scholarly journals Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public health: online and integrated into core Master of Public Health subjects

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynnell Angus ◽  
Shaun Ewen ◽  
Leanne Coombe

The Master of Public Health (MPH) is an internationally recognised post-graduate qualification for building the public health workforce. In Australia, MPH graduate attributes include six Indigenous public health (IPH) competencies. The University of Melbourne MPH program includes five core subjects and ten specialisation streams, of which one is Indigenous health. Unless students complete this specialisation or electives in Indigenous health, it is possible for students to graduate without attaining the IPH competencies. To address this issue in a crowded and competitive curriculum an innovative approach to integrating the IPH competencies in core MPH subjects was developed. Five online modules that corresponded with the learning outcomes of the core public health subjects were developed, implemented and evaluated in 2015. This brief report outlines the conceptualisation, development, and description of the curriculum content; it also provides preliminary student evaluation and staff feedback on the integration project.

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-216
Author(s):  
Sharon Medcalf, PhD ◽  
Mariah Morgan, MPH

The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s, College of Public Health modeled a student response team after similar successful programs at Emory University and the University of North Carolina. The team was created for three specific scenarios: epidemiology outbreak assistance, points of dispensing assistance, and monitoring social media in a disaster. Graduate students in public health are an overlooked volunteer resource. Many have prior work experience and are eager for the opportunity to gain additional practical experience while demonstrating classroom knowledge about the foundations of public health. Requesting agencies gain access to a dependable, replenishable volunteer pool. Academic institutions are encouraged to create teams to serve local communities, giving students access to serve local communities and to give students access to valuable applied experience that can be beneficial as they enter the public health workforce.


Author(s):  
Aleshia Hall-Campbell ◽  
Pamela Connor ◽  
Nathan Tipton ◽  
David Mirvis

From 2003 to 2009, the Tennessee Public Health Workforce Development Consortium (The Consortium) served as a multi-institutional collaborative effort to develop and implement academic continuing professional education programs for public health professionals in Tennessee. The Consortium included the Tennessee Department of Health (DOH), East Tennessee State University (ETSU), the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK), and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis (UTHSC). Utilizing online, distance education techniques and technologies to provide graduate level certificate programs in epidemiology, health system leadership and health care management, as well as a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree to meet the specific needs of DOH’s professional staff, the Consortium successfully implemented an innovative, cross-institutional model for the provision of public health education. The online technology not only facilitated the use of active learning approaches appropriate for older adult learners who are returning to academic work, but also helped students and faculty meet the challenges of learning and teaching across multiple, geographically distant sites. This chapter describes the central role technology played in the project in terms of fostering inter-organizational cooperation and collaboration and providing measurable educational impact. The chapter also illustrates the project’s role in forming community partnerships, as well as explaining the best practices/strategies learned from this project.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003335492097656
Author(s):  
Heather Krasna ◽  
Olga Gershuni ◽  
Kristy Sherrer ◽  
Katarzyna Czabanowska

Objectives A key goal of schools and programs of public health is to prepare graduates for careers in the public health workforce after graduation, but are they achieving this goal? We assessed how the employment outcomes of students earning public health degrees are collected and described in the literature. Methods Using the Kirkpatrick model of training evaluation as a framework, we conducted a 6-step scoping review: (1) formulating the research question, (2) identifying relevant studies, (3) selecting studies, (4) charting the data, (5) collating and summarizing the results, and (6) consulting stakeholders. We included articles published from January 1, 1993, through July 4, 2020, that provided data on employment status, employment sector/industry, job function, or salary of public health graduates. We excluded articles that were not written in English and were about dual-degree (ie, doctor of medicine–master of public health) students. We found and reviewed 630 articles. Results We found 33 relevant articles. Most articles focused on a single school and combined multiple graduating classes, focused on subspecializations of public health, or focused on graduates’ satisfaction with their curriculum but not employment outcomes. Data were inconsistently categorized, and studies were difficult to compare. Conclusions Research on public health graduates’ employment outcomes is scarce and does not follow consistent protocols. New standards should be adopted to systematize the collection of data on employment outcomes of public health graduates.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Perkiö ◽  
R Harrison ◽  
M Grivna ◽  
D Tao ◽  
C Evashwich

