199889 Aligning a Departmental DrPH Program with the new ASPH Competencies

Monday, November 9, 2009

Patricia I. Documét, MD, DrPH , Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Assistant Professor, Pittsburgh, PA, PA
Jeanette M. Trauth, PhD , Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
  
The seven competency areas outlined by the Association of Schools of Public Health encompass the breadth of public health and create both challenges and opportunities when modifying a discipline-specific DrPH program. We describe the process of making substantial modifications to an existing DrPH program. The objective of our DrPH program is to train leaders with an expertise in evaluation and translation of research into practice. The redesign of the program builds on the strengths of our department: community orientation and critical analysis. To further expand on the competencies of leadership, advocacy, management and communications we used three main strategies. First, require an MPH degree for admission, thus satisfying the required “core” curriculum for public health professional degrees. Second, include courses from other departments, and third, create an executive management internship that includes three semesters of intensive, high-level work with public health agencies. To integrate knowledge and skills from diverse areas of public health, we created a course in translation of research to practice and modified our Integrative Seminars. The integrative seminar requires students to write and submit a pre-doctoral fellowship or dissertation research application as well as, write and submit a manuscript to a peer reviewed journal. These experiences will develop the necessary skills needed in today's public health environment. Finally, the design of the integrative seminars to include both PhD and DrPH students facilitates a cross-fertilization of ideas and collaboration as well as an understanding of the interactive and complementary domains of public health research and practice.

Learning Objectives:
1. List the seven competencies for DrPH degrees outlined by ASPH. 2. Describe at least two ways in which DrPH and PhD graduates can complement each other’s work.

Keywords: Curricula, Public Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Patricia Documét, MD, DrPH. I have worked in research and evaluation projects using quantitative and qualitative methods in combination in the U.S. and internationally. My current research focus is on cancer early detection and screening and Latino health. I am conducting preliminary studies to later propose a randomized behavioral trial to test an innovative method for cancer screening among Latinas. I have conducted research with underserved populations in western Pennsylvania (Latinos, Appalachian, Amish and African American) both on access to health care and cancer screening. I am collaborating with faculty from the School of Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh in a study to gauge attitudes and knowledge of mothers and daughters of three different ethnic groups regarding the HPV vaccine. I teach BCHS 2525 Introduction to Applied Research in two formats. In the spring, it is a hybrid course, mostly web-based, with three required face-to-face sessions. In the fall, it is a traditional format with sessions every week. I have mentored medical students in organizing and implementing an interpreter service for Latinos at a clinic offering free medical services to adults as part of the University of Pittsburgh’s Program for Underserved Populations. Because of my affiliation with the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, I regularly mentor students designing research in or about Latin America. Outside the University, I have served as a reviewer for several journals, including Health Policy, the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the Journal of the National Medical Association, and the Journal for Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. In the past seven years, I have taken the lead in designing and implementing a church-based service fair offering a single event with information about several health and human services available to Spanish-speaking residents of Allegheny County, PA. I serve on the board of the Area health Education Centers (AHEC). Since 2004, I facilitate the meeting of the Latino Round Table, a group that attempts to coordinate and unite the efforts of Latino organizations in Southwestern Pennsylvania. MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS Documét, P.I., Green, H., Adams, J., Weil, L.A., Stockdale, J., Hyseni,Y. Perspectives of African American, Amish, Appalachian and Latina Women on Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening: Implications for Cultural Competence. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 19(1): 56-74, 2008. Sharma, R., McGinnis, K., Documét, P. Disparity in Health Status and Health Service Utilization among Hispanic Ethnic Subgroups. Journal of Health & Social Policy. Accepted for publication. Documét, P., Sharma, R. Latinos Health Care Access: Financial and Cultural Barriers. Journal of Immigrant Health Title. January 2004. 6 (1): 5-13. Green, H.H., Documét, P. A Community-Based Initiative for Teen Pregnancy Prevention. Journal of Adolescent Health. Accepted for publication 2004.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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