT Staff at the Annenberg Public Policy Center for all  of their hard work. One of the highlights of the website is the opportunity to get to  know the PRC leadership both formally, as well as informally, through Q&As. For  example, did you know that the PRC leadership has a beekeeper and two triathletes in  its midst? Visit the website for the latest news on individual projects  and people, as well as to find resources to learn about opportunities to get more  involved.
SIP in the Spotlight:  SIP 14-002 
The Healthy Brain Research Network
Amy Jordan, CDC program officer Tracey Hardy, and Jason Karlawish

In March, Jason Karlawish and Amy Jordan, the leaders of the Penn Healthy Brain Research Center, met with leaders of the other four Healthy Brain Research Network Centers and the CDC leadership. At this two day meeting at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, the Network developed its logic model, planned its research and training agenda, and developed its logo and branding. Key outcomes included the creation of a Healthy Brain Scholars program, plans to develop a research agenda to analyze the Behavioral Risk Factor surveillance Survey, and develop proposals to leverage funding for future conferences and research.

 

The Network centers include the Prevention Research Centers at Oregon Health Sciences University, University of Arizona, University of Pennsylvania, University of South Carolina, and the University of Washington. Basia Belza, PhD, RN, FAAN at the University of Washington leads the Network's coordinating center and Lynda Anderson, PhD is the Director of the CDC's Healthy Aging Program.

 

PRC Research Project Update

The first Data and Safety Monitoring Board meeting took place on March 18th. Recruitment launch for the PRC research project began with IBC on March 25th with the opening of the study website. The research team attended a week-long biometric screening event at Independence Blue Cross during the first week of April for recruitment efforts. Recruitment launch began with SEPTA on May 1st, and the team plans to begin recruitment at  the City of Philadelphia on May 15th. 

CPCRN Network News
The CPCRN team will  travel to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in mid-May, where they will work collaboratively with the other CPCRN centers to move forward with the signature and cross-center workgroup projects. 

The planning committee has been convened for the Prostate Cancer Evidence Academy, a one-day conference to be held in November 2015. This event is designed to bridge the gap between research and practice.
Evaluation Core Update
The Evaluation Core, lead by Alison Buttenheim and John Holmes, has compiled a roster of PRC-affiliated investigators and partners. A REDCap database is being built to capture the many inputs and outputs of the PRC, including grants, events, publications, etc.

A Social Network Analysis will be conducted in order to evaluate changes in interaction among university and community stakeholders, as well as to develop strategies to assess possible new collaborations among PRC members.
Meet some of our UPenn PRC Staff

Sara Grossman

Research Coordinator, Skin Cancer SIP

 

 

 

Anne Albright
Research Coordinator, Skin Cancer SIP and Communication Core

 

 

 

Alyssa Yackle, MPA

Senior Research Coordinator, Cancer Prevention Control and Research Network SIP

 

 

 

Kristin Harkins
Research Coordinator, Healthy Brain Initiative Network SIP