Abstract Education is a key to creating solidary among the professionals who advance public health’s interdisciplinary mission. Our assumption is that if all those who work in public health shared core knowledge and the skills for interdisciplinary interaction, collaboration across disciplines, venues, and countries would be facilitated. Evaluation of education is an essential element of pedagogy to ensure quality and consistency across boundaries, as articulated by the UNESCO education standards. Our study examined the evaluation studies done by programs that educate public health professionals. We searched the peer reviewed literature published in English between 2000-2017 pertaining to the education of the public health workforce at a degree-granting level. The 2442 articles found covered ten health professions disciplines and had lead authors representing all continents. Only 86 articles focused on evaluation. The majority of the papers examined either a single course, a discipline-specific curriculum or a teaching method. No consistent methodologies could be discerned. Methods ranged from sophisticated regression analyses and trends tracked over time to descriptions of focus groups and interviews of small samples. We found that evaluations were primarily discipline-specific, lacked rigorous methodology in many instances, and that relatively few examined competencies or career expectations. The public health workforce enjoys a diversity of disciplines but must be able to come together to share diverse knowledge and skills. Evaluation is critical to achieving a workforce that is well trained in the competencies pertinent to collaboration. This study informs the pedagogical challenges that must be confronted going forward, starting with a commitment to shared core competencies and to consistent and rigorous evaluation of the education related to training public health professionals. Key messages Rigorous evaluation is not sufficiently used to enhance the quality of public health education. More frequent use of rigorous evaluation in public health education would enhance the quality of public health workforce, and enable cross-disciplinary and international collaboration for solidarity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 115.2-115
Author(s):  
L. Larkin ◽  
A. Moses ◽  
T. Raad ◽  
A. Tierney ◽  
N. Kennedy ◽  
...  

Background:Public and patient involvement (PPI) improves quality and relevance of research (1). PPI is advocated by policy makers and funding bodies and is supported by EULAR (2). Arthritis Research Limerick (ARL) is a partnership between researchers at the University of Limerick and clinicians at University Hospitals Limerick. PPI representatives have been involved in ARL projects, however no formal PPI network had been established prior to 2020. The need for a formal PPI network to collaborate with ARL was identified by both ARL and patient representatives. This need arose from a joint ambition to promote meaningful involvement of the public and patients in ARL projects and to develop a platform through which researchers and PPI representatives could collaboratively set research priorities.Objectives:The aim of this project was to create a formal PPI network to engage with people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) and their families and to identify collaborative research opportunities between ARL and PPI representatives.Methods:A face-to-face PPI seminar was planned for October 2020. The seminar consisted of speakers from ARL providing an overview of research projects and a World Café research ideas session. Funding was obtained through a competitive, peer-review funding call from the PPI Ignite group at the University of Limerick to support the PPI seminar. The funding application was a joint application between ARL members and a PPI partner (iCAN - Irish Children’s Arthritis Network). The seminar was advertised through national patient organisations (iCAN and Arthritis Ireland), social media and ARL research networks.Results:Due to Covid-19 public health restrictions the PPI seminar was held virtually. The ARL PPI inaugural seminar was attended by N=19 researchers and people living with RMDs. The seminar speakers included ARL researchers and a PPI representative. The World Café event was modified to adapt to the virtual seminar delivery. Research ideas were noted by the seminar organiser and summarised for attendees at the end of the research ideas and priorities session. An ARL PPI mailing list was set-up post seminar as a means of communicating with seminar attendees and will serve as a formal PPI network for ARL. Research updates and opportunities will be communicated via this formal network to people living with RMDs and researchers alike.Conclusion:This was the first PPI seminar organised by ARL in collaboration with a PPI seminar, and has led to the creation of a formal PPI network. Delivery mode of the PPI seminar was changed due to Covid-19 public health restrictions. This change may also have impacted engagement and attendance at the PPI seminar, given that virtual events are not accessible to all of the RMD population. Future PPI seminars will consider a hybrid approach of face-to-face and virtual attendance, to enhance accessibility. A formal PPI communication network has been established. Future work will focus future collaborative opportunities between the PPI panel and the ARL group, including project development, co-led research funding applications and joint research dissemination.References:[1]INVOLVE. (2012). Briefing notes for researchers: Involving the public in NHS, public health and social care research. Retrieved from www.invo.org.uk 7th January 2020.[2]de Wit MPT, Berlo SE, Aanerud GJ, et al (2011). European League Against Rheumatism recommendations for the inclusion of patient representatives in scientific projects. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 70:722-726Disclosure of Interests:None declared


2021 ◽  
pp. 003335492110557
Author(s):  
Karen L. Niemchick ◽  
Ally Goerge ◽  
Amy H. Ponte

Objective With the completion of the Human Genome Project and swift development of genomic technologies, public health practitioners can use these advancements to more precisely target disease interventions to populations at risk. To integrate these innovations into better health outcomes, public health professionals need to have at least a basic understanding of genomics within various disciplines of public health. This descriptive study focused on the current level of genomics content in accredited master of public health (MPH) programs in the United States. Methods We conducted an internet search on all 171 Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)–accredited MPH programs in the United States for genomics content in required and elective courses using the search terms “genetics,” “genomics,” and “molecular.” Results Of the 171 CEPH-accredited MPH programs examined, 52 (30.4%) schools and programs in 34 states offered some type of genomics education. Thirty-five (20.5%) schools and programs had a course in genetic epidemiology, 29 (16.9%) had a course in genetic biostatistics or bioinformatics, and 17 (9.9%) had a course in general public health genomics. The remaining 119 offered no course with a focus on genetics or genomics. In addition, some electives or specifically focused courses related to genomics were offered. Conclusion We found inadequate training in public health genomics for MPH students. To realize the promise of precision public health and to increase the understanding of genomics among the public health workforce, MPH programs need to find ways to integrate genomics education into their curricula.


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