About

What We Do

The Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC) conducts community-based research that promotes the health and well-being of middle-aged and older adults, particularly those with lower incomes and in ethnic/cultural minority populations most at risk of health disparities.

HPRC has been a part of the CDC Prevention Research Centers (PRC) Program since the program began in 1986.

Early HPRC research resulted in development of our flagship programs:

PEARLS (Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives), an evidence-based depression management program
Workplace health promotion programs developed in partnership with the American Cancer Society
EnhanceFitness, an evidence-based physical activity program now licensed nationally by Sound Generations (previously known as Senior Services)

Our Impact

Our vision to provide effective healthy aging programs, practices, and policies that are widely implemented in the Pacific Northwest and nationally.

And our research has had national impact, as well as local impact in our home state of Washington.

Our Mission, Vission, and Values

Our Mission

To partner with communities to conduct prevention research that promotes healthy aging and is incorporated into community practice.

Our Vision

Effective healthy aging programs, practices, and policies are widely implemented in the Pacific Northwest and nationally.

Our Values

Collaboration: HPRC collaborates with partners in diverse communities and settings.
Innovation: HPRC develops, tests, and disseminates innovative health promotion strategies.
Equity: HPRC focuses on vulnerable populations to improve health and reduce disparities.

Our Affiliations

HPRC is located in the Department of Health Services in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington.

Our work is conducted with local, regional, and national partners who are committed to promoting health and quality of life for middle-aged and older adults. We partner with organizations that reach large numbers of individuals, including nonprofit organizations, employers, business groups, community networks, and governmental agencies.

Prevention Research Centers

The CDC Prevention Research Centers (PRC) Program and HPRC have been working to build healthier communities for over 30 years.

The PRC network became a reality in 1986 after Congress authorized funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create academic centers to conduct community-based public health research. The UW Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC) was part of the initial group of three PRCs funded in 1986. We are proud to have spent over three decades partnering with excellent community organizations to conduct research with results that have been translated into policy and public health practice.

The Prevention Research Centers (PRCs) network consists of multiple academic research centers across the country. PRCs study how people and their communities can avoid or counter the risks for chronic illnesses such as heart disease, obesity, and cancer. These centers are located at either a school of public health or a medical school that has a preventive medicine residency program. As leaders in translating research results into policy and public health practice, the centers work with communities to develop, evaluate, and implement major community changes that can prevent and control chronic diseases. They identify gaps in research and develop innovative approaches to improving public health that can be shared broadly with public health partners.

Learn more about the Prevention Research Centers program here.

Watch a video produced for HPRC’s 25th anniversary in 2011, showing the foundations of our community-based research and programs: