**SESSION ABSTRACT** Building an exchange between politics and science: Moving from barriers to synergy in using data to enhance substance abuse prevention

In an age of data for decision making, policy makers and practitioners need to consider and use epidemiological data and other information to make informed decisions for public health. Yet data alone are insufficient for strengthening prevention systems. Deliberate strategies for synthesizing, interpreting, and presenting multiple indicators from different perspectives are required to translate empirical information into understandable and meaningful assessments. There is also the need to frame compelling, objective evidence in terms valued by the public to guide decision makers. How can we build such a functional data-driven decision making system that optimizes features of science and politics?

Beginning in 2004, 62 States, Jurisdictions, and tribal organizations have received federal funding from SAMHSA/CSAP to establish epidemiological workgroups, a network of people/ organizations that bring analytical and other data expertise to strengthen outcome-based thinking for substance abuse prevention. Upon identifying data constructs, indicators, and sources regarding substance use and related consequences, epidemiological workgroups are involved in describing and drawing inferences from the data. This information provides a basis for setting health priorities, allocating resources, planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating prevention efforts, and formulating prevention policies. The purpose of this session is to examine the systematic work among epidemiological workgroups and substance abuse prevention agencies to build data-guided decision making systems that strike a balance between rigor and relevance. Upon outlining core epidemiological workgroup tasks (ID#163201), four States will describe case studies of such data efforts and emergent lessons: Arkansas (ID#158427), Indiana (ID#161715), Kentucky (ID#155241), and North Carolina (ID#163703).