Region IV Public Health Training Center

Navigating the Public Health Data Landscape with Data Governance, Literacy, and Equity Note: This is a recording of a live webinar held on November 19, 2024.  Training Overview: In today’s rapidly evolving public health environment, building a strong foundation in data governance, literacy, and equity is essential for creating a data-driven and equitable public health system. This webinar explores how these foundational components can empower public health organizations to better serve communities and address health disparities. These efforts are essential for ensuring that public health workers are well-equipped to collect, manage, and utilize data responsibly and effectively. By fostering internal understanding and collaboration, public health organizations can lay the groundwork for supporting communities with the data-driven insights needed to improve health outcomes.   About the Presenter: Jonathan Ong brings over 20 years of exceptional management and organizational development experience. With a solid public health, hospital, government, and regulatory leadership background, Jonathan has proven expertise in overseeing applications, analytics, and data strategy. He has successfully guided health IT innovation and strategy to build data-driven public health organizations. His accomplishments include building a solid informatics framework at Mecklenburg County Public Health and optimizing various EMRs and applications across multiple services. His team played a crucial role in the county’s COVID-19 response, developing a cohesive set of applications for case investigation, contact tracing, communication, and training.  Jonathan oversees the Informatics program and will be providing direction and oversight for the department’s data and data systems development and management, including the informatics program.  Lauren Cook is a Management Analyst under the Public Health Informatics Program at Mecklenburg County Health Department. With a data science and business analytics background, Lauren’s sharp analytical skills and attention to detail translate well with collaborating across the department to create innovative data solutions, dynamic Power Bi dashboards, and detailed analytical reports. She also plays a pivotal role in co-leading the data governance program at Mecklenburg County Public Health alongside her esteemed colleague, Jonathan.  At her essence, Lauren is driven by a passion for data and a commitment to enlightening others about the significance and transformative potential of their data assets.   CERTIFICATE: The course contains two modules: a module to access the webinar and an evaluation module. After accessing the three modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard. 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 January 20, 2021. Training Overview During this webinar, we will review how the COVID pandemic has detrimentally affected HIV care and the steps that have been taken to mitigate these effects. 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 Dr. Overton is a member of the UAB Infectious Diseases faculty and serves as an Associate Scientist in the UAB Center for AIDS Research working with like-minded scientists who were interested in developing translational research to prevent complications of HIV disease. He currently serves as the Chair of the End Organ Disease/Inflammation Transformative Science Group for the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, addressing various aging-related metabolic complications of HIV, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia as well as novel approaches to treatment strategies. He has been very involved with the response to the COVID pandemic at UAB, including clinical trials and addressing clinical needs of special populations. 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 July 21, 2020. Training Overview This webinar is co-sponsored by the Alabama Fire College Workplace Safety Training Program and the Deep South Biosafety Worker Training Program. The COVID-19 pandemic has created numerous challenges for EMS including out-of-hospital management of patients and PPE use by EMS personnel. Dr. Lekshmi Kumar will discuss the operational changes that have been adapted by Grady EMS during the COVID-19 pandemic including changes to personnel and PPE for patient and personal safety, airway management, resuscitation, and cessation when responding to a cardiac arrest patient. Dr. Isakov will discuss best practices in protecting EMS healthcare personnel and strategies for overcoming PPE resource challenges and complacency in the use of PPE by EMS personnel. 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 Trainers Lekshmi Kumar, MD is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and an emergency medicine physician for Emory Healthcare. Dr. Kumar currently serves as the medical director for 911 EMS systems serving the metro Atlanta region, providing guidance, leadership and contributing to quality improvement. She also serves as medical director for the Peachtree Road Race and the Publix Atlanta Marathon. Her focus is on clinical operations, care and education in the pre-hospital arena.  Alexander P. Isakov, MD, MPH is a professor of emergency medicine and the director of Emory's Section of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and of the Academy of Emergency Medical Services. He is also the Executive Director of Emory's Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR). Dr. Isakov is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. 