Dr. Guillermo Prado Named ‘Research Exemplar’

Graduate School Dean Guillermo “Willy” Prado, Ph.D., an internationally known expert in effective intervention strategies for at-risk youth, has been named a “research exemplar” by The Research Exemplar Project at Washington University School of Medicine.

Prado, the Leonard M. Miller Professor of Public Health Sciences and director of the Division of Prevention Science and Community Health, was nominated for the honor in the Biomedical Science Division by UM’s John Bixby, Ph.D., vice provost for research.

“Dr. Prado’s career provides a clear example of the close relationship that exists between research integrity and research quality,” Bixby said. “He combines excellence in both management and mentorship of his research team with high-quality, high-impact research.”

Funded by an NIH career development grant awarded to Alison Antes, assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM), The Research Exemplar Project is a partnership with WUSM’s Professionalism and Integrity in Research Program directed by James DuBois.

Their project, which aims to honor and enable others to learn from high-impact researchers who maintain an impressive reputation for professionalism and research integrity, yielded many outstanding nominations. A review panel narrowed down the nominees to a cohort of biomedical research exemplars and a cohort of STEM research exemplars.

Each of the exemplars was interviewed by WUSM researchers to identify and share their practices for leading research teams. Research exemplars also received a personalized award and are featured on the project website.

Prado, who earned his Ph.D. in epidemiology and public health and his Master of Science in statistics from UM, has focused his research on strategies to prevent obesity, drug use, and HIV infection in at-risk youth, particularly Latino youth. Over his career, he has received an estimated $75 million in funding (as principal investigator or co-principal investigator) from such agencies as the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As his bio on the exemplar website notes, “Colleagues view him as a role model for junior faculty, for Latino faculty, and for high standards of data analysis and interpretation in public health and epidemiology. They commend his leadership in developing a university-wide program in the Responsible Conduct of Research and describe him as thoughtful, fair, and insistent on high ethical standards at all times.”

Tags: Dr. Guillermo "Willy" Prado, public health sciences, Research Exemplar, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine