Region IV Public Health Training Center

Note: This is a recording of a webinar held on June 8, 2017. Training Overview Zika presents unique challenges to communicators because of the complexity and unknowns of the virus. The webinar will highlight CDC communication during the response and basic concepts of integrated mosquito management. Information on communication best practices, research activities and findings, the domestic readiness campaign, and available resources will be shared. The biology of the mosquito that transmits Zika virus is different from the mosquito species that transmit arboviruses people are more familiar with, like West Nile virus. However, the basic concepts of integrated mosquito management are the same. These basic concepts and how they are used during an arbovirus outbreak will be presented. The course contains two modules: a content module and a resources and evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. This recording is approximately 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu. About the Trainer Victoria Carter, PhD, MPH Janet McAllister, PhD, BCE Victoria Carter, PhD, MPH is a Health Communication Specialist in the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) Health Communication Science Office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She is working with the communication leadership team for CDC’s Zika response. Before joining NCEZID, she worked in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases on childhood immunization and the STRIVE Ebola vaccine clinical trial in Sierra Leone.   Janet McAllister, PhD, BCE, is a Board Certified Medical Entomologist.  She works at the CDC in Ft. Collins, CO where she is a Research Entomologist with the Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases. She conducts field and laboratory research on vector control and insecticide resistance in important vectors of arboviruses. She serves as the subject matter expert and point of contact for vector control after disasters. She is currently the vector control team lead on the CDC Zika response. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read more

Note: This is a recording of a webinar held on May 22, 2017. Training Overview This webinar will inspire participants to strategize to act on three dimensions of health intervention, three levels of racism, and three principles for achieving health equity. Dr. Camara Jones presents a Cliff Analogy for understanding three dimensions of health intervention: providing health services, addressing the social determinants of health (including poverty and neighborhood conditions), and addressing the social determinants of equity (including racism and other systems of structured inequity). She then turns her focus to a discussion of racism as a social determinant of equity and a root cause of”racial/ethnic differences in health outcomes. She defines racism as”a system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one looks (which is what we call ‘race’), that unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities, unfairly advantages other individuals and communities, and saps the strength of the whole society through the waste of human resources.” She identifies three levels of racism (institutionalized, personally-mediated, and internalized) and illustrates these three levels with her Gardener’s Tale allegory. She then generalizes her discussion of racism to encompass other systems of structured inequity. Dr. Jones defines health equity as “assurance of the conditions for optimal health for all people, identifies three principles for achieving health equity, and gives examples of how those principles can be operationalized. She closes with two additional allegories to equip attendees to name racism and other systems of structured inequity, ask “How is racism operating here?, and organize and strategize to act. The course contains two modules: a content module and a resources and evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. This recording is approximately 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu. About the Trainer Camara Jones, MD, MPH, PhD Dr. Jones is a Senior Fellow at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute and Cardiovascular Research Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine. She is a family physician and epidemiologist focusing on the impacts of racism on the health and well-being of the nation.  She seeks to broaden the national health debate to include not only universal access to high quality health care, but also the social determinants of health (including poverty) and the social determinants of equity (including racism). Dr. Jones’ allegories on "race" and racism illuminate topics otherwise difficult for many to understand or discuss.  She aims to catalyze a national conversation on racism to mobilize and engage all Americans in a National Campaign Against Racism. She was Assistant Professor at the Harvard School of Public Health (1994-2000), and Medical Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2000-14). This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read more

Note: This is a recording of a webinar held on April 19, 2019. Training Overview The increasingly diverse and multicultural 21st century US population requires health departments to be deliberate when it comes to ensuring their programs, services, practices and policies do not reinforce health inequities and disparities. A "one-size-fits-all" approach to public health is no longer sufficient or acceptable. How can health departments increase organizational cultural competence in order to advance health equity and mitigate the social determinants of health? During this 90-minute webinar, participants will discuss cultural competence as an important component of successful implementation of public health programing, services, practices and policies, as well as, how it can contribute to the elimination of health disparities existing within populations served by health departments. We will examine the existing sociocultural barriers (organizational, structural, and clinical) in health departments driving disparities in health status and health outcomes. The webinar’s content and dialogue will be guided by the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health and Health Care, Human Impact Partners (HIP) recommendations for the Public Health Accreditation Board on Advancing Health Equity in Health Department’s Public Health Practice, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The course contains two modules: a content module and a resources and evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. This recording is approximately 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu. About the Trainer Hermence Matsotsa, MPH Hermence Matsotsa, MPH, is Founder / Principal Consultant of UbuntuSpeaks, LLC - a leading U.S.- based firm that specializes in global health workforce development cross / intercultural communication, team building and employee engagement training consulting. Ms. Matsotsa has more than 15 years of professional experience in global health, infectious disease prevention, treatment and outbreak response (HIV/AIDS, TB, Polio, sexually transmitted infections, Ebola, Malaria, and Cholera).  As well as, women and gender development, family planning, reproductive health and public health policy.   Ms. Matsotsa has a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Bachelor’s in International Affairs from Mary Washington College and Adult Education Certification from the University of the District of Columbia. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read more

