NEWS
PPHTC News
Student Outreach Effort: Making a Difference in the 21st Century
PPHTC recently conducted three undergraduate outreach conferences in California’s Northern, Southern, and Central regions to increase student awareness about education and career opportunities in public health. Over 55 public health practitioners, faculty members and graduate students from various campuses and communities participated as presenters and/or panelists at the events, which included topics entitled “Why Public Health Needs You, “Pathways to Public Health”, and “How I Got In and Made It Work.” Collectively, 258 students attended the conferences that took place in Los Angeles (February 29, 2008), Berkeley (March 1, 2008), and Fresno (April 12, 2008). By the end of the events, approximately 80% of attendees indicated they were very interested in graduate education in public health, and approximately one-third reported being most interested in health promotion and health education. These events were primarily funded by a grant from the Health Careers Training Program of California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning & Development. For more highlights about this program and to see its post-event website, please VISIT ONLINE>>
How to Get It Published: From Conference to Press
On March 25, 2008, by popular demand, PPHTC produced a second part to its well-received “How to Get It Published” training, this time focusing on transforming conference presentations into academic journal articles. Over 24 public health professionals from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health participated in this hands-on training. By its end, participants had identified potential journals for their articles and developed outlines for their submissions. To access this training material online, please VISIT ONLINE>>
Training Evaluation or "How Do I Know If They Learned Anything?"
On June 3, 2008, over 50 Los Angeles County Department of Public Health professionals joined Dr. Kim Shoaf, PPHTC's Principal Investigator, for a training at The California Endowment’s beautiful Greater Los Angeles Program Office for a workshop in Training Evaluation (subtitled “How Do I Know If They Learned Anything?”). Throughout the day, participants learned and practiced process and outcome evaluation instrument development. Next up: Program Evaluation!
A Successful “-isms” Conference
Building Inclusive and Multi-Culturally Competent Health Organizations:
A Healing Approach to Addressing the Isms
The UC Berkeley Center for Public Health Preparedness and the “isms” conference planning team organized the second “isms” conference with approximately 200 people, representing a wide range of organizations from public health, health care and mental health disciplines. Many participants said this was the best conference they ever attended, and came away
profoundly moved and filled with new ways of thinking about diversity, cultural competence, and what it means to address the “isms” in their organizations and in their lives. To read more of the success stories of this conference, please CLICK HERE >>
Course on Native Hawaiian Concepts of Health and Healing
In Spring 2008, the University of Hawaii’s Office of Public Health Studies offered a course introducing students, community members, faculty, and staff to traditional Native Hawaiian concepts and worldview of health and healing. In this one unit course, well-respected speakers representing various voices of the Hawaiian community spoke on topics such as Kanaka Maoli identity and health, laau lapaau, lomi lomi, hooponopono, traditional Hawaiian diet, the relationship of the environment (land/ocean) and health, and spirituality and “western science.” This course introduced an understanding of health and healing that is often ignored in the academy. Students were challenged to critically review current popular understandings of Hawaiian health issues, as well as current public health practices. The course was enthusiastically attended by 17 students from various academic disciplines including public health, education, social work, and public administration. In an effort to share knowledge with the general public, the community was also invited to participate in the course. An average of 5 - 6 community members attended class sessions each week. Members of PPHTC—UH attended a couple class sessions as well. The course, was taught by Dr. Shannon Hirose-Wong and supported by a grant from the Student Equity, Excellence, and Diversity Office at the UH, Manoa.
