Region IV Public Health Training Center

Where the Sidewalk Ends: The Historical Impact of Population Health Disparities and Finding a Path Toward Equity Note: This is a recording of a live webinar held on June 21, 2023, from 12:00 pm-1:30 pm ET.  Training Overview: Health equity—the state in which everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible—is a pressing need and identified priority that state and local health departments are currently trying to address with additional resources and efforts across the country. However, before we can implement effective tools for change, we must first understand the historical context and generational trauma that structural and systemic racism has created. This inequality causes unjust barriers to health, wealth, and resources and continues to plague many communities today with a direct impact on health. This webinar will discuss the practices and policies put in place to specifically disadvantage certain populations throughout history with a higher burden of disease, injury, and violence, and what the public health workforce can do today to improve opportunities for everyone to achieve optimal health. About the Trainer Shantel Hébert-Magee, MD, MPH is the Chief Medical Officer for Medicaid at the Louisiana Department of Health. Previously, she was Region One Medical Director (Greater New Orleans) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Laboratory Director at the Office of Public Health. Prior to her state tenure, she functioned in healthcare as a clinician, industry consultant, minority health strategist, and non-profit CEO. She has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, editorials, white papers, and book chapters. A native of New Orleans, Dr. Hérbert-Magee completed her undergraduate studies at Clark Atlanta University. She earned her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine and an MPH in health policy and management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As a native of New Orleans, she brings her vast experience and expertise to continue to advance the health of Louisiana. 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. 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 26, 2017. Training Overview This recorded webinar highlights federal programs and services, with emphasis on how health departments can leverage available resources that may improve health outcomes within communities they serve. Health departments, committed to maintaining and improving the health of the communities they serve, may be unaware of the vast array of federal programs and services that they can tap into to help them achieve their mission. For instance, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Health Resources and Administration (HRSA) and the Office of Minority Health (OMH) share goals to achieve health equity and provision of essential health services to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable, including people living with HIV/AIDS, pregnant women, mothers, and their families and those in need of high-quality primary health 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 Arlene Lester, DDS, MPH Captain, United States Public Health Service Regional Minority Health Consultant, Office of the Secretary, Office of Minority Health Judy Trawick, RN, BSN, CPHQ Public Health Analyst, Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Regional Operations, Region IV Michele Farris, MA Senior Advisor, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Workforce Division of Regional Operations, Region IV 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

Working with the News Media: How to Enhance Your Message Note: This is a recording of the live webinar that took place on September 6, 2023. Training Overview: What do we do when we are asked to talk about a public health issue? How do we ensure that the public trusts what they hear when important information about a public health issue is shared on the news? How do public health professionals demonstrate confidence and competence when called on to share important information? The objective of this webinar is to equip participants with an understanding of how to work with the news media in both a proactive and reactive manner. The course covers the basics of media relations, and provides tips on developing a media strategy, proactively pitching story ideas, interviewing techniques, staying on message, and controlling the communication.   About the Trainer Dr. Cynthia Jorgensen is an Adjunct Professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, with joint appointments in the Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences and the Executive MPH Program. Dr. Jorgensen recently retired from the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she was the Associate Director for Communication, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. In this role, she oversaw the communications efforts for a variety of vaccine-preventable and respiratory diseases and was actively engaged in CDC’s COVID-19 response. While at CDC for more than 30 years, Dr. Jorgensen applied her expertise in behavioral science and health communications to the development and implementation of several award-winning campaigns in hepatitis, cancer, genomics, and HIV/AIDS. Cynthia has held numerous leadership positions, including Chair of CDC’s Behavior and Social Sciences Working Group (BSSWG) and President of the National Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). Cynthia received her doctoral degree in Health Behavior and Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her BA/MA in Health Communications from Boston University. CERTIFICATE:  The course contains two modules: a module to access the webinar plus an additional module for the evaluation and any other resources. After accessing both modules and completing the evaluation link, the course will update as complete in Learn Upon. When the course is complete, the certificate will be available for learners to download directly from 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