Facts About the PRC Program

• Authorized by Congress in 1984
• Expanded the number of academic research centers threefold in 20 years
• Selected through a competitive peer-review process
• Managed by CDC as a set of cooperative agreements
• Funds (FY06) of nearly $30 million for centers' infrastructure and core community-based research projects
• Cosponsor (with the Association of Schools of Public Health*) fellowships for doctoral-level students of racial or ethnic minority origin

What PRCs do

• Conduct research projects on health- or population-specific issues
• Build research teams of multidisciplinary faculty
• Seek outcomes applicable to public health program and policies
• Create research networks for priority health issues, such as healthy aging and cancer prevention & control
• Build long-term relationships for engaging communities as partners in research
• Conduct research in directions guided by advisory boards of community leaders
• Develop public health researchers' skills for working with communities
• Conduct additional research funded by other federal agencies, foundations, and nonprofit organizations

What is needed to become a PRC?

Applications are accepted from schools of public health and schools of medicine or osteopathy with an accredited Preventive Medicine Residency. In addition, each Prevention Research Center must have the following capacities:

• Multidisciplinary faculty with expertise in public health and working relationships with relevant groups in public health, medicine, psychology, nursing, social work, education, and business
• Graduate training programs relevant to disease prevention
• Core faculty in epidemiology, biostatistics, social sciences, behavioral and environmental sciences, and health administration
• Demonstrated curriculum in disease prevention
• Capability for residency training in public health or preventive medicine
• Other qualifications that may be prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services