Abstract
A Public Health Approach to Incarceration: Opportunities for Action
Lisa Metsch, PhD1, Amanda Geller, PhD2, Chelsea Davis, MPH3, Yasmin Davis1, Yves Jeanty, PhD, MPH1, Robert Fullilove, EdD1, Alwyn T. Cohall, MD1 and Linda Fried1
(1)Columbia University, New York, NY, (2)New York University, New York, NY, (3)Vera Institute of Justice, New York, NY
2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2015)
The rapid expansion of the criminal justice system from the 1970s through the early 2000s, commonly known as “mass incarceration,” has had broad effects on health, not only for those incarcerated but also for their families and communities. As the science of prevention and promotion, public health is well-positioned to mitigate risks and promote ways to protect against criminal justice involvement and incarceration. In June 2014, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health convened a conference of 45 Deans of schools/programs throughout the U.S. to identify opportunities to integrate incarceration and public safety issues into the fabric of curricula, research, and practice. Within three months post-conference, participants were surveyed regarding their respective plans for bringing the issue of incarceration to the forefront of the public health agenda. Among the 42 (93%) of institutions responding, nearly 40% indicated they intended to increase educational offerings in the next six months on the issue of incarceration and public health. Over half (55%) plan to add new content to existing courses. Notably, 63% indicated intent to increase research efforts on this issue. Reported planned partners included local CBOs, prisons/jails and other academic departments. Emergent recommendations include that schools/programs of public health should take a leadership role in changing the narrative about incarceration and should develop meaningful collaborations with local prisons, jails, and CBOs. Schools/programs of public health are well positioned to catalyze the change in perception, the public health agenda and policies regarding incarceration for current and future cadres of public health practitioners.
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs Public health or related education Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines Public health or related public policy
Abstract
An Effective Training Partnership: New Mexico Public Health Learning Collaborative
Kristine Tollestrup, PhD, MPH1, Susan C. Forster-Cox, PhD, MPH, MCHES2, Stephanie Jackson, MPH1, Shannon Barnes, MS3, Christina Perea3, Giovanna Rossi, Msc4 and Tres Schnell5
(1)University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, (2)New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, (3)New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe, NM, (4)Collective Action Strategies, LLC, Albuquerque, NM, (5)New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe
2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2015)
Background: The New Mexico Public Health Learning Collaborative (NMPHLC) is an innovative approach to training the public health workforce in a large, rural state. Members of the NMPHLC include faculty from the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University, and public health practitioners from the New Mexico Department of Health and other public health agencies.
Methods: Faculty from the two universities created three all day workshops and an online course to address the training needs of the state’s public health workforce. The topics of the workshop included: Introduction to Public Health, Assessment in Public Health, and Program Planning in Public Health. These workshops were offered at several locations throughout the state and were provided at no cost. A train-the-trainer session was also offered for the Introduction to Public Health workshop. Competencies were selected from the Council on Linkages between Academia and Public Health Practice's Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals. Pre- and post-assessments were administered to all respondents.
Results: A total of 565 participants were trained at 36 workshops, including five with tribal members, over a two-year time period. Overall, workshops participants reported an increase in their ability to do the stated competency after the workshop was completed. On average, participants moved up almost one level in their stated ability to effectively do the competency after completing the workshop.
Conclusions: This collaborative partnership provided an effective means to train public health workers by combining the expertise of academic faculty with that of public health practitioners.
Public health or related education
Abstract
Best practices for preparing new public health instructors: Results from a multi-method evaluation of an academic pedagogy course
Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin, HSD, MPH, MA1, Alyssa M. Lederer, MPH, CHES2, Katie Kearns, PhD3 and Valerie O'Loughlin, PhD3
(1)Indiana University, School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, (2)Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, (3)Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2015)
Public health doctoral education typically does not include teaching preparation, and new faculty members often report feeling unprepared to fulfill their instructional responsibilities. Not only is this problematic for public health faculty members’ success in academia, but skilled instruction is crucial to undergraduate and master’s students’ increased interest in the public health field and their proficient future public health practice. Graduate student pedagogical training can fill this knowledge gap. This presentation will provide an overview of a doctoral-level academic pedagogy course that was introduced at a Midwestern School of Public Health in 2013 and its impact on doctoral students’ pedagogical learning and undergraduate teaching. Results are based on an innovative multi-method evaluation including pre-, mid-, and post-course comparative surveys; a content analysis of reflection papers from students’ course portfolios; the evolution of students’ teaching philosophies using an established rubric; and in-depth interviews several months after the pedagogy course’s completion. In tandem, the evaluation revealed that the pedagogy course was effective in preparing doctoral students to teach health-related courses, greatly enhanced their teaching self-efficacy, and aided in their development as scholarly teachers. Having a forum for peer brainstorming and support was considered essential. This multi-method evaluation was crucial in garnering a comprehensive understanding of a discipline-specific pedagogy course’s utility and could be used as a model for other Scholarship of Teaching and Learning studies. The presenters will share best practices from the evaluative data in which presentation attendees will be encouraged to apply to their own institutional contexts.
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Other professions or practice related to public health Public health or related education Public health or related research Social and behavioral sciences
Abstract
Development of a Learner-Centered Curriculum for a Rural Public Health Program
Anuli Njoku, DrPH, MPH1, Fathima Wakeel, PhD, MPH1, Michael Reger, PhD, MPH1, Emmanuel Jadhav, DrPH, MHM, MSc1, Margaret Wan, PhD, MSPH, MS, LLB1 and Julie Rowan, MA2
(1)Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI, (2)Ferris State University, Big Rapids
2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2015)
Background: Rural communities often exhibit higher rates of poor health compared to urban areas, fueling health disparities. Learner-centered teaching strategies, including collaboration and power-sharing, help faculty enable future health professionals to address needs of rural, underserved populations, thereby advancing public health (PH) practice. PH faculty and an instructional designer collaborated to develop courses for a newly launched PH program in a rural Midwestern university.
Methods: Five PH faculty and an instructional designer collaborated during New Faculty Immersion Week and New Faculty Transition Program (NFTP) workshops in Fall 2014. Immersion Week activities aimed to clarify vision, mission, and competencies of BSPH & MPH programs; plan and organize course development; map program curricula; and determine program assessment measures and instructional design. NFTP objectives included gaining teaching skills and knowledge, establishing supportive networks of colleagues, and identifying relevant university resources. With NFTP assistance, faculty conducted and reflected on Small-Group Instructional Diagnoses (SGIDs), facilitator-led mid-semester formative assessments of students’ learning experiences. Minutes from program meetings, NFTP workshops, and SGIDs were compiled and summarized.
Results: Faculty reported Immersion Week, NFTP workshops, and opportunities to discuss feedback with colleagues all impacted their teaching. Faculty discussed how data from SGIDs illuminated variance in students’ learning needs and opinions of their experiences. Subsequently, eight learner-centered BSPH courses were developed in Fall 2014, with two delivered in Spring 2015.
Conclusions/Recommendations: Recommendations and lessons learned from these methods provided faculty with effective learner-centered teaching strategies, incorporated into course development and illustrated in course evaluations. Further research may elucidate these findings.
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Public health or related education
Abstract
Education for Population Health across All Professions
Sarah Weiner, MPH, CPH1 and Ruth Gaare Bernheim, JD, MPH2
(1)Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Washington, DC, (2)University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA
2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2015)
As part of its mission to create a broad vision for education in public health for the 21
st century, the Framing the Future Task Force, established by ASPPH, recognizes the significant value of interprofessional engagement and the essential need for cross-disciplinary collaboration to improve population health outcomes and health equity. An expert panel was charged with describing the elements of population health that all professionals would benefit from learning during their education. An evident commitment is to bidirectional learning, recognizing that effective interprofessional collaboration also depends on public health students acquiring the insights, tools, and vocabulary of other professions. The expert panel held vigorous discussions with consultants representing many sectors about curricular opportunities to stimulate creative thinking and problem solving across professions.
As the recommendations are disseminated, implemented, and evaluated at different institutions, ASPPH will continue to engage faculty and other professionals in clinical/health and other non-health focused professional sectors, including those in the workforce, in sharing educational strategies that foster innovative professional practice around population health. The expert panel’s recommendations will continue to evolve to reflect new understanding of how various professional activities impact population health, leading to transformative, interdisciplinary work across organizations and sectors to improve population health in the 21st century.
