256765 An applied learning module about community health assessment: Utilizing university and institute partnerships to enhance undergraduate public health education

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Rosemary M. Caron, PhD, MPH , Health Management and Policy, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Holly Tutko, MS , NH Institute for Health Policy and Practice, University of New Hampshire, Bow, NH
The Scholarship and Community Engagement Council in the College of Health and Human Services at the University of New Hampshire is an interdisciplinary collaboration of representatives from academic departments and research and policy focused institutes. This Council examines how applied community-based research and resultant policy development can be incorporated into a traditional academic environment. The Council acquired funding to create and pilot test learning modules to demonstrate to undergraduate students the “real world” application of core public health concepts taught in the traditional classroom setting. The modules were tested in a public health course titled, “Epidemiology and Community Medicine.” This presentation will describe a web-based module containing faculty and student resources/tools to increase undergraduate student knowledge and skills with respect to the relevance, process and challenges of conducting a Community Health Assessment. The Community Health Assessment module was designed to achieve the following objectives: 1. explain the significance and utility of a community health assessment; 2. research and apply common quantitative data sources; and 3. solve data acquisition challenges. The authors will present the Community Health Assessment module implemented in the above noted undergraduate public health course to engage students in a simulated community health assessment experience using publicly available datasets and on-line data tools developed by the research institute. In addition, the benefits of the Community Health Assessment applied learning module for students, the academic department, the institute, and the university to which they all belong will be reviewed.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Epidemiology
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Public health or related education
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: • Describe an interdisciplinary approach to educate undergraduates about public health • Describe an innovative approach to engage undergraduate students in applying epidemiological-based principles and concepts to the “real world” • Discuss how an academic and institute partnership can provide a platform for advancing the goals of the partners involved, as well as the understanding and appreciation of public health by undergraduate students

Keywords: Public Health Education, Simulation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the former Director of the University of New Hampshire's MPH Program. I am currently a faculty member teaching public health to undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, I have ten years of experience practicing public health at the local, state, and private levels prior to entering academia.
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.