Note: This is a recording of a lecture held in 2012. Training Overview What is this lecture about? Health literacy is essential for successful access to care and use of services, self-care of chronic conditions, and maintenance of health and wellness. Health literacy is fundamental to healthcare that requires individuals to have a more active role in decisions and management. The IOM reports that 90 million people, nearly half our adult population, lack health literacy skills needed to understand and act on health information and health system demands. Only 12% of U.S. adults have the health literacy proficiency to perform complex health tasks such as using a table to calculate an employee’s share of health insurance costs. Join us for updates on the latest research findings, policy implications, and hands-on tools for addressing the problem. The course contains two modules: a content module and a resources and evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. This recording is approximately 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu. About the Trainer Kara Jacobson received her public health training at the Rollins School of Public Health. She has integrated public health prevention strategies into clinical primary care setting with an emphasis on chronic disease prevention including smoking cessation, physical activity, and nutrition programs primarily for seniors. In addition to development, implementation, and evaluation of successful behavior modification programs, Ms. Jacobson has served as the Director for Grady’s Patient Education Committee. In this position, she provided guidance and leadership for the development and review of patient education materials for the entire health system that were culturally sensitive and of low literacy level. Additionally, she has trained physicians at both Emory and Morehouse School of Medicine on the importance of integrating lifestyle counseling into clinical practice. Kara served as the Director for Educational Programs, Research, and Development for the National Office of the Arthritis Foundation. Currently, she conducts studies that address health literacy interventions and chronic disease self-management programs. She has worked at the American College of Physicians Foundation on improving prescription bottle labels for patients and serves as the literacy consultant to industry and public health institutions. She also teaches a course here at the Rollins School of Public Health: “Health Literacy Importance as a Public Health Problem”. Dr. Ruth Parker is a professor of medicine with pediatrics and also at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. She is nationally and internationally recognized for her research, educational, and advocacy efforts to advance health literacy. She was the co-investigator on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Literacy and Healthcare Project and helped develop the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, the TOFHLA. She co-authored the Definition of Health Literacy for Healthy People 2010 for the Institute of Medicine and NIH and has authored many scholarly pieces on health literacy. She served in leadership roles for professional societies including the AMA, the ACP Foundation, and has consulted with many federal and state agencies. She was a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Health Literacy Committee and is currently a member of their health literacy roundtable. She has received national recognition for her work including the Silver Achievement Award from the AAMC and the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award from the ACP in 2005 as well as the FDA Advisory Committee Service Award in 2008. In 2011, she was named national associate of the National Research Council for the National Academies. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read more

 Note: This is a recording of a webinar held on May 24, 2022. Training Overview Veterans experience higher rates of both homelessness and suicide compared with their non-Veterans peers. In addition, Veterans experiencing adverse social determinants of health—such as homelessness—are at increased risk of suicide and other poor health outcomes. This webinar will explore the concept of homelessness and housing instability generally and experiences among Veterans specifically. We will discuss how homelessness is defined and enumerated, pathways into homelessness, trajectories of homelessness, and multi-level interventions to prevent and end homelessness. We will also explore the intersection among homelessness (and other adverse social determinants of health), Veterans’ use of tailored services to address these needs, and their experience of particular health conditions and outcomes, including suicide ideation, attempt, and death. This recording is approximately 90 minutes. There are no prerequisites. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu. CERTIFICATE:  The course contains two modules: a module to access the webinar and an evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. About the Trainer Ann Elizabeth Montgomery, PhD has more than 20 years experience working in the field of homelessness and housing. Since its inception in 2009, she has worked with the National Center on Homelessness among Veterans (NCHAV) to develop and implement a diverse research agenda emphasizing homelessness prevention, interventions to prevent and end homelessness among high-need Veterans, and the demography, epidemiology, and services utilization of Veterans experiencing homelessness. She has extensive experience using VA administrative data sources to address her primary research interests: identifying homelessness and risk among Veterans seeking healthcare, assessing interventions intended to mitigate this risk, and studying vulnerable populations and related health disparities. Her work focuses largely on addressing social determinants of health—including housing instability, gender, violence, rurality, employment, and justice involvement—to improve the health of Veterans.  This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read more

Note: This workshop has limited capacity. If you are unable to enroll, the course might be full. This is an online, interactive workshop on May 2, 2024 from 8:45am-12pm ET. Participants will use Zoom to join with both video and audio. This workshop is sponsored by The Region IV Public Health Training Center.   Training Description: “Great vision without great people is irrelevant.” – Jim Collins In an environment where the stakes are high such as in public health, how leaders develop their teams makes all the difference in long-term success. Positive relationships between leaders, emerging leaders and team members can be transformational. The result is a team competent, confident, and optimistic about their potential and contribution to the vision and goals of an organization.  Thus, leaders who employ strategic human resource management contribute to this transformation.  Such practices can include but are not limited to strategic selection, appraisal, and development of team members.  This collaborative learning experience is designed for new and experienced leaders to reflect on and recharge their leadership development skills for the mutual benefit of their most valuable resources and the organization. About the Trainer: Nina M. Johnson, LMSW, APTD, has 15 consecutive years of professional experience in learning and talent development for communities, not-for-profit organizations, and government municipalities.  As a skilled communicator, Nina has a history of implementing innovative programs focused on learner needs and performance enhancement.  Utilizing her experience as a social worker, Nina employs exceptional relationship-building skills to connect with communities and clients with honor and respect to design and implement learning and leadership initiatives that are reflective of the needs and capacity of the community. Much of Nina’s work encourages and empowers leaders and potential leaders to access vulnerability, hope, and authenticity as leadership tools.  It is through the aforementioned experiences and leadership qualities, Nina displays her ability to harness the power of human connection to accelerate leadership potential and social change.  As a learning and leadership consultant, Nina develops, delivers, and evaluates leadership development programming and trainings for communities, organizations, and individuals. Nina’s successes include revitalizing agency learning and development programs resulting in an 80% increase in agency compliance, tackling several high visibility projects, implementing operational structure, along with developing and delivering learning content for a myriad of audiences.  In addition to establishing transformative learning programs, Nina contributes to organizational cultures by championing initiatives to boost belonging and diversity.   This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,404,138.  The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read more