Drug Abuse and HIV Prevention Research Methodology Conferences

描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议继续举办一系列针对药物滥用和艾滋病毒预防研究人员的年度传播会议。这些传播会议的主题，现在将被称为创新方法夏季研究所，是预防科学方法的最新进展。这些会议的长期目标是确保药物滥用和艾滋病毒预防研究保持最高、最先进的方法标准。拟议的会议将继续以若干方式对预防领域产生非常积极的影响。首先，它们将帮助预防研究人员从概念上和实际上了解最先进的方法和统计程序，以便他们能够在研究中使用这些程序。第二，这些会议将促进药物滥用和艾滋病毒预防科学家在预防方法方面的终身学习。第三，通过促进与会者之间的联系，这些会议将有助于建立一个对方法学感兴趣的药物滥用和艾滋病毒预防研究人员的非正式网络。宾夕法尼亚州立大学的方法学中心是唯一有资格组织这一高度专业化的培训活动，并介绍与药物滥用和艾滋病毒预防研究有关的创新方法的机构。在这些会议上传播的大多数研究将来自NIDA资助的预防和治疗方法中心。创新方法暑期研究所涵盖的主题包括工程更好的行为干预，密集的纵向数据分析，因果推理和因果中介建模，以及有限混合建模，包括潜在类和潜在转换分析。我们认为这一系列作为一个重要的工具，以确保方法中心开发的创新方法在预防科学领域广泛采用。 公共卫生相关性：药物滥用、性风险行为和其他与健康相关的行为对社会造成了很高的成本。虽然在制定有效的预防干预方案方面取得了相当大的进展，但当研究结果基于最佳设计的干预措施和最适当的统计方法时，将取得最大的科学进步。拟议的会议将使预防研究人员掌握重要的创新方法，从而确保药物滥用和艾滋病毒预防研究保持最高、最先进的方法标准。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to continue a series of annual dissemination conferences aimed at drug abuse and HIV prevention researchers. The topic of these dissemination conferences, which will now be called the Summer Institutes on Innovative Methods, is latest advances in methodology for prevention science. The long-term objective of these conferences is to ensure that drug abuse and HIV prevention research maintains the highest, state-of-the-art methodological standards. The proposed conferences will continue to have a highly positive effect on the field of prevention in several ways. First, they will help prevention researchers gain conceptual and practical understanding of state-of-the-art methodological and statistical procedures so that they can use these procedures in their research. Second, the conferences will promote career-long learning in prevention methodology among drug abuse and HIV prevention scientists. Third, by facilitating contact among attendees, the conferences will help to establish an informal network of drug abuse and HIV prevention researchers who are interested in methodology. The Methodology Center at Penn State is uniquely qualified to organize this highly specialized training activity and present on innovative methods relevant to research on drug abuse and HIV prevention. Most of the research to be disseminated at these conferences will originate from the NIDA-funded Center for Prevention and Treatment Methodology. Topics to be covered at the Summer Institutes on Innovative Methods include engineering better behavioral interventions, the analysis of intensive longitudinal data, causal inference and causal mediation modeling, and finite mixture modeling including latent class and latent transition analysis. We see this series as an important vehicle for ensuring that the innovative approaches developed by the Methodology Center are adopted broadly in the prevention science field. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Drug abuse, sexual risk behavior, and other health-related behaviors have a high cost to society. Although considerable progress has been made in developing effective intervention programs for prevention, the greatest scientific advances will be made when findings are based on optimally engineered interventions and the most appropriate statistical methods. The proposed conferences will place important innovative methods into the hands of prevention researchers, thereby ensuring that drug abuse and HIV prevention research maintains the highest, state-of-the-art methodological standards.