Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #106161

Mary Beth Love, PhD, Roma Guy, MSW, Vickie Quijano, MPH, and Amanda R. Goldberg, MPH. Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, HSS 319, San Francisco, CA 94132, (415) 338-2708, love@sfsu.edu

Developing engaged curriculum in Public Health responds to the IOM mandate that training in public health apply a practice-based ecological framework. The engaged curriculum recognizes the need to learn and practice the multiple skills required at both the personal and professional level to be successful in working with diverse communities. An innovative engaged MPH curriculum-- funded originally by the FIPSE in 1988—was designed to link theory and practice using an ecological model of public health. The curriculum, oriented to social justice and health, is designed to immerse students in a “learning community” for three years where team work and community building are elicited. To enable community building and teamwork, students participate in 15 hours per semester in reflective seminars where personal capacity building is emphasized. For example the capacity to: give constructive feedback; resolve conflicts; understand personal strengths and weaknesses and practice self care. To strengthen professional competence, students spend three consecutive semesters (18 mos.) and 16 units practicing skills they are learning in academic courses. Co-supervised by a senior practicing PH professional and an MPH practice faculty, students work in teams to assess community needs, develop a community intervention and prepare an evaluation plan to determine its impact. Community practice is in turn used in the conjoined academic courses as teaching cases. Creative assessment methods such as electronic focus groups are systematically used with students as well as community faculty to provide stakeholders a voice in the continual evolution of the curriculum.

Learning Objectives:

• i. Identify the benefits of learning communities as part of MPH preparation;
• 2 Understand the ingrediants necessary to tie community practice to academic instruction on the masters level.
• 3.Describe the professional capacities needed to be practiced if community work is to be successful

Keywords: Curricula, Practice Guidelines

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.