Oral

In recent years public health attention has been focused on the gap between scientific findings and their implementation in the context of prevention programs, particularly prevention programs working on the control of HIV and STD spread. In June 2007, the Global HIV Prevention working group has stated: “We should be winning in HIV prevention. There are effective means to prevent every mode of transmission; political commitment on HIV has never been stronger; and financing for HIV programs in low-and-middle income countries increased six fold between 2001 and 2006….If comprehensive HIV prevention were brought to scale, half of the infections projected to occur by 2015 could be averted.” This session will focus on issues related to the translation of prevention research findings into program implementation; and the establishment and maintenance of prevention programs with high population level impact. The symposium will be the first session in which the new “Program Science Initiative” will be announced to APHA participants. Each of the proposed speakers is a world reknown authority on the subject they will be addressing. These experts have participated in the first invitation only meeting on Program Science on March 9th, 2008, in Chicago. Three of the five invited speakers are the founders of the Program Science initiative and the remaining two have been active participants in its development. The Program Science initiative goes a step further than research synthesis and research translation initiatives in that it focuses on research exploring issues in the development and maintenance of prevention programs.

Session Objectives: 1. Participants will be able to identify core research questions in prevention program development and maintenance such as prioritization; targeting and resource allocation. 2. Participants will be able to differentiate between program components that need to remain vertical and those that can be coordinated or integrated. 3. Program participants will be able to formulate items for a future Program Science research agenda.