Region IV Public Health Training Center

A Practical Approach to Building Neurodivergent-Inclusive Workplaces Note: This is a recording of a live webinar held on December 4, 2024.  Training Overview: This workshop provides essential knowledge and practical strategies to foster neurodivergent-affirming practices within organizations. Attendees will gain actionable insights to better support neurodivergent colleagues, employees, and clients.  Through interactive learning and tools, participants will deepen their understanding of what it means to create a truly affirming workplace, develop inclusive practices for supporting different neurotypes, and build effective communication across neurodiverse teams.   Together, we will explore fundamental concepts, explore personal perceptions, and identify how these beliefs shape interactions with others and ourselves. The session will also address subtle and internalized ableism and its impact on neurodiversity inclusion.  About the Presenter: Lacy Alana, LCSW, RSW, MSSW, is a trainer, psychotherapist, interpersonal neurobiology specialist, and multidisciplinary artist.  Lacy uniquely fuses knowledge from brain science, applied improvisation, communication science, and psychology to offer one-of-a-kind trainings, consulting, and 1:1 services.    Whether working in the corporate world, providing trainings and keynotes, running circus and improv theatre programs for neurodivergent and at-risk youth, teaching adults, working in the non-profit sector, training medical and helping professionals, or working as a psychotherapist - Lacy's work focuses on teaching others how to effectively connect, create, communicate, and move through the world with the nervous system and communication science in mind.  Lacy holds a Master's degree in Clinical Social work, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the US, and Registered Social Worker in Canada.  She has a degree in Creative Advertising, and is the founder and director of Yes And Brain, a company that blends brain science, applied improvisation, communication, and psychology to offer one-of-a-kind experiential trainings, consulting, and courses.    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 June 19, 2017. Training Overview The “One Health” approach recognizes the linkage between human health, animal health, and the environment. It highlights the need for collaboration across multiple sectors in order to ensure the best health for people, animals, and the environment. Based on volume of calls to local health departments, one of the top priority needs is animal bites. On this webinar, Dr. Rabinowitz will share how the “One Health” paradigm can be used to manage and prevent animal bites. 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 Peter Rabinowitz, MD, MPH, University of Washington Dr. Rabinowitz also directs the Canary Database, an online resource for evidence about animals as sentinels of environmental health threats from both toxic and infectious hazards. He has been a visiting scientist at the Global Influenza Program of the WHO, and also in the Animal Health Division of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization where he researched zoonotic diseases. He is the co-editor of the clinical manual Human Animal Medicine: Zoonoses, Toxicants and other Shared Health Risks. (Elsevier 2010) He is co-director of the Stone Mountain Working Group on One Health Proof of Concept Research. He completed a Family Medicine residency through the University of California San Francisco (Salinas Program). He has also completed fellowships in General Preventive Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, where he served as Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Director of Electives for the 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 live webinar held on February 27, 2024. Training Overview: The concept that everyone is entitled to experience and enjoy clean air, water, and soil should not be a foreign concept. Yet, millions of communities across the country suffer from environmental injustices that prevent this dream from becoming a reality. As part of a movement that started in the 1970s, environmental justice advocates have tirelessly been the voice of those who were denied a seat at the table regarding the environmental policy and economic decisions that impacted their lives. Recently, the movement has benefited extensively from key partnerships with the White House, federal agencies, Congress. In some cases, the regulated community and together communities have been able to capitalize on unprecedented funding opportunities with the passage of the Bi-partisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. There is undoubtedly a role for public health officials within the ever-expanding advocacy tent in support of communities most in need. While adverse public health impacts are vast, this webinar focuses on a key component: clean water. The presentation will discuss the historical underpinnings of the environmental justice movement, the most recent policy developments, and the tools and resources available to bring key stakeholders from both the public and private realms to make lasting change.  About the Presenter: Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming, JD, has over twenty years in the public sector. She served as Principal Legal Advisor (General Counsel) for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and as Chief of Staff to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the Obama Administration. Here in the Southeast, Gwen served as the EPA Region 4 Regional Administrator (RA), where she was responsible for establishing and implementing environmental policy, including the principles of environmental justice for eight southeastern states and six federally recognized tribes. Gwen finalized the Region's Environmental Justice (EJ) Policy, instituted regular environmental justice information sessions with state partners and communities, and created a Regional EJ Interagency Working Group with other federal agencies to strategically and comprehensively address community concerns. Gwen also instituted the Colleges and Underserved Community Partnership Program (CUPP), which partnered college students with senior federal staff to provide much-needed environmental, health, and technical services to some of the poorest jurisdictions in their region. Gwen attended law school at Emory University and was the first woman and first African American to serve as District Attorney for the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit in DeKalb County, Georgia.   CERTIFICATE:  The course contains three modules: a module with a pre-survey, a module to access the webinar, and an evaluation module. After accessing these modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. 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 10th, 2022. Training Overview Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) face a disproportionate number of structural, programmatic, and individual-level barriers to address their health and wellbeing. LGBTQ communities also have developed incredible resilience and coping mechanisms in response to daily experiences with stigma and discrimination. In this webinar, Dr. Sarah MacCarthy, the first appointed holder of the Magic City LGBTQ Health Studies Endowed Professorship at the UAB School of Public Health, will discuss different terms and concepts related to LGBTQ health, with attention to the ways in which the rapidly changing landscape impacts research and practice. She will also help detail the growing size of LGBTQ communities across the country. Dr. MacCarthy will describe LGBTQ health inequities nationally and highlight the ways in which unique barriers and facilitators impact the Southeast.  Dr. MacCarthy will also identify resources that health departments can use to find evidence-based practices to serve this population.  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 Sarah MacCarthy, Sc.D. has developed a national reputation as a researcher of racially and ethnically diverse LGBTQ populations, having published over 60 peer-reviewed papers. She joins the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health as the first appointed holder of the Magic City LGBTQ Health Studies Professorship.  With extensive experience as both a researcher and educator, she joins UAB most recently from the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, CA, where she was both a faculty member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School, and a Policy Researcher conducting research focused on the critical health issues that affect the unique needs of LGBTQ communities both locally and globally. Dr. MacCarthy grew up in Eswatini and Egypt, then later spent substantial time living and working in Argentina, Malawi, and Brazil. She holds both a masters and doctoral degrees in science from the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. MacCarthy started working in LGBTQ health as an ally, once she started to see the disproportionate impact of HIV and other diseases affecting her LGBTQ friends and family. 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 14, 2020. Training Overview African Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV.  Reducing HIV rates among African American young adults may produce the most meaningful impact in addressing the HIV epidemic in the US.  Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication regimen to reduce risk of HIV infection, is a promising HIV prevention strategy but its benefits have not been fully realized among African American young adults.  This webinar focuses on barriers to PrEP access and uptake among this population and examines approaches to address these barriers.  Considerations regarding PrEP during the COVID-19 pandemic will also be explored. 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 - Jelani Kerr, PhD Jelani Kerr is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the School of Public Health and Information Sciences at the University of Louisville.  He received his PhD in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior from the University of South Carolina and completed postdoctoral training at St. Michael’s Hospital at the Centre for Research on Inner City Health and the University of Windsor.  His research focuses on HIV vulnerabilities of young people in the African Diaspora in the US and Canada.  Specifically, he investigates behavioral and social determinants that influence HIV/AIDS disparities.  His work extends beyond measuring disparities to reducing them through multidisciplinary collaborations that develop and evaluate community-focused interventions.  His line of research includes examinations of factors that influence Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake and interventions to increase access to and acceptance of PrEP among vulnerable 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 March 26, 2020. Training Overview With our state and local public health workers being at the forefront of this pandemic, you are in a position to provide your community with life-saving information. Yet, with the COVID-19 landscape changing so rapidly, it is hard to have the latest, accurate information to educate those in your community. With this webinar you will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback from our speaker, Carlos del Rio, MD. This webinar will have a brief update on the pandemic with the majority of the time spent on Q & A. 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 Carlos del Rio, MD is the Executive Associate Dean for Grady Clinical Affairs and a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine.  Dr. del Rio currently holds joint appointments as a professor of Epidemiology and as professor of Global Health at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, and until recently, he was the Hubert Professor and Chair of the Hubert Department of Global Health at Rollins. He is the Principal Investigator and co-Director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and co-Principal Investigator of the Emory-CDC HIV Clinical Trials Unit. Carlos del Rio is currently appointed as the Foreign Secretary of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). 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