Study by Health Behavior Research and Training Institute Wins Prestigious Charles C. Shepard Science Award

"Preventing Alcohol-exposed Pregnancies: A Randomized Controlled Trial," a study conducted by the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, a unit of the Center for Social Work Research, has won the prestigious Charles C. Shepard Science Award. The award was presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at a ceremony held in Atlanta, Ga., June 6.

The paper was co-authored by a research team working with study participants in three states, Texas, Florida and Virginia. Dr. Mary Velasquez, director of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute and director of the Center for Social Work Research, was principal investigator for the Texas site of the study. Dr. Kirk von Sternberg, associate director of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute and assistant professor of social work, was co-investigator.

The Shepard Science Awards recognize excellence in scientific achievement by identifying the most outstanding publications of CDC/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry scientists in peer-reviewed journals during the previous year. "Preventing Alcohol-exposed Pregnancies: A Randomized Controlled Trial," published in the January 2007 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, won in the "Prevention and Control" category.

Prenatal alcohol exposure is a leading preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States. "Preventing Alcohol-exposed Pregnancies: A Randomized Controlled Trial," is based on findings from Project CHOICES: A Randomized Clinical Trial for Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Among High-Risk Women, a four-year (2000-04) grant funded by CDC. Participants in the study, women at risk for alcohol-exposed pregnancy, were given a motivational intervention. At post-intervention follow-ups, participants had significantly reduced their risk by reducing drinking, using effective contraceptive methods, or both.

The Charles C. Shepard Science Awards are named in honor of Charles C. Shepard, M.D., the internationally recognized microbiologist who was chief of the Leprosy and Rickettsia Branch at CDC for more than 30 years, until his death in 1985. The awards honor the memory of Dr. Shepard, whose career was marked by the pursuit of scientific excellence. The awards began in 1986 and are presented annually.

Read "Preventing Alcohol-exposed Pregnancies: A Randomized Controlled Trial." (PDF)

SHEPARD SCIENCE AWARD WINNERS

Photo credit: Greg Knobloch

Members of the award-winning research team for their study, "Preventing Alcohol-exposed Pregnancies: A Randomized Controlled Trial," include, from left, Bradley Skarpness, Ph.D.; R. Louise Floyd, DSN, RN; along with Mary M. Velasquez, Ph.D., and Kirk von Sternberg, Ph.D. of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, Center for Social Work Research. The CDC presented the awards in June in Atlanta, Ga.