VIII. Prevention Research

FY 2000 Performance Plan - Revised Final FY 1999 Performance Plan

Prevention research, also known as public health research, is an area of great importance for CDC. This activity, conducted in partnership with academic health centers, public health departments and other partners, is applied research that can be used to develop effective strategies to promote health and prevent disease, injury and disability.

Through applied research, CDC has always identified emerging problems, tested solutions, and determined how to translate into practice the knowledge that has emerged from biomedical research. Working with public and private sector research partners, CDC strengthens its ability to rapidly respond to complex public health problems facing communities. CDC's prevention research program can be characterized as problem-solving, population-based research which focuses on preventable risk factors using multidisciplinary, community-based approaches. This type of public health research engages teams of scientists (e.g., epidemiologists, laboratorians, economists, and behavioral scientists) working in cooperation with members of the affected community to apply scientific methods to develop and evaluate public health strategies and interventions. Increasingly, CDC is working with extramural researchers as a part of the team to address the complexity of many public health problems.

In FY 1998, CDC began the process to strengthen public health research with a STRONGemphasis on strengthening extramural research activities and programs. Working together, extramural and intramural researchers can:

• Engage academic health center faculty and others in exposing students to expanded opportunities for public health research.
• Involve state and local health officials and community-based organizations in the continuing search for innovative solutions to public health problems.
• Investigate ways that new health care systems, such as managed care, can be encouraged to implement community-based prevention more broadly than has been achieved in the past.

In FY 1999, funds from the 21st Century Research Fund will be used to strengthen CDC's Prevention Research activities through the expansion of extramural research programs and increased use of external peer review. This set of performance objectives and measures will apply to any activities which are supported with monies from the 21st Century Research Fund (FY 1999) and by the proposed budget for the CDC Prevention Research Program (FY 2000).

Performance Goals and Measures

Performance Goal: Increase collaboration among academic health centers, public health departments, managed care organizations and other public health organizations to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of community-based public health interventions.

Performance Measures:

FY Baseline	FY 1999 Appropriated	FY 2000 Estimate
N/A	CDC will provide periodic briefings to members of CDC Advisory and Scientific Committees on opportunities to increase partnerships between academic health centers, managed care organizations, and the public health networks in the Nation's communities.	CDC will provide periodic briefings to members of CDC Advisory and Scientific Committees on opportunities to increase partnerships between academic health centers, managed care organizations, and the public health networks in the Nation's communities.

Verification/Validation of Performance Measures: Data and information will be obtained through a quarterly report to the Director on collaboration for public health and prevention research.

Performance Goal: Increase external input on the research priorities, policies, and procedures related to the extramural research supported by CDC.

Performance Measures:

FY Baseline	FY 1999 Appropriated	FY 2000 Estimate
N/A	CDC will increase the use of external peer review in processes for competitive research awards of funds (cooperative agreements, and grants) for projects supported with prevention research funding.	CDC will increase the use of external peer review in processes for competitive research awards of funds (cooperative agreements, and grants) for projects supported with prevention research funding.
N/A	CDC will promote the use of research advisory groups within the agency.	CDC will promote the use of research advisory groups within the agency.
N/A	CDC will set up a subcommittee for extramural research chartered through the CDC Advisory Committee.	CDC continues to support a subcommittee for extramural research chartered through the CDC Advisory Committee.

Verification/Validation of Performance Measures: Data for these measures will be available from information obtained from CIO program announcements, strategic plans, and Federal Register announcements. Data will be verified using data obtained through site visits with the grants management office and reports to CDC's Committee Management program.

Performance Goal: Disseminate research findings and other relevant information from prevention research programs to public health practitioners, managed care organizations, and consumer groups.

Performance Measures:

FY Baseline	FY 1999 Appropriated	FY 2000 Estimate
N/A	N/A	Prevention research and demonstration centers will disseminate information on candidate interventions for health problems and results of fields tests of interventions.
N/A	N/A	Investigators conducting community-based research receiving supplemental or initial financial assistance through the Prevention Research Initiative will be required to disseminate information on candidate interventions broadly to communities as well as through publications.

Verification/Validation of Performance Measures: Data for these measures will be available from grantee applications for new/continuation funds, grantee progress reports and bibliometric studies. Data be verified through site visits and published reports.

Performance Goal: Strengthen the scope and nature of extramural public health research programs.

Performance Measures:

FY Baseline	FY 1999 Appropriated	FY 2000 Estimate
N/A	CDC will expand the scope of public health research to multidisciplinary research efforts which in turn area able to bridge gaps between public health practice, public health research, bioethics, and health policy research.	CDC will increase the number of young investigator and public health research training opportunities; CDC will expand the scope of public health research to multidisciplinary research efforts which in turn are able to bridge the gaps between public health practice, public health research, bioethics, and health policy research.

Verification/Validation of Performance Measures: Data for these measures will be available from program announcements, Federal Register announcements, grantee progress reports, requests for proposals, internal research reports and will be verified through site visits.

Links to DHHS Strategic Plan

These performance objectives are related to DHHS Goal 6: Strengthen the nation's health sciences research enterprise and enhance its productivity.

Performance Goal: Increase collaboration efforts among research universities and community-based organizations to more effectively implement chronic disease and teen pregnancy prevention research and demonstration projects that focus on new intervention methods and provide results to states and local organizations.

Performance Measures:

FY Baseline	FY 1999 Appropriated	FY 2000 Estimate
0 Prevention Research Centers have established research priorities or developed research interventions in collaboration with a constituent community.	The University-based Prevention Research Centers will have at least one Prevention Research Center in each DHHS region establishing research priorities and developing research interventions in collaboration with a constituent community.1	The University-based Prevention Research Centers will have at least one Prevention Research Center in each DHHS region establishing research priorities and developing research interventions in collaboration with a constituent community.
In one of the 13 community demonstration programs, the hub organization together with other coalition partner organizations (e.g., school districts, health care provider organizations, local government agencies, businesses, and youth-serving, civic, and/or religious organizations) collaboratively began testing and implementing two intervention programs to prevent teen pregnancies in response to specific needs identified through a community assessment in at least two neighborhoods. These partner organizations secured and redirected funding and in-kind support to initiate these intervention programs. (1998)	In at least 7 of the 13 community demonstration programs, the hub organization and at least three coalition partner organizations (e.g., school districts, health care provider organizations, local government agencies, businesses, and youth-serving, civic, and/or religious organizations) will collaboratively have begun implementing two or more intervention programs to prevent teen pregnancies in response to specific needs identified through a community assessment in at least two neighborhoods. These partner organizations will have secured or redirected funding and in-kind support to initiate these intervention programs.2	In all 13 community demonstration programs, the hub organization and at least five coalition partner organizations (e.g., school districts, health care provider organizations, local government agencies, businesses, and youth serving, civic, and/or religious organizations) will collaboratively have begun implementing three or more intervention programs to prevent teen pregnancies in response to specific needs identified through a community assessment in at least two neighborhoods. These partner organizations will have established the stable funding streams and in-kind support needed to sustain these intervention programs.
Total Program Funding	$28,500	$28,500

1 The FY 1999 measure has been reworded to reflect present and future priorities of the program, but the intent remains fundamentally the same.
2 The FY 1999 measure has been reworded to better illustrate the process of reaching this goal but remains fundamentally the same.

Verification/Validation of Performance Measures: Data for these measures will be available from grantee progress reports, and will be verified through site visits and publications.

Links to DHHS Strategic Plan

This performance objective is related to DHHS Goal 6: Strengthen the nation's health sciences research enterprise and enhance its productivity through the Prevention Research Centers and community-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention demonstration projects.

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