Other professions or practice related to public health Public health or related education
Abstract
Developing and Conducting a Dissertation Study through the Community Based Participatory Research Approach
Nadia Islam, PhD1, Nancy Vandevanter, DrPH, RN2, Sarah Nadimpalli, RN, MA, PhD3 and Rucha Kavathe, PhD4
(1)NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, (2)New York University College of Nursing and Dentistry, New York, NY, (3)Brown University, Providence, RI, (4)UNITED SIKHS, New York, NY
2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2015)
The community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach has been shown to be innovative and effective in conducting research with communities experiencing health disparities. Doctoral students who are interested in this approach can benefit through structured CBPR training experiences in learning how to engage with communities, build community capacity, share resources, implement CBPR study plans, and disseminate results of CBPR-focused studies. The objectives of this case-study are to demonstrate ways in which one doctoral student aligned with academic mentors and a funded CBPR project to build a relationship with the Sikh Asian Indian (AI) community of New York City to develop and implement a CBPR-focused doctoral dissertation study. The purpose of the research was to examine the relationship between the experience of perceived discrimination and health outcomes in this community. CBPR methods utilized in developing the study entailed the author partaking in formal and informal CBPR learning experiences, building relationships with community and academic partners early on through volunteering, developing a research plan in collaboration with members of the community and academic partners, identifying an appropriate setting and methods for recruitment and data collection, increasing capacity and resources for all partners (the author, community, and academic), and presenting dissertation study findings to the community. In conclusion, CBPR-focused doctoral experiences can offer early career researchers the opportunity to understand and implement innovative CBPR projects, leading to mutual benefits for all involved, and ultimately successful and effective community-based health research.
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs Diversity and culture Public health or related nursing
Abstract
Chicago Southside Cancer Disparities Initiative (CSCDI): Increasing Underrepresented Minorities in Cancer Public Health Research
Fornessa Randal, MCRP1, Thomas Britt, MD, MPH1, William Ebomoyi, PhD, Post-Doc(NIH)2, Yashika Watkins, PhD, MPH1, Gina Curry, MPH1, Karen Kim, MD, MS3, Keith Naylor, MD3, Lisa Hinton, MPH3 and Helen Lam, PhD, RN3
(1)Chicago State University, Chicago, IL, (2)Chicago State University, Chicago Il 60628-1598, IL, (3)University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2015)
The Chicago Southside Cancer Disparities Initiative (CSCDI) joins Chicago State University (CSU) a minority serving institution (MSU) and University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) in providing a foundation of cancer and public health research education for underrepresented minorities with advance degrees. The partnership targets the cancer disparities health issues disproportionately affecting Chicago Southside residents.
Despite the implementation of policies and programs to increase educational opportunities for underrepresented minority (URM) students in science, the representation of minorities in STEM research at all points in the academic pipeline is still low. Although, the mathematics and science achievement gap between white, black, and Hispanic students, has narrowed somewhat since 1983 disparities present even more cause for concern when minority students are not as likely as their White counterparts to pursue a science major in college. Thus, this underrepresentation is not for lack of interest or ability in science, but rather a problem of translating URMs’ abilities and interests into persistence career pursuit.
The CSCDI engages the interests of URM at the graduate through advanced degree levels and strengthens the effectiveness of post graduate and post graduate training. This collaboration has modified MPH curriculum and practicum and has increased the number of URM graduates trained as public health professionals who engage in cancer/public health research and who contribute meaningfully towards eliminating cancer disparities among minority populations.
