Colorado Public Health Mentoring Program

CPHMP began as a project of the Colorado Public Health Association (CPHA) in 2012 and, in 2014, grew as a collaboration among CPHA, the Public Health Nurses Association of Colorado, and the Colorado Environmental Health Association.  CPHMP defines mentoring as an intentional developmental relationship in which one person (mentor) nurtures the professional development of another (mentee) by defining professional goals and creating an action plan to achieve those goals.  CPHMP participants represent all aspects of public health disciplines including nursing, nutrition, environmental health, emergency preparedness, epidemiology, education, community health, policy and behavioral health.  

Literature and experience demonstrate mentoring is an effective method of recruitment, workforce development and retention. The vision of CPHMP is to contribute an engaged, connected, competent public health workforce in Colorado that effectively prevents, promotes, and protects the health of Coloradans.  CPHMP has identified three primary goals.  First, CPHMP strives to enhance the professional development of the public health mentee through one-on-one mentoring, connections to resources, and professional development opportunities.  Second, CPHMP seeks to provide mentors with opportunities to enrich their contributions to public health in the mentoring relationship and further develop as leaders through professional development opportunities.  Finally, CPHMP desires to strengthen the interdisciplinary public health professional workforce network by actively recruiting participants from all geographic areas and public health disciplines, as well as sponsoring networking and professional development events for its participants.  

This presentation will expound on CPHMP’s short-tem impact surveyed thus far, as well as discuss the identified long-term goals of the program.  CPHMP believes this interdisciplinary public health program is an exemplary model that builds systems-level capacity for public health and should be considered for dissemination in other states.