Mental Health Training Series Conducted at the Hawaii State Department of Health
UH’s Department of Public Health Sciences implemented a mental health training series during the spring 2008. Dr. Cynthia Stuhlmiller and Dr. Allison Imrie, both UH public health faculty identified key mental health specialists, trainers, and practitioners to present their expertise in this 12-part training series. Mental health topics such as mental health legislative issues, mental health in children and adolescents, evidence-based mental health practices, and access to mental health treatment outcomes of cognitive behavioral therapy were offered. The Hawaii state health department personnel gave very favorable evaluations of the trainings and several trainees were able to access the trainings via video teleconference. Participants’ attendance ranged from 10-20 people per session. For more information please contact Valerie Yontz, PhD, PPHTC representative for University of Hawaii, Department of Public Health Sciences vyontz@hawaii.edu, phone 808-956-5771
Leadership and Management Series Conducted For Hawaii’s Community Health Centers
PPHTC's UH partner worked closely with the Hawaii Primary Care Association (HPCA) to help sponsor a six- part training series in leadership and management skills. The series was geared to middle and senior management employees from the 14-federally qualified community health centers in Hawaii. The series started with corporate compliance, and included best practices in human resources, financial management for new fiscal officers, creating systems for continuous quality improvement, conducting needs assessment, and public/community relations. More then 30 people from ten of the 14 HPCA health centers were trained including members from neighboring islands who flew to Oahu once a month to attend the training. Due to the success of this training series a second series is being requested. For more information please contact Valerie Yontz, PhD, PPHTC representative for University of Hawaii, Department of Public Health Sciences vyontz@hawaii.edu, phone 808-956-5771
Dean's Seminar: Designs for Health
PPHTC University Partner Loma Linda University's "Designs for Health" provides a fresh examination of the science and art of contemporary public health practice. Our aim is to provide you each week with 30 minutes of intellectually stimulating content that you can conveniently access, from your television (LLBN), or via the computer. For more information and full menu of presenters and topics such as "Over the top behavior: An addicted society" and "The invisible problem: Homelessness" VISIT ONLINE>>
Public Health News
Local Health Departments and Adolescent HIV Prevention: Challenges, Successes, and Implications for Practice and Policy
This report summarizes findings from key informant interviews with HIV-prevention program managers at 40 local health departments. The report also includes a series of implications for local public health practice and policy to support adolescent HIV, STD, and unintended pregnancy prevention efforts. READ MORE ONLINE >>
CDC Recommends Shingles Vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that people age 60 and older should be vaccinated against shingles, or herpes zoster, a condition often marked by debilitating chronic pain. CDC recommends a single dose of the zoster vaccine, Zostavax, for adults 60 years of age and older even if they have had a prior episode of shingles. READ MORE ONLINE >>
MedlinePlus Debuts Health Information in Multiple Languages
MedlinePlus has introduced a multilingual feature, providing access to high quality health information in languages other than English and Spanish. This new service provides the high quality health information in 44 different languages, benefiting people who prefer to read health information in their native language.
For more information please VISIT ONLINE >>
Noncommunicable diseases now biggest killers: Chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke kill more, says WHO's World health statistics 2008
According to the new WHO report the global burden of disease is shifting from infectious diseases to noncommunicable diseases, with chronic conditions such as heart disease and stroke now being the chief causes of death globally. The shifting health trends indicate that leading infectious diseases – diarrhea, HIV, tuberculosis, neonatal infections and malaria – will become less important causes of death globally over the next 20 years. READ MORE ONLINE >>
EVENTS
PPHTC Training
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH)
is collaborating with the Health Education Administration offices of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) to bring three Spring-Summer trainings to LADPH Health Educators and other county public health professionals.
August 5, 2008: “Time Management” will provide LADPH professionals with strategies and methods to better organize their individual and project-related time. Trainer Ms. Kamerman has over 15 years of experience in project management and administration. She received her M. S. in Applied Behavioral Science with concentrations in Organizational Development and Management from Johns Hopkins University, School of Professional Studies.
Please contact Rachel Flores (rcflores@pphtc.org) if you are interested in participating in this training.
Other Training Opportunities
AIHA’s TeleWeb Virtual Seminars
Learn Without Leaving Your Home or Office
TeleWeb Virtual Seminars are live continuing education events that enable attendees to participate from their own home or office. Courses are fully accredited and allow IHs and OEHS professionals to obtain CMs, CEUs and COCs on their own time in a comfortable atmosphere. TeleWebs are typically about two and a half hours long and are similar to conference calls, but with a radio talk-show feel. Presenters guide attendees through presentations, discuss topics, and answer questions directly, just as they would in a traditional live course.
