The Society of Prevention Research (SPR) honored Christine Lee, PhD, with the 2021 Translation Science Award. The Translational Science Award is given to an individual or a team of individuals in recognition for contributions to the field of prevention science in the area of Type 1 or Type 2 translational research. Dr. Lee’s scholarly interests focus on the etiology and prevention of substance use behaviors and consequences during adolescence and young/early adulthood. She has developed a highly successful portfolio of work bridging developmental, social, and motivational theory with applied prevention and intervention techniques to strategically address high-risk behaviors during the transition to adulthood. Dr. Lee’s research addresses important questions regarding how recent marijuana legislation in Washington State impacts young adult marijuana use and consequences; what motivates young adults to engage in alcohol and marijuana use; how alcohol expectancies, alcohol use and consequences are linked in a natural feed-forward process that maintains high-risk behaviors; how developmental transitions and event timing influence use; and what are efficacious prevention and intervention strategies and for whom and under what conditions are these most effective.

SPR is dedicated to advancing scientific investigation on the etiology and prevention of social, physical and mental health, and academic problems and on the translation of that information to promote health and well-being.