Region IV Public Health Training Center

Note: These are recordings of live lectures held on May 5, 2015; May 6, 2016; May 19, 2017; and May 16, 2018. Training Overview Scott Maxwell, Founding Partner of Mathews and Maxwell, Inc. and Legislative Liaison for the Georgia Public Health Association will provide an update on the previous Georgia Legislative Session, including highlights of legislation and appropriations that will have an impact on public health. The presentation will also include a forecast for public health-related legislation. Scott will leave participants with some strategies for promoting public health in their local communities and across the state. 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. Each 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 Scott Maxwell Scott spent nearly a half-dozen years in Washington, where he served as Press Secretary to U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and the Senate Armed Services Committee. He has also provided media relations and communications training for private corporations as well as employees of the Division of Family and Children Services and UGA’s Small Business Development Centers. Scott’s public affairs experience includes service as the Reading Clerk on the floor of the Georgia Senate and as a Public Information Officer assigned to disaster areas by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Scott is the immediate Past-Chairman of the Board for the State YMCA of Georgia. He is an active member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Professional Lobbyist Association. He and his wife, Jeanne, have three children. 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 an on-demand webinar. Training Overview Without feedback, individuals and organizations cannot grow. Feedback is the key to better serving your community and getting the most out of your team. But giving and receiving feedback can be incredibly uncomfortable and unproductive. And when done poorly, feedback can actually be destructive. In this interactive and light-hearted session, learn the right questions to ask and how to handle the feedback – good or bad – with courtesy and professionalism. Get tools in how to deliver feedback that is specific, actionable, and measurable. So instead of shrinking from feedback, you can embrace it for the opportunity it is. 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 Shana Merlin, Founder of Merlin Works The Founder of Merlin Works, Shana Merlin, is a lecturer in the College of Medicine Texas A&M University and an associate at the Center for Health Communication at the University of Texas. Some of her most requested programs are on the topics of team building, communication, persuasion, leadership, medical communications, and creativity. 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 20, 2021. Training Overview During this webinar, we will focus on helping public health professionals develop tools needed to enhance their self-care and overall wellness. Approaching wellness from a holistic perspective, participants will leave with actionable items to develop a plan for self-care. The objective is to increase the investment in their personal wellness and self-care while becoming an example for those they serve. This webinar will teach them how to relieve the stresses they face in healthy ways and help them identify mental health resources and natural supports. 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 Lamarr Lewis, LAPC Lamarr Lewis is a dedicated community servant, mental health advocate, published author, and change agent. As a community-based practitioner, he has worked with such diverse groups as; individuals living with a psychiatric disability, people in recovery, At-Hope (He does not use the term At-Risk) youth, and more. He tirelessly gives back to his community through homeless outreach initiatives, public speaking, mentoring, coaching, and finding ways to develop the next generation of leaders. He is an alumnus of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and received his master’s degree from Argosy University in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. He is currently the Program Manager for DeKalb Community Service Board’s Peer Support and Psychosocial Rehabilitation Programs as well as a mental health therapist and consultant. His lifelong mission is to leave the world better than when he found it. 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 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