Facts About the PRC Program

What is the PRC Program?

Funds community-based research projects at 33 academic research centers across the United States

Allocated nearly $28 million in FY08 for infrastructure and core research

Authorized by Congress in 1984

Selects PRCs through a competitive peer-review process

Managed by CDC as a set of cooperative agreements

Cosponsor (with the Association of Schools of Public Health*) fellowships for doctoral-level students of racial or ethnic minority origin

Expanded the number of academic research centers threefold in 20 years

What PRCs do

Conduct research projects on health- or population-specific issue

Build research teams of multidisciplinary faculty

Seek outcomes applicable to public health program and policies

Create research networks for priority health issues, such as healthy aging and cancer prevention & control

Build long-term relationships for engaging communities as partners in research

Conduct research in directions guided by advisory boards of community leaders

Develop public health researchers' skills for working with communities

Conduct additional research funded by other federal agencies, foundations, and nonprofit organizations

What is needed to become a PRC?

Applications are accepted from schools of public health and schools of medicine or osteopathy with an accredited Preventive Medicine Residency. In addition, each Prevention Research Center must have the following capacities:

Multidisciplinary faculty with expertise in public health and working relationships with relevant groups in public health, medicine, psychology, nursing, social work, education, and business

Graduate training programs relevant to disease prevention

Core faculty in epidemiology, biostatistics, social sciences, behavioral and environmental sciences, and health administration

Demonstrated curriculum in disease prevention

Capability for residency training in public health or preventive medicine

Other qualifications that may be prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services

---

* Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. This link does not constitute an endorsement of this organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.