Abstract
California Pathways into Public Health Mentorship Program: Supporting a diverse public health workforce
APHA 2022 Annual Meeting and Expo
Background: The field of public health has faced challenges in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce. Research has found that one way to support and sustain a diverse public health workforce is by facilitating connections with mentors and role models. The California Public Health Corps Training and Pathways Program (CA-PHC) was developed by the California Department of Public Health, University of California San Francisco and University of California Los Angeles to build the workforce capacity of local health departments across California to respond to public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic by training and providing a workforce pathway for professionals from historically underrepresented and diverse backgrounds. To complement the program’s 2-year hands-on training curriculum, a mentorship component was developed in response to Fellows’ interest in receiving personalized guidance.
Methods: Fellows completed an initial survey which assessed mentorship interest, preferred mentorship style, and unique needs. A mentorship interest form was distributed to public health professionals in our network. Survey responses informed mentorship pairings based on three categories: 1. social identity (gender, racial/ethnic and/or sexual identity) 2. academic/career goals, and 3. mentoring styles. A follow-up survey assessing mentorship satisfaction and needs among Fellows was conducted 30-days post launch of the Pathways Mentorship program.
Results: Of the 45 Fellows, 93% (n=42) requested and were paired with a mentor. All mentorship pairings met at least two of the three categories listed above. Among 43% (n=18) of Fellows who requested to be matched based on their social identity, all were matched based on this category. The majority (88%) of Fellows who met at least once with their mentor indicated being “extremely or very satisfied with the appropriateness of their mentorship pairing. Quarterly monitoring and evaluation of the satisfaction and resourcefulness of the CA-PHC Mentorship program is ongoing.
Conclusion: Innovative programs are needed to sustain a diverse and representative public health workforce that is equipped to respond to emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic and address health inequities. Public health training and worksite placement programs would benefit from offering a mentorship component to ensure participants receive support that meets their unique needs.