Richard Catalano, director of the School of Social Work’s Social Development Research Group and the Bartley Dobb Professor for the Study and Prevention of Violence, was named president-elect of the Society for Prevention Research’s board of directors. The Society is dedicated to advancing evidenced-based programs and policies to improve people’s health and well-being, and its interdisciplinary membership includes scientists, practitioners, advocates, administrators and policy makers.
Catalano’s term as president-elect runs through June 2015. At that time, he assumes the board presidency, a position he will hold for two years. Election results were announced in May at the group’s annual conference in Washington, D.C.
For more than 30 years, Catalano has focused his work on discovering risk and protective factors for positive and problem behavior, designing and evaluating programs to address these factors, and using this knowledge to understand and improve prevention service systems in communities around the nation. He has published more than 300 articles and book chapters, and his research has received numerous awards.