The interdisciplinary workgroup now consists of over 30 members from the School of Social Work, the departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, the local public health department and other units on campus and in the surrounding community. Virtually all members are engaged in research on the use of MI to accomplish preventive goals ranging from AIDS prevention to substance abuse prevention. Each month, the group meets for an informal presentation and discussion of a participant's project or for general discussion of topics such as training interviewers and recruiting study participants. The success of the MI workgroup has spawned a second workgroup focused on Health and Mental Health Risk Behaviors. This group consists mainly of Center affiliated faculty and doctoral students from the School of Social Work who are engaged in research on the prevention of AIDS, substance abuse, and associated mental health problems.
Participants conduct informal presentations of their current research on a rotating, monthly basis.
The workgroup provides an opportunity for participants to receive advice and input on drafts of grant applications, conference papers and other scholarly products. The Prevention Research Center sponsors similar workgroups focused on Conceptualizing Culture and Prevention and Research Methods, Design and Analysis. All of these workgroups provide scholars from different disciplines and different research projects with a unique opportunity to come together to discuss research issues of common interest and to share their expertise and experiences.