Unlike biomedical devices and medications that require fulfillment of safety and effectiveness standards before becoming available to consumers, behavioral interventions for youth and families are often disseminated without the same level of rigorous testing and evidence. This lack of evidence is particularly pronounced in racial and ethnic minorities experiencing health disparities related to multilevel risk factors, including those specific to ethnic minority populations. Developing, evaluating and scaling up, culturally-specific substance use and HIV behavioral interventions is critically important in addressing the existing health disparities that impact Hispanic/Latinx youth and their families. This presentation will provide an overview of an evidence-based behavioral intervention for Hispanic/Latinx youth that has been successfully translated into clinical and community settings in the US and in Latin America. The presentation will include findings from intervention development, efficacy, effectiveness, and effectiveness-implementation studies, as well as lessons learned and opportunities for further impact.

Dr. Guillermo (Willy) Prado is Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs; Dean of the Graduate School; and Professor of Nursing and Health Studies, Public Health Sciences, and Psychology at the University of Miami. Dr. Prado’s research broadly focuses on the development, evaluation, and dissemination of parenting interventions to prevent substance use and sexual risk behaviors and promote mental health, physical activity, and quality diet among Hispanic/Latinx populations. These interventions are currently being implemented in over 30 cities across the Americas. Prado’s research has appeared in over 160 peer-reviewed articles and has been funded by approximately $100 million of NIH and CDC funding as PI or Co-I. Prado has been recognized by numerous organizations, including the National Hispanic Science Network, the Society for Prevention Research, and the Society for Adolescence and has been featured in several domestic and international news outlets, including the Miami Herald, NBC, and CNN en Español. He has also been invited to serve as a witness to the U.S. House Select Committee on Economic Disparities and Fairness in Growth. Prado was part of the inaugural cohort of the Miami Herald’s Top 40 Under 40. He is immediate past President of the Society for Prevention Research; a member of the National Academy of Medicine; and a Member of Research!America’s Board of Directors.