The Prevention Innovations Research Center at UNH
Prevention Innovations Research Center (PIRC) is committed to ending sexual and relationship violence and stalking, through the power of effective researcher-community partnerships. These partnerships intentionally study community issues to identify solutions for community implementation. Through collaborative relationships with community partners, PIRC creates practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
This strategy has contributed to innovation in prevention, and improved responses to sexual and relationship violence and stalking. Our collaborations furnish community partners with scientifically-based evaluations that strengthen policies and positions or recommend changes to better meet their missions. Since inception, PIRC has consistently sought opportunities to translate research and evaluate its efficacy. Through systematic inquiry, we have worked with community partners marginalized because of racism, sexism, and homophobia. We have adapted PIRC bystander strategies for Hispanic Serving Institutions, branches of the US Military, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations.
PIRC has demystified scientific research for the advocacy field. By bringing together teams of researchers and members of the practitioner community we reduced the gaps between practice and research and between scholarship and application. This increases the likelihood of innovation and discovery and creates a new dimension of performance in addressing sexual and relationship violence and stalking.
Recognition of our efforts has taken many forms. Vice President Joseph Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recognized PIRC in 2011 by announcing amendments to Title IX at UNH. The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault’s 2014 report called out the demonstrated efficacy of PIRC’s commercial product, Bringing in the Bystander® at increasing college students’ confidence in their ability to speak up and prevent violence. The Task Force’s second report in 2017 again cited Bringing in the Bystander as a leading evidence-based, evaluated program.
PRIC commercial products Bringing in the Bystander® and Know Your Power® are in use at more than 500 campuses, 75 state-and community-based organizations in the US and Canada, and the US Army; they are also in use in France, Sweden, South Africa, Australia, and the UK.
Who We Are and Who We Work With. The nearly 20 researchers and practitioners associated with PIRC have dedicated their professional lives to ending sexual and relationship violence and stalking through research; public policy advocacy; prevention design, evaluation and delivery; and program and practice development. Individual PIRC members have received awards and special recognitions from local, state and national partners, and from academic, government and legislative bodies, and among them have authored 85 peer-reviewed journal articles, 15 book chapters, and 21 reports documenting the outcome of PIRC’s community partnerships. We are preparing the next generation of scholars and researchers through inclusion of students in researcher and practitioner collaborations. Read more at http://cola.unh.edu/prevention-innovations-research-center.