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 September 23, 2019. Training Overview The current opioid epidemic exists in the context of unique drivers and circumstances including pharmaceutical marketing, business decisions of illicit drug distributors, stigma, inadequate medical and behavioral health systems, social determinants of health, among other factors. Response to this public health crisis has mobilized release of new guidance materials, legislation, funding, and policy change to address prevention, treatment, and recovery. Response to opioid use as a public health concern, however, is not new. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the history of opioid crisis and response, and the policy and programmatic response to the current crisis, including how the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act) is guiding current federal response.  A systems mapping framework will be used to describe how specific policy actions fit into the overall response effort, and the populations affected.  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 Brigitte Manteuffel, PhD, a senior fellow at Mathematica, has more than 30 years of experience in research, evaluation, and behavioral health. She is a national expert in the evaluation of behavioral health systems of care and has special expertise in the opioid epidemic and youth substance use disorders. Her work focuses on Mathematica’s state and federal behavioral health portfolio with a special interest in improving the infrastructure to address substance use problems, particularly the opioid epidemic. Prior to joining Mathematica in 2019, she has led studies on state opioid response needs, best practices for integrating mental health and substance use services in Ireland, evidence-based guidelines for juvenile drug courts, and implementing an evidence-based intervention to reduce fetal alcohol exposure in sexually transmitted disease clinics; and worked closely with Georgia’s Department of Public Health to develop and launch Georgia’s opioid strategic plan.  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 January 29, 2018. Training Overview In order to address the opioid misuse crisis, public health needs examples of prevention strategies at multiple levels from opioid tapering to bio-psycho-social-spiritual approaches to manage chronic pain. This webinar will describe ways to assist in determining if an opioid taper is appropriate for a given patient, in performing the taper, and in incorporating whole health strategies into a new care plan. Additionally, we will discuss the creation process and outcomes of the Empower Veterans Program developed at the Atlanta VA which engages an interdisciplinary team to deliver an integrated, intensive, self-care training program for restoration from chronic pain. 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 Trainers Dr. Cantrell graduated from Mercer University Southern School of Pharmacy and completed a PGY1 Residency at the Atlanta VA. In 2003, Heidi began working as an ambulatory care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Pain Management. Heidi started her current position in Academic Detailing in March 2016. Dr. Saenger is a clinician, teacher and system re-designer. He has taught evidence-based primary care, major depression care, and chronic pain management. For the last seven years, Dr. Saenger has led inter-professional teams for health system opioid safety at Grady Health System and the Atlanta VA. He is a national speaker regarding improved chronic pain management safety and care. In 2014, Dr. Saenger completed an advanced fellowship in quality improvement and system redesign with the VA National Quality Scholars Program. For the Southeastern VHA Region, Dr. Saenger is the Physician Lead for Pain Management and faculty for IHI/Samueli Institute’s Chronic Pain Breakthrough Collaborative. 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 28, 2021. Training Overview The epidemic of opioid use and related harms has been exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Mitigation strategies for COVID-19 have led to disruption in the delivery of healthcare, increased social isolation, and rapid release of individuals from jails and prisons- all of which may increase the risk of overdose. Gaps in the continuum of care including access to mortality-reducing medication treatment for opioid use disorder have become more evident. In response, the federal government has made significant changes intended to provide more flexibility in how and where care is delivered for both methadone and buprenorphine treatment. Providers have welcomed these changes, and we will discuss several of these practice changes including how to utilize telemedicine and new long-acting injectable formulations to initiate and help retain patients in care.   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 Michelle Lofwall, MD, DFAPA, DFASAM, is a Professor of Behavioral Science and Psychiatry at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. She is the Bell Alcohol and Addictions Endowed Chair and medical director of the First Bridge clinic, which provides comprehensive outpatient opioid use disorder treatment to patients discharging from emergency rooms and inpatient medical/surgical services.  Her research has been funded by NIH and industry and has recently focused on evaluation of long-acting buprenorphine formulations, including CAM2038/Brixadi.  She was an expert panel member on SAMHSA’s Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP 63) for Medication Treatment of OUD, a past board member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and President of the KY Chapter of ASAM, an invited speaker to the National Academy of Medicine, and recipient of several medical student teaching and mentorship awards.   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