What Industrial Hygienists Should Know About Risk Management and Insurance
August 19, 2008
2:00-4:30 p.m. ET
This course will provide an overview of the risk management and insurance profession from the health and safety program perspective. It will specifically address
how an organization’s loss exposures are identified and analyzed,
how risk management alternatives are evaluated,
how the most desirable option is selected,
the implementation of selected risk management techniques, and
the monitoring of effectiveness. For more information please VISIT ONLINE >>
Conferences
Society for Nutrition Education (SNE) 2008 Annual Conference
Sacramento Convention Center
Atlanta, GA
July 19-23, 2008
This exciting event for nutrition program planners and evaluators, teachers, dietitians and dietetic technicians, researchers, county extension agents, policy makers, chefs, scientists and more offers access to the latest developments in food, nutrition, and education. For more information and registration please
CLICK HERE >>
2nd Annual Public Health Congress
Washington, DC
July 23-25, 2008
World Congress is pleased to announce the 2nd Annual Public Health Care Congress scheduled for July 23-25, 2008 in Washington, DC at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. At the 2008 Public Health Care Congress the nation’s most respected health system executives and government health officials will meet to reengineer current strategies to improve their organizations’ positions in America’s rapidly changing health care delivery system.
For more information and registration please
CLICK HERE >>
Disaster Planning for Hospitals Conference
Washington, DC
August 11-12, 2008
This conference provides 100% case-study driven strategies and best practices. World Research Group’s 3rd Annual Disaster Planning for Hospitals Conference, to be held in Washington, DC on August 11-12, 2008, equips you with the specific templates and tools you need to overcome the unique challenges of disaster planning.For more information and registration please
READ MORE ONLINE >>
Summer Institute for Public Health Practice 2008
Seattle, WA
August 11-15, 2008
Interact, engage, connect as a participant in the 17th annual Summer Institute for Public Health Practice, August 11-15, 2008. Experience the excellent instruction by nationally recognized faculty—the hallmark of the Institute and its sponsor, the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine. For more information and registration please
READ MORE ONLINE >>
25th Council for the International Conference on Physical Activity Fitness Research (ICPAFR) Symposium
Loma Linda, CA
September 2-4, 2008
The Council for the International Conference on Physical Activity and Fitness Research (ICPAFR) is proud to announce the 25th ICPAFR Symposium scheduled for September 2008. The symposium will be hosted by Loma Linda University, located in Southern California, USA.
In keeping with the theme of the council, the upcoming symposium will focus on a quality of life most conducive to health and well-being through the promotion of physical activity and proper nutritional intake. Using a series of informative presentations and research findings, leading academicians, practitioners, and researchers will provide updates on the latest scientific advances.
For more information and registration please
READ MORE ONLINE >>
ASTHO-NACCHO 2008 Joint Conference
Sacramento, CA
September 9-12, 2008
For more information and registration please
READ MORE ONLINE >>
National Safety Council 2008 Congress & Expo
Anaheim, CA
September 22-24, 2008
The National Safety Council Congress & Expo is the WORLD’S LARGEST annual event for safety, health and environmental professionals and is ranked among the Top 200 trade shows in the nation by Tradeshow Week. For more information and registration please
READ MORE ONLINE >>
ASPH Annual Meeting
San Diego, CA
October 25-28, 2008
For more information and registration please
READ MORE ONLINE >>
2008 APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition
San Diego, CA
October 25-29, 2008
The APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition is the oldest and largest gathering of public health professionals in the world, attracting more than 13,000 national and international physicians, administrators, nurses, educators, researchers, epidemiologists, and related health specialists. For more information and registration please
READ MORE ONLINE >>
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
E-Learning
Free Online Intro to Public Health Courses by PPHTC
Free public health courses are available online through PPHTC. Courses include Obesity and Overweight, Foodborne Illness, PH101 Principles of Public Health, and new course on "How to Get it Published: From Conference to Press" To register and take these courses
VISIT ONLINE >>
Big Cities Health Inventory, 2007: The Health of Urban USA
The Big Cities Health Inventory 2007: The Health of Urban USA provides city-to-city comparisons of leading measures of health, presenting a broad overview of the health of the 54 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. Produced with funding from NACCHO’s Metro Forum, this report is the fifth edition of a compendium of health status indicators designed to provide usable information for evidence-based decision making.