Program planning Public health or related education Public health or related research
Abstract
Does Practice-Based Teaching Prepare Students for the Workforce? An Evaluation to Assess Long-Term Outcomes of Teaching through Practical Application
Joanne Patterson, MPH, MSW1, Jacey Greece, DSc, MPH1, Liam Day2 and Donna McGrath, MS, MEd3
(1)Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, (2)Codman Academy, Codman Square Health Center, Boston, MA, (3)Boston University School of Education, Andover, MA
2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2015)
Curricula at schools of public health (SPH) are guided by core competencies that students are trained to obtain during their Master of Public Health (MPH). These core competencies are dictated by employers and the field; this ensures MPH graduates have the technical and professional skills required to successfully practice public health. Practice-based teaching (PBT) allows for acquisition of these skills through practical experience; students work on real-life issues facing public health agencies that can be implemented. It should follow, then, that PBT affords students the opportunity to uncover solutions to the same types of issues they will encounter as MPH professionals, providing MPH graduates tangible, marketable skills and experience to successfully perform on the job. Rigorous evaluation of PBT, especially in meeting long-term goals, is needed to inform the utility of pedagogy. An evaluation was conducted for an intervention planning course at Boston University School of Public Health to assess MPH graduates who were enrolled in the course in Fall 2011, Spring 2013, or Spring 2014. Guided by a logic model and evaluation plan, the evaluation assesses long-term goals for students enrolled in the PBT course (i.e., preparedness for the field, employment opportunities, value of PBT), faculty (i.e., funding for PBT opportunities, scholarship), and agency (i.e., PBT products implemented, impact on community) compared to students enrolled in the course using traditional teaching methods. Qualitative and quantitative data collection strategies are utilized for all stakeholders. The results of the evaluation will inform effective PBT strategies to achieve long-term outcomes.
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs Public health or related education
Abstract
Maintaining quality in an online course in public health education: Lessons from a nationally recognized course
Amar Kanekar, PhD, MPH, MB, BS, MCHES, CPH, FRSPH
University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AR
2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2015)
Quality Matters TM (QM) is a faculty-centered, peer review process that is designed to certify the quality of online and blended courses. It is a leader in quality assurance for online education and has received national recognition for its peer-based approach and continuous improvement in online education and student learning. In a collegial review process, reviewers provide feedback on the course related to a) substantive, constructive, measurable and specific recommendations with regard to course strengths and areas of improvement and b) application of specific review standards. The purpose of this current presentation is to explain the process and steps in designing a 100% undergraduate online course in public health program planning and evaluation to meet the acceptable standards of quality matters national recognition. Key areas of application of the Quality Matters Rubric such as a) course overview and introduction, b) learning objectives, c) assessment and measurement, d) instructional materials, e) course activities and learner interaction, f) course technology, g) learner support and h) accessibility and usability are discussed in details from the expectations of the Quality Matters Team and from the perspective of a faculty course developer. Additionally, the presentation also involves hands-on- demonstration of the course, and the learning management system in which its embedded along with technological tools to supplement the course delivery . Finally, current and emerging success areas, challenges in the development process and limitations in course adaptability are discussed and areas for future development are suggested.
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs Program planning Public health or related education
Abstract
Building practice-based evidence: Leading change through methodological approaches for defining a researchable problem
Christina Welter1, Patrick Lenihan, PhD, MUPP2, Steve Seweryn, EdD, MPH3, Eve Pinsker, PhD1, Michael Petros, DrPH4 and Kristina Risley, DrPH, MPH5
(1)University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL, (2)Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, Chicago, IL, (3)Cook County Department of Public Health, Oak Forest, IL, (4)University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, (5)University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health
2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2015)
The discipline of public health is challenged with both new and ongoing complex problems, without single solutions. With implementation of major system-wide initiatives such as the Affordable Care Act; persistence of chronic health problems; profound disparities; and emerging public health threats, leadership is vitally needed to transform the public health system to meet these challenges in more effective and realistic ways.
The University of Illinois at Chicago Doctorate in Public Health Leadership Program focuses on strengthening public health leaders’ ability to catalyze change and to contribute to the evidence-base of practice. The program’s leadership definition includes a focus on influencing sustainable systems change by building capacity of and with the system while maximizing public value. An important part of the process of leading change and contributing to the evidence-base of public health practice is a comprehensive understanding of the problem from both the practice and academic perspectives.
Building the evidence base of practice traditionally focuses on inquiry about a problem researched with a robust and traditional research design, data collection and analysis. Limited methodological consideration is seemingly given to the ability to fully understand the problem definition. Recognizing that today’s practice problems are steeped in complexity, the UIC DrPH Program has created a pilot methodological approach toward a well developed understanding of these problems, using concepts and tools of systematic reflection and systems thinking. This approach promotes development of innovative solutions more clearly linked to problem complexities and system-level improvements while contributing to the evidence base of public health.
Administration, management, leadership Public health or related research Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health