Partnerships in public health: A model of integrated theory and practice

In a recent report, the Institute of Medicine stated that training of public health practitioners requires a systematic, thoughtful, and integrated approach to the design and implementation of practical experiences in the field and academic learning in the classroom. In order to ensure a seamless transition from academia into careers in public health, undergraduate and graduate students require academic training and supervised practical experiences that reach beyond standards of practice in the field of public health. Students in the Department of Health Education at SFSU benefit from an integrated, sequenced, and conjoined curricular model that provides students with opportunities and time to link theory and practice through a minimum of 260 hours of fieldwork. Academia and practitioners are part of a learning community working together to design, instruct, and evaluate course work and field experiences. Students work on real-time projects as they practice public health skills such as assessment, program planning, evaluation, and training and curriculum design. These field experiences are designed to foster reflection, learning and accountability. Formal partnerships with departments of public health and community-based agencies and organizations throughout the Bay Area have been well-established. Current and former local health department staff hold appointments as full time and adjunct faculty at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Local health department staff and others serve as members of the MPH Community Advisory Board and advise on key aspects of curriculum design. This presentation will describe the design of the SFSU model and recommendations for replication.