Universal Prevention Curriculum Community-Based
Prevention Implementation Systems

Author: Cary Hopkins Eyles, MA, CAP | Deputy Director, ICUDDR

January 2022

Exciting things are happening in the world of drug demand reduction workforce development. A training of faculty in Egypt of the Universal Treatment Curriculum, Module 11 on Motivational Enhancement, was just completed by Dr. Igor Koutsenok and Anna Blyum. A walk-through of Modules 1-8 will occur later this month for Turkey faculty with guest faculty from Kenya attending as well.

This month’s blog, however, is about a recent Universal Prevention Curriculum training that occurred with Malaysian faculty. As reported by our partners in Malaysia, Aisha Saddiqua, Maria Ilugbuhi, and Dr. Zall Kepli:

“In order to endorse the evidence-based practices in the field of prevention in Malaysia, the Supreme Training & Consultancy (STC), under the banner of Colombo Plan Drug Advisory programme (DAP) organized a virtual training for the UPC-9 Community-Based Prevention Implementation Systems for Malaysian Professional and also for International professionals. STC Malaysia is aiming to assist parent organizations to develop trained professionals in Addiction Science based on UTC/UPC who can screen, assess, construct prevention plans, and conduct intervention for both individual, group and community, to reduce the significant health, social, and economic problems.

The overall goal of the training series is to reduce the significant health, social, and economic problems associated with substance use throughout the world by building international prevention capacity through training, professionalizing, and expanding the substance use prevention workforce. This curriculum series is designed to provide extensive foundational knowledge to Prevention Managers and Supervisors about the most effective evidence based (EB) prevention interventions that are currently available. Prevention Managers and Supervisors, usually located at the community, state or country level, are prevention professionals involved in the assessment and planning for prevention, organization, selection and implementation of EB interventions, and monitoring and evaluation of programming.”

Twenty-four participants attended and completed the course. Despite time constraints – which we can all relate to – the responses were incredibly positive for this training. For example, Dr. Inayatullah Magsi, Assistant Professor Chandika Medical College Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan stated his comments as,

“It is indeed gratifying to write this for training which remained world class throughout. Trainers well versed in their field took trainees to every aspect of the curriculum. What an enthusiastic and engaging experience. There is need of more like this training. Thankful to be the part of it.”