Arizona Prevention Research Center

What Arizona Prevention Research Center does

The Arizona Prevention Research Center (AzPRC) is a non-profit academic research unit founded in 2001 and housed at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. It applies community-based participatory research (CBPR) to develop and evaluate health-promotion interventions targeting chronic-disease prevention among Latino border communities, tribal populations, and other underserved groups in Arizona. The center is one of 20 academic research centers in the CDC-funded Prevention Research Centers Network.

AzPRC's core deliverables are evidence-based bilingual curricula and CHW-facing toolkits — including Diabetes and the Family, Pasos Adelante/Steps Forward, SONRISA, PAPRN+, the Promotora Community Health Manual, and the Arizona CHW Organizational Inventory — supported by multi-year core research projects (current: Together Across Generations, 2024-2029; prior: UNIDOS, 2019-2024). Programs are delivered through Community Health Workers (Promotoras de Salud), community health centers (Mariposa, El Rio, Sunset, Chiricahua), tribal Community Health Representative programs, Area Health Education Centers, and partner organizations such as AzCHOW. Documented outcomes include statistically significant A1c improvements in 90% of 148 enrolled diabetes-education patients and 80% to 87% hypertension control gains.

AzPRC's revenue model is government-funded research, not commercial: it is supported by CDC cooperative agreement U48DP006799, totaling $5,000,000 for 2024-2029 (approximately $1M per year), with no fees charged for programs. Programs are free to community partners and rely on a community-led go-to-market model mediated through Community Action Boards, CHWs, and tribal partnerships. There are no paying customers, no pricing model, and no commercial distribution channels.

Name

Arizona Prevention Research Center

Legal name

Arizona Prevention Research Center (AzPRC)

Website

https://azprc.arizona.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Arizona Prevention Research Center (AzPRC) is a CDC-funded academic research unit at the University of Arizona that develops and evaluates community-based, bilingual chronic-disease prevention curricula and Community Health Worker training, delivered through community health centers, tribal communities, and AzCHOW across the Arizona-Mexico border region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Research

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion Departments (HLAJAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Community Health & Health Equity/Social Determinants Units (HLAJAAAO), Health Promotion, Prevention & Community Health Programs (BPAIAJAC)

Keywords

• Community health research
• Chronic disease prevention
• Public health education
• Health promotion curricula
• Community health workers

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. CDC Prevention Research Center Cooperative Agreement: Primary funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Prevention Research Center Program. The current cooperative agreement U48DP006799 totals $5,000,000 for the 2024-2029 period.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Arizona Prevention Research Center conducts community-based participatory research and develops evidence-based health promotion curricula for chronic disease prevention among border and underserved Arizona communities. Its core offering centers on Community Health Worker (CHW)-delivered interventions—curricula, toolkits, and training/certification programs—targeting diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and related chronic conditions, disseminated through partnerships with community health centers, health departments, tribal communities, and Area Health Education Centers.

