Region IV Public Health Training Center

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

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

Writing a Winning Grant Proposal: How to Ensure the Proposal is Clear and Compelling Note: This workshop has limited capacity. This is an online, interactive workshop on September 5, 2024 from 8:45 am - 12 pm ET. Participants will use Zoom to join with both video and audio. This workshop is sponsored by The Region IV Public Health Training Center. Training Description:  There is both an art and a science to writing a winning grant proposal.  Still, even those with limited experience writing grants on their own or with a team can learn some of the tricks of the trade and hone their craft.  This 3-hour interactive workshop provides insight, tips and strategies for writing a compelling proposal.   Beginning with a reminder that central to writing is to understand the funder’s mission, vision and values, this workshop explains what needs to be included in each key section, how to write that section, and why it matters.  There will also be a focus on persuasive writing tools and tips to clearly convey why your organization needs to receive funding.  Participants will see examples – both good and bad – from other proposals. It is suggested that you watch the on-demand webinar “Show Me the Money! Effective Strategies for Identifying and Writing Winning Grants” an introductory-level guide to the basics of strategic grant writing and how to successfully identify, plan, and write winning grants. About the Trainer:  Tom Stevenson is a freelance grant writer and consultant with a 14-year record of success in winning federal, corporate, and foundation funding for nonprofit organizations at the state and local levels. He has extensive experience working with diverse community organizations including Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse for Greater New Orleans, Odyssey House Louisiana, Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans, Acadiana, Center Point, Inc. in San Rafael, CA, Youth Empowerment Project and other award-winning nonprofit organizations. With his expertise in completing strategic prospect research, writing compelling proposal language, strategic program planning, and data collection, Tom has won more than $17M in winning grants for local organizations and nonprofit clients. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English Writing from Loyola University, a Master of Public Health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and currently resides in the New Orleans, LA area. 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 $4,404,138.  The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. Read more