VISIT ONLINE >>
Informatics for the Public Health Workforce
As we come into the era of evidence based medicine, public health professionals are doing their part to transform public health into evidence-based public health. The MI-INFO (Michigan Informatics) website does a great job in introducing evidence-based public health. For more information please VISIT ONLINE >>
Online Course: Public Health Emergency Training (PHET)
The University of Minnesota School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness announces the launch of the Public Health Emergency Training modules (UM PHET). UM PHET is a series of awareness-level online modules covering various topics related to emergency preparedness. Each UM PHET module contributes to the development of a subset of the Bioterrorism/Emergency Readiness Competencies created by Columbia University and the CDC. These modules are free of charge. New modules are posted regularly, please visit the website on the regular basis. For more information VISIT ONLINE >>
Pacific EMPRINTS
Pacific EMPRINTS offers free online courses for healthcare professionals. For more information please
VISIT ONLINE >>
Public Health Reports Archives to 1878 Now Available on PubMed Central
The Journal, which dates back to 1878, is believed to be the oldest continuously published journal dedicated to public health in the country. The availability of the archives will provide an important resource to the public health community.
READ MORE ONLINE >>
Webcasts / Podcasts
PPHTC Podcasts Now Available
PPHTC podcasts are available for
online listening or for downloading to your MP3 player (e.g. iPod).
New Podcasts include Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases, Preparing for Disasters and Emergencies and Improving Cultural Competence in Public Health.
VISIT ONLINE >>
Public Health Training Network (PHTN) Web Cast Series
Upcoming Public Health Training Network (PHTN) distance learning opportunities sponsored by CDC and other PHTN partners are available.
VISIT ONLINE >>
West Virginia University
Office for Public Health Practice
The Department of Community Medicine at West Virginia University School of Medicine presents Public Health Grand Rounds on the third Wednesday of each month. The purpose of the grand rounds is to offer all faculty and students an opportunity to hear national public health leaders, faculty from Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and guests from state and local health departments. Podcasts of current and past Grand Rounds can be found on the website.
VISIT ONLINE >>
An Interactive Tool to Explore Data from the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR)
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services now offers an interactive tool to explore Data from the National Healthcare Disparities Report. NHDRnet can be used to access data for quality of health care, access to health care, or for priority populations; display estimates based on race, ethnicity, income, or education and access and download individual tables from the NHDR Tables Appendix. For access to the Database please
VISIT ONLINE >>
Alabama Public Health Training Network (PHTN) Webcasts
Alabama Department of Public Health offers a variety of continuing education satellite conferences and live webcasts for the PHTN and the national public health workforce. Please visit the website for the latest Webcasts schedule.
VISIT ONLINE >>
Public Health Reports “Meet the Author! Web Casts”
On Monday, February 4, David Michaels, PhD, MPH, presented on "Beryllium: Why do OSHA Standards Remain in the Same, Even When the Science Changes?" Dr. Michaels is a Research Professor and the Acting Chairman of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. For more information about upcoming web casts, please click on the "Upcoming" link located on the left. Archives of previous web casts can be found in the "Archives" section.
VISIT ONLINE >>
National Institutes of Health (NIH) VideoCasting
National Institutes of Health offers variety of topics on webcast. For information please
VISIT ONLINE >>
Certificates
Certificate in Emergency Preparedness and Response, Loma Linda University School of Public Health
Loma Linda University's Center for Public Health Preparedness has developed an Emergency Preparedness Graduate Certificate in partnership with the LLU School of Public Health's Global Health department. This is a practical, skills based certificate designed to prepare graduates to serve as preparedness coordinators and liaisons at county and local NGO levels. For more information, please call Dr. Ron Mataya at 909.558.4902
Certificate in Maternal and Child Health, University of Hawaii
The mission of the MCH Program is to improve the maternal and child health public health system by broadening the base of MCH leadership. For more information READ ONLINE >>
Internship Opportunities
Public Health Education & Training
The Public Health Prevention Service (PHPS) is a three year, on-the-job national service and training program offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for master's level health professionals. The program focuses on public health program management and provides prevention specialists with experience in program planning, implementation, and evaluation through specialized hands-on training and mentorship at CDC and state and local health agencies. For more information VISIT ONLINE >>
ASPH/NHTSA Injury Prevention and Traffic Safety Public Health Internship Program
A unique collaboration between the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is giving students/graduates of ASPH accredited schools of public health the knowledge to enhance their training in injury prevention and traffic safety. READ MORE ONLINE >>
