Programs and Centers
Our programs and centers are world-renowned for community-engaged, and evidence-based research, training, clinical care and service.
Each center has a unique focus – and we work in teams, finding our interrelated research interests inform and build on one another.
Our collaborations support the pursuit of multifaceted, preventive solutions that eliminate barriers to better public health.
UMass Worcester Prevention Research Center
The UMass Worcester Prevention Research Center is one of 26 Prevention Research Centers across the country. Through sustained partnerships and collaborations with community organizations, the UM-PRC is building knowledge to inform effective public health programs and policies that promote healthy weight, healthy behaviors and optimal management of chronic health conditions with the goal of improving the lives of individuals, families and communities in Greater Worcester. The Center, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is co-directed by Drs. Stephenie Lemon and Milagros Rosal.
The Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training (CTTRT)
The Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training is committed to reducing mortality and morbidity due to tobacco use and nicotine dependence. The CTTRT conducts cutting-edge research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spanning the translational continuum. Our research aims to elucidate brain areas, neural circuitry, and molecular mechanisms underlying nicotine addiction; develop evidence-based tobacco treatment approaches to inform best practices, including the innovative use of technology and health communication techniques to reduce use in youth and adults; apply implementation science approaches to integrate tobacco screening, prevention, and treatment within health care, cancer care, and public health practice; and understand the marketing of tobacco to inform tobacco marketing regulations. Our Center is an integral part of the Tobacco Treatment and Nicotine Dependence (TTND) Research Committee of the UMass Cancer Center’s Cancer Population Health Sciences (CPHS) Program. https://www.umassmed.edu/cancer-center/research/research-programs/cancer-population-health-sciences/ The Center’s accredited Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) Training Program, the first in the nation, trains professionals in the delivery of evidence-based tobacco use disorder treatment. CTTRT contracts with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to provide coaching to Massachusetts healthcare delivery organizations to integrate evidence-based tobacco treatment interventions, with a particular focus on addressing racial disparities and health equity in tobacco treatment to improve the health of those most burdened by tobacco use. The Center’s Training program and DPH contract are managed by Caroline Cranos. The Center was founded and is directed by Dr. Lori Pbert.
The Center for Applied Nutrition (CAN)
The Center for Applied Nutrition helps empower individuals to make healthy food choices so that they can enjoy the highest quality of life. The Center for Applied Nutrition specializes in dietary interventions for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, obesity, and gastrointestinal diseases. Through studies, individual counseling, or classes, we teach individuals successful ways to make healthy dietary changes into long-term lifestyle changes to prevent and treat chronic diseases and conditions. The Center also has the capacity to conduct nutritional analyses with a cadre of trained dietitian callers. The Center is directed by Ms. Barbara Olendzki.