Session: Achievements in Strengthening Public Health Workforce Capacity and Infrastructure


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

3073.3: Monday, December 12, 2005: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM

Oral

Achievements in Strengthening Public Health Workforce Capacity and Infrastructure

This session describes several initiatives to enhance the capacity of the public health workforce. Academic health departments are providing a mechanism for public health students and faculty to become more familiar with the practice of public health in local health departments, and for public health practitioners to learn more about research and the academic setting. Regional medicine-public health education centers are providing opportunities for schools of medicine and public health to join to provide medical students and trainees with enhanced exposure to and training in public health knowledge, skills and issues. A partnership among the Office for Oregon Health Policy and Research, Portland State University and the Oregon Health and Sciences University has resulted in a professional development program that teaches community health professionals how to translate health services research findings into health policy. Each of these collaborations highlights the importance of continued efforts to extend and strengthen the public health workforce.

Learning Objectives: 1. Describe three projects with the goal of enhancing the capacity of the public health workforce. 2. Describe several barriers and facilitators for collaborations between public health practice and academia. 3. Define what an academic health department is, and describe five activities undertaken or facilitated by an academic health department.

Facilitator(s):

David T. Dyjack, DrPH, CIH

10:30 AM

Findings from the Academic Health Department Initiative