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

Abstract #113977

Jolynn P. Montgomery, MPH, PhD, Bureau of Epidemiology, Michigan Department of Community Health, 3423 N. Martin Luther King, Box 30195, Lansing, MI 48909, 517 335 8165, montgomeryjp@yahoo.com, Matthew L. Boulton, MD, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Michigan, 109 Observatory St., 1009 SPH I, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, and Irene S. Bayer, MHSA, Office of Community-Based Public Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 S. Observatory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029.

Through a planning initiative funded by the Association of Schools of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the University of Michigan, School of Public Health (SPH) is implementing an Academic Health Department (AHD) in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) and local health departments (LHDs). During the analysis of key informant interviews it became clear that an AHD is useful for facilitating and promoting public health practice/academia interface. Within each agency, we discovered individual and common needs for joint applied research, workforce development, and mentoring infrastructure. The main goal for AHD is to implement a sustainable and consistent infrastructure to facilitate academic-practice partnerships. While barriers such as time and money are acknowledged by all stakeholders, commitments are being made to allow for initial activities to be implemented and sustained at a modest level, which will ultimately make large improvements in the public health system: • SPH created an Associate Dean for Practice • SPH and MDCH jointly employed an epidemiology research track faculty member/practicing epidemiologist. • MDCH epidemiology and laboratory bureaus and LHDs participated in mentoring students, guest lecturing, and joint research and publication. These innovative approaches to creating an AHD will help to elevate the professionalism of public health and facilitate interactions between public health academics and practitioners.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to

• Articulate a definition of an AHD.
• Describe five activities facilitated by this AHD.
• Develop a strategy for implementing an AHD.

Keywords: Health Departments,

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.