Welcome to the Institute for Prevention Science

The aim of Institute for Prevention Science (IPS) is to develop and evaluate school and family based programs to promote children’s mental health, physical health and academic outcomes.

History

The Institute for Prevention Science was established in 1998 by Laurie Miller Brotman, Ph.D., to promote research aimed at strengthening parenting and child competencies and preventing major public health outcomes, such as juvenile delinquency, school dropout, and childhood obesity. Dr. Brotman is the Director of the Institute for Prevention Science and the Corzine Family Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Who we are

The Institute for Prevention Science includes scientists from diverse professional backgrounds who are concerned with the prevention of mental health problems and the promotion of children’s social, emotional, and academic competence, and physical health.

Research

The development and testing of preventive interventions requires a complex, multilevel understanding of the course of normal development to formulate a comprehensive model of the mechanisms through which deviations in development lead to poor outcomes.

The randomized controlled prevention trials that IPS conducts provide invaluable opportunities to understand the mechanisms of change. Our trials have demonstrated that developmentally and theoretically-informed, family and school interventions can result in long-term benefits for children’s behavior, mental health, physical health, and school functioning.

Strengths and Features of IPS research:

  • The development of user-friendly, engaging parenting programs and materials for families living in socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods
  • Designing and implementing multi-modal interventions for children at high-risk for negative outcomes
  • Bringing evidence-based parenting programs to urban schools
  • Direct observation of child and family social interactions in home, school, and community settings
  • Developing and improving child and family assessment techniques
  • Examining social and biological variables in prevention studies
  • Working with schools and communities as partners
  • Assessment of and attention to culture
  • Measurement of parenting stressors and mental health issues related to child development

The Institute for Prevention Science has a longstanding relationship with the New York City Department of Education and has successfully conducted research studies in New York City public schools

Research Collaborations

The Institute for Prevention Science works closely with colleagues from other NYU Child Study Center institutes, the NYU School of Medicine, New York University departments, and other academic and research centers, including:

NYU Center of Excellence on Addiction
NYU Division of General Internal Medicine
NYU Division of Cardiology
The Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH)
Nathan S. Kline Institute
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Current Funding

The Investigators at the Institute for Prevention Science have grants from the following federal and state agencies and foundations: