Academic Health Department Learning Community: Strengthening collaboration in public health

During this session, the Academic Health Department (AHD) Learning Community will hold its second in-person meeting; both current and prospective community members are invited to participate. The AHD Learning Community is a national community that connects educators, researchers, and practitioners in support of AHDs. AHD partnerships result from the formal affiliation of public health practice organizations, such as state or local health departments, and academic health professions institutions and aim to enhance public health education and training, research, and service. The AHD Learning Community offers public health and primary care professionals an opportunity to engage in collaborative learning, knowledge exchange, and resource development to support the creation, maintenance, and expansion of AHDs. Recent activities of the Learning Community include identifying AHDs; collecting and making available agreements used to establish AHD partnerships; and exploring topics related to AHD structure, function, development, and growth.

This interactive session provides an opportunity for AHD Learning Community members and others to come together to learn more about AHDs and the Learning Community. Participants will interact with colleagues interested in the AHD model and will be encouraged to ask questions and share their experiences, success stories, and challenges related to AHDs. Activities, strengths, and benefits of the Learning Community will be highlighted, as will resources that support AHDs.

The AHD Learning Community is an initiative of the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration and staffed by the Public Health Foundation. A full agenda for this AHD Learning Community meeting will be available at http://bit.ly/AHDLC_Oct2012 prior to the APHA Annual Meeting.