National Academic Centers of Excellence for Youth Violence Prevention: Building Healthy Communities through Partnerships

Background Violence is a leading cause of death and disability for youth in the US, and it affects the health of individuals as well as entire communities. By utilizing the socio-ecological and public health models, CDC's Division of Violence Prevention (DVP) strives to prevent youth violence by building effective research-community partnerships.

Methods/Results The proposed presentation will highlight the work and results from the National Academic Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (ACEs). ACEs focus on building community capacity so that evidence-based programs for youth violence prevention can be successfully implemented through effective and supportive research-community partnerships. ACE community partnerships are intended to provide mutually beneficial relationships that encourage opportunities for collaboration so that the activities of the ACE are better positioned to address the specific challenges and conditions within the defined community.

Conclusion and Implications ACE partnerships are intended to strengthen the Center's surveillance, research, training, mentoring, community mobilizing, and dissemination activities. Through scientific rigor, collaborative partnerships, practical application, and community participation, CDC's youth violence prevention work strives to find new ways to engage communities in preventing violence.