Prevention Research Centers Network
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds the Prevention Research Centers Network (PRCs) to conduct research on significant chronic diseases in the U.S. The PRCs work as an interdependent Network of community, academic, and public health partners to study how people and their communities can avoid or reduce their risk for chronic diseases.
All PRCs explore differences between how health interventions work in research settings and how they work in real-world settings, with a focus on improving health outcomes for chronic conditions. They do this by studying how to share interventions proven to promote good health with communities to have the greatest health impact and focus on reducing health inequities. PRCs collaborate with community partners to address local public health priorities and scale up evidence-based interventions.
Mountain West Prevention Research Center
The University of Utah hosts the Mountain West Prevention Research Center (MW- PRC) to address childhood obesity in rural and small communities across Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The MW-PRC is part of a network of 20 academic research centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The MW-PRC collaborates with community-based organizations and local experts to develop strategies that engage communities in family healthy weight programs (FHWP) that have proven to promote good health and support lifestyle changes.
Options for FHWP, such as the Building Healthy Families program, provide nutrition education and promote healthy eating and physical activity for families who live in rural communities and small towns, have lower incomes and children aged 6–12.
MW-PRC Leadership
PAUL ESTABROOKS, PHD
Director, Co-Principal Investigator
JULIE LUCERO, PHD
Deputy Director, Co-Investigator
DAVID WETTER, PHD
Co-Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator LUNG-IS SIP
GUILHERME DEL FIOL, PHD
Co-Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator Arthritis SIP
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NDEYE "SALLA" FALL, BS
Project Manager, Communication Manager
SHANNON JONES, MS
Dissemination and Translation, Co-Investigator
The Mountain West Prevention Research Center is supported by the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Center cooperative agreement 1U48DP006789, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $5,000,000. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U. S. Government.
We acknowledge that this land, which is named for the Ute Tribe, is the traditional and ancestral homeland of the Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute, and Ute Tribes. The University of Utah recognizes and respects the enduring relationship that exists between many Indigenous peoples and their traditional homelands. We respect the sovereign relationship between tribes, states, and the federal government, and we affirm the University of Utah’s commitment to a partnership with Native Nations and Urban Indian communities through research, education, and community outreach activities.