Product overview

The Arizona Prevention Research Center (AzPRC) operates as a prevention research and community health program within the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Rather than offering a traditional technology product, AzPRC provides a portfolio of evidence-based curricula, training programs, and research frameworks. The core offerings include the Diabetes and the Family Curriculum (English and Spanish), Pasos Adelante/Steps Forward Curriculum, SONRISA Toolkit, PAPRN+ Toolkit, and Promotora Community Health Manual. These curricula are delivered through community health workers (CHWs/Promotores de Salud) to address chronic disease prevention in underserved populations. The organization also maintains the Arizona CHW Organizational Inventory database and provides the CHW Voluntary Certification Program through its partner AzCHOW. Research activities are conducted through core projects like Together Across Generations (TAG) and UNIDOS, while affiliated networks include MINDSET for epilepsy care and AZ-VIVIR for vaccine research. The Sociocultural Resilience Model provides the theoretical framework guiding their community-based participatory research approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Diabetes and the Family Curriculum An evidence-based curriculum designed to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes through family-centered education, intended for delivery by Community Health Workers in underserved and border communities.
• Pasos Adelante / Steps Forward Curriculum A bilingual (Spanish/English) chronic disease prevention and lifestyle-change curriculum targeting Hispanic/Latino adults in border communities, delivered through promotores de salud.
• SONRISA Toolkit A practical toolkit equipping Community Health Workers to recognize and address depression and other mental health concerns among Hispanic/Latino clients.
• Promotora Community Health Manual A reference manual for designing, implementing, and sustaining Community Health Worker (promotora) programs in community-based organizations.
• LINKS Replication Guide A step-by-step replication guide enabling community organizations to implement CHW-led cardiovascular disease prevention interventions modeled on AzPRC research.
• PAPRN+ Toolkit A toolkit supporting physical activity promotion and chronic disease prevention in community settings, leveraging AzPRC's policy and environmental change research.
• Arizona CHW Organizational Inventory A research and planning tool that catalogs Community Health Worker organizations, programs, and workforce capacity across Arizona.
• Meta Salud Diabetes An evidence-based diabetes prevention and self-management intervention designed for Hispanic/Latino adults in U.S.–Mexico border communities, delivered by Community Health Workers.
• Vivir Mejor! System A bilingual ("Live Better!") chronic disease prevention and self-management system used by CHWs and community health programs.
• Together Across Generations (TAG) An intergenerational curriculum engaging families and seniors in chronic disease prevention and healthy lifestyle activities.
• UNIDOS A community-based chronic disease prevention intervention developed by AzPRC for Hispanic/Latino populations.
• AZ-VIVIR An Arizona-tailored adaptation of the VIVIR chronic disease prevention program for delivery in underserved communities.
• CHW Voluntary Certification Program A voluntary certification program establishing training and competency standards for Community Health Workers (promotores) in Arizona.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vivir Mejor! program documented statistically significant outcomes and is listed as a promising program by Rural Health Information Hub
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Arizona Community Health Workers Association (AzCHOW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAzCHOW is a statewide 501c3 nonprofit organization of community health workers. AzPRC collaborates with AzCHOW on CHW workforce development, voluntary certification, leadership training, and policy advocacy. The organizations work jointly on the CHW Workforce Coalition and training program approval.
• Arizona Department of Health ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAzPRC partners with ADHS on chronic disease prevention programs, CHW workforce policy, and dissemination of effective prevention strategies. ADHS convenes the CHW Advisory Board for voluntary certification.
• Mariposa Community Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFQHC in Nogales, Arizona leading the Vivir Mejor! diabetes consortium. AzPRC provides evaluation and technical assistance. Mariposa has used CHWs for 26 years and serves as the health care home for 91% of children in Santa Cruz County.
• El Rio Community Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner in AzPRC chronic disease prevention research projects. Community health center serving underserved populations in Pima County.
• Campesinos Sin FronterascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization providing services to farmworkers in Yuma County. Partner on CHW programs and community health initiatives. Operates Radio Sin Fronteras, a bilingual community radio station reaching 1.4 million people.
• SEAHEC (Southeast Arizona Area Health Education Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEAHEC operates the Healthy Farms/Healthy Communities Program with CHWs in rural farmworker communities. AzPRC provides technical assistance and program support for community health initiatives in Cochise County.
• University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAzPRC is housed within MEZCOPH. College provides academic infrastructure, faculty, and research support for prevention research activities.
• Community Health Centers (Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAzPRC partners with multiple FQHCs and community health centers for program implementation, including Mariposa, El Rio, Sunset, and Chiricahua Community Health Centers.
• State and Local Health DepartmentscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships with county health departments in Pima and Yuma counties for chronic disease prevention program implementation and policy dissemination.
• Area Health Education CenterssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of AHECs involved in CHW training, workforce development, and health education throughout Arizona.
• Arizona Advisory Council on Indian Health CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on CHR (Community Health Representative) Summit and tribal health policy initiatives. Joint sponsorship of policy summits for CHW workforce development.
• Inter Tribal Council of ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CHR Summit events and tribal health policy advocacy. Collaboration on Medicaid/Medicare reimbursement issues for CHRs.
• Colegio de SonorasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexican academic institution that collaborated with AzPRC to adapt the Pasos Adelante curriculum for the Mexican population in Sonora, Mexico, creating MetaSalud.
• Rio Rico Medical and Fire DistrictsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Coordinated Community Care Model for chronic disease management. Collaboration with MCHC CHWs on community paramedicine and EMS-CHW integration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Rural Health Information Hub: Federally funded information clearinghouse that recognized AzPRC's Vivir Mejor! as a promising program. Comparable as an enabling organization that catalogs and disseminates rural community health interventions similar to those AzPRC produces.

Direct peers

• UCLA Center for Health Policy Research: Another CDC Prevention Research Center focused on community-based health research and policy translation. Compares directly as an academic PRC applying CBPR-style methods to address health disparities, though based in California rather than Arizona.
• Harvard T.H. Chan Prevention Research Center: CDC PRC focused on nutrition, physical activity, and chronic disease prevention. Direct network peer with similar academic-PRC structure and emphasis on community-engaged research translation.
• Emory Prevention Research Center: CDC-funded PRC at Emory University conducting community-based participatory research on chronic disease prevention. Directly comparable as a network peer with shared funding source, methodology, and population health focus.
• Arizona Community Health Workers Association (AzCHOW): Statewide 501c3 nonprofit of Community Health Workers. Although a core partner rather than a competitor, AzCHOW is the most directly comparable organization in the CHW workforce development space that AzPRC operates in.
• University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center: A CDC-funded PRC focused on chronic disease prevention and health promotion research. Comparable as one of the 20 CDC PRC network members with similar cooperative agreement structure and research translation mission.

Regional players

• Migrant Clinicians Network: National network of clinicians serving migrant and farmworker populations. Comparable for its focus on health issues of migrant and border communities — a population core to AzPRC's mission — though operating more broadly across U.S. migrant streams.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW): National membership organization for CHWs that operates at a broader policy and advocacy scale than AzPRC. Comparable as a CHW workforce advocacy peer, though it operates federally rather than at a single state level.
• CDC Foundation: Independent nonprofit that channels private-sector and philanthropic support to CDC initiatives. Comparable as the CDC ecosystem's primary intermediary for funded public health programs beyond AzPRC's direct grant relationship.
• Partners In Health: Global health nonprofit operating community health worker programs at scale in resource-poor settings. Comparable in CBPR-inspired CHW delivery model, though at much larger scope and geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AzPRC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arizona-prevention-research-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Arizona Prevention Research Center