Creating an academic health department through formal linkages between Public Health – Seattle & King County and University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Karen A. Hartfield, MPH¹, Frederick Connell, MD, MPH², and Dorothy Teeter, MHA¹. (1) Public Health - Seattle & King County, 400 Yesler Way, Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-205-8056, karen.hartfield@metrokc.gov, (2) University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine, P.O. Box 357230, Seattle, WA 98195

In 2004, Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) and the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine (UW) developed a project known as the Academic Health Department (AHD) to establish formal academic-practice linkages between the two institutions. The project's goals included making public health education more relevant to contemporary public health practice and improving the public health workforce's skills. A joint steering committee helped develop a vision for the project, and provided guidance on specific activities. The broad goals included engaging PHSKC staff in teaching at UW, developing ongoing scholarly exchange, engaging in joint community-based projects, and engaging UW in providing technical assistance to PHSKC staff. In the first year, we accomplished the following activities: key informant interviews of UW and PHSKC faculty and staff to determine strengths and weaknesses of current collaborations, hiring of an experienced AHD coordinator at PHSKC who also holds a UW faculty appointment, jointly sponsored symposium on the King County obesity epidemic, joint teaching of two UW courses by PHSKC and UW faculty, joint development of a digital library plan for PHSKC staff, placement of 16 first year public health students in practica assignments at PHSKC, and clinical faculty appointments for all PHSKC practica site supervisors.

Results suggest that the UW curriculum is increasingly practice based, more students are actively working in the community to provide services and PHSKC staff are benefiting from UW faculty expertise on grant applications and information resources.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

1. Identify and describe key activities that enhance development of formal academic-practice linkages.
2. Develop an on-line survey to assess information needs of public health department staff.
3. Develop a practicum program for first year public health students.

Keywords: Workforce, Public Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Leveraging Practice & Academic Partnerships for Teaching and Training the Public Health Workforce

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA