Region IV Public Health Training Center

Note: This is a recording of a webinar held on October 30, 2018. Training Overview This webinar is presented in partnership with the Georgia Society for Public Health Education (GASOPHE) and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD).  In this webinar, participants will learn how online simulations with virtual humans are being utilized for workforce development and public education to curb chronic disease and improve behavioral health. Learn how these simulations are being used to scale effective strategies for improving and assessing the competencies of the healthcare workforce, engaging other professionals such as educators in prevention and early intervention, and moving the public beyond awareness to action. The webinar will include (1) an overview of the benefits and research supporting the use of virtual humans, (2) demos of workforce development and public education about mental health, substance use, and chronic disease, and (3) several use cases of county and statewide implementations including research results. 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 John Patton is a published newspaper, magazine and online journalist who has worked for PBS, NBC and CBS. His work has spanned nonprofits, government agencies and private business. John has worked with CDC to scale and sustain the National Diabetes Prevention Program, working with media and technology companies to create disease prevention and awareness campaigns.  The Kognito team of 75 people is based in NYC and develops simulations where users engage in health conversations with virtual humans as a tool to build skills and confidence to manage similar conversations in real life.   Jennifer Spiegler leads Kognito's engagements with state-level health and education agencies in deploying mental health and substance use simulations.  She enthusiastically embraces the meaningful use of technology to improve health and education outcomes and to increase equity in education, health and healthcare. 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 December 12, 2020. Training Overview Vaccine refusal or delay has substantial public health implications. During this webinar, we will discuss vaccine hesitancy among African American communities. We will discuss the history of vaccine hesitancy and how we can build trust in the African American community to increase vaccine uptake. 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 Sarah Schillie, MD, MPH, MBA is the Team Lead for the Education Team within CDC’s Immunization Services Division.  She has been with CDC for 13 years.  Dr. Schillie is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Medicine.  She completed her pediatrics residency training at Pennsylvania State University and her preventive medicine residency training at SUNY-Stony Brook.  She received her MPH from Columbia University and her MBA from Long Island University.  Dr. Schillie’s public health career began as the Director of Performance Improvement for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services in New York. Jeffrey E. Hall, Ph.D., MA, MSPH serves as the Deputy Director, Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) and the Chief, Minority Health and Health Equity (MHHE) team, for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with key involvement in substantive health matters and in health policy and program development.  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 3, 2019. Training Overview This webinar will describe recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, explore trends in national vaccination rates, and discuss challenges in vaccination. The webinar also describes findings from CDC audience research, tips for communicating with parents, and CDC resources for healthcare professional education and parent education.  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. Robinson received her medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine and completed her residency training in Pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She completed a General Academic Pediatrics fellowship at Vanderbilt University, during which she obtained her Masters of Public Health. She began her public health career with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer assigned to Arizona Department of Health Services and Maricopa County Department of Public Health. She is currently a medical officer in the Immunization Services Division, within CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD).  In her current position, she serves as the CDC lead for the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule Work Group of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and provides immunization education to providers.  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 28, 2014. Training Overview The epidemic of obesity is profound in our state and across the nation. Obesity is one of the Georgia Department of Public Health's top health priorities. This presentation will speak to obesity prevention strategies, best practices and related initiatives at both the national and state level. Data sources and programmatic resources will be presented at both levels as well.  A group whose numbers of obese are rapidly increasing is our youth. Georgia's youth fitness and health data will be presented, and some of the state initiatives built around this alarming data will be promoted and discussed. Over the last few years, a combined effort between public and private organizations has led to some successful initiatives. The vital relationships that have been built across Georgia in pursuing and implementing so much of the obesity prevention work will be communicated, as well as Georgia's long term strategic goals and objectives around childhood obesity.  Captain Heidi Michels Blanck, M.S., Ph.D., CDC’s Chief of the Obesity Prevention and Control Branch in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity will present the national nutrition, physical activity, and obesity perspective (www.cdc.gov/obesity). Emily Anne Vall, M.A., Ph.D., Obesity Project Manager, Georgia Department of Public Health will present on Georgia's obesity initiatives. 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. Blanck oversees monitoring of state obesity prevalence and key behavioral, environmental and policy supports for healthy eating and active living. She leads work on applied research, and guidelines development including topics of BMI and behaviors. Her work focuses on population-level changes in environments and policies across multiple settings with attention to improving health equity. She received her PhD from Emory University where she serves as an Adjunct Professor. Dr. Vall's areas of expertise include the Behavior Change Theory and Childhood Obesity. She currently manages the Governor’s SHAPE initiative under Commissioner Fitzgerald at the GA Department of Public Health. She provides leadership in the management and coordination of this statewide, multiagency, multidimensional initiative that brings together governmental, philanthropic, academic, and business communities to address childhood obesity. Dr. Vall received her PhD from the University of South Carolina. 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

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

Workforce Wellness Recharge: Managing Systemic Stress Note: This is a live webinar on June 11, 2024, from 12:00 pm-1:30 pm ET. Participants will use Zoom to join.  Training Overview: This webinar will delve into effective strategies for managing the systemic stressors that can lead to burnout among public health workers. Participants will explore the impact of structural factors on individual well-being and organizational dynamics. Attendees will learn to implement proactive measures that foster collaboration, resilience, and workforce well-being. About the Presenter: Lamarr Lewis, LAPC, is a dedicated public servant, mental wellness advocate, published author, and change agent. As a community-based practitioner, he has worked with such diverse groups as; individuals living with psychiatric disabilities, 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 a mental health therapist, trainer, and consultant. His lifelong mission is to leave the world better than when he found it.  CERTIFICATE:  The course contains two modules: 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