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

Abstract #111585

Maria R. Zoquier, BS, WH/I GENE Project Coalition, Dominican Women's Development Center, 519 West 189th Street, Ground Floor, The target audiences are public health, New York, NY 10040, 212-994-6060, mzoquier@dwdc.org, Bakary Tandia, BA, Health Services Program, African Services Committee, 429 W. 127 St, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10027, and Romelia Rodriguez, CHW, Community Health Worker Network of NYC, Hunter College, 425 East 25th Street, Suite 720, New York, NY 10010.

The Community Health Worker Cultural Mentoring Project is a joint project of the Hunter College School of Health Professions and the Community Health Worker Network of NYC. The project promotes a unique partnership between community health workers(CHWs) and health professions students in which CHWs provide cultural mentoring for students from a variety of disciplines. The CHW mentors are invited to teach one session of both undergraduate and graduate nursing and community health education classes. The classroom presentation is designed to help students understand and appreciate the vital role of CHWs as they work with families from a diverse range of cultures including Central and Latin American, West African, South Asian, Caribbean and African-American. Lessons learned from this experience are explored in student reflections, and discussion circles of students and CHWs. CHW mentors have been involved in every aspect of the project including designing the project, meeting with faculty, developing the curriculum, conducting the classes and evaluating the impact of the program. CHW mentors have developed an engaging curriculum that introduces students to popular education approaches to community health education. Mentors receive two half-day training sessions and a stipend for their participation in the project. CHW mentors will use an interactive format to present the process and results of the project and discuss how this experience has benefited the CHW Network, the students and themselves.

Learning Objectives: Participants will

• Understand the role of CHWs as cultural mentors for health professions students
• Identify the benefits of the program for CHWs and students

Keywords: Community Health Advisor,

Related Web page: www.chwnetwork.org

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.