 I started my career as a pediatrician in a problem neighborhood in one of Germany's biggest cities and joined the MCDA just after it opened to work in the area of substance use prevention. Thanks to our work, drug policies in Europe are now more data-driven, public health-oriented and pragmatic than in the past. And in the area of prevention, great progress has been made in delivering interventions that are responsible scientifically sound and rooted in clear concepts. Working here has helped me understand the complexity and diversity of these continents, countries, systems and cultures and above all has shown me how science can be transformed into better policies and interventions. I feel fortunate to be helping to develop a professional prevention workforce that values prevention science and is trained in and knowledgeable about approaches that are tested, safe and likely to yield results.