Announcements
On the Calendar
Looking for upcoming trainings? In addition to our large collection of on-demand webinars and self-paced courses, please join us for these synchronous learning opportunities:
Region IV PHTC Awarded Funding to Continue Building the Capacity of the Public Health Workforce in the Southeastern U.S.
The Region IV Public Health Training Center (PHTC) has received a $4.4 million award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agency. These funds will be used over the next four years to improve the ability of the public health workforce to meet national, state, and local needs under the direction of Principal Investigator Melissa (Moose) Alperin, EdD, MPH, MCHES.
New Podcast: Adaptive Leadership for Public Health
The Region IV Public Health Training Center has launched a podcast series! Adaptive Leadership for Public Health is a six-part series created to help tier 3 (senior management/executive level) public health professionals address complex challenges by growing and thriving as adaptive leaders. We know your time is limited, so these short episodes are designed for you to listen on your commute, over a lunch break, or while taking a walk.
R-IV PHTC Trainings Earn Quality Seal
Six self-paced learning modules produced by the Region IV Public Health Training Center have been accepted as part of the Public Health Learning Navigator. These courses were nominated for inclusion and then assessed by a panel of three peer reviewers using the National Network of Public Health Institutes’ Quality Standards for Training Design and Delivery.
Featured Trainings
The Region IV PHTC offers free competency-based trainings for public health professionals throughout the region and nation.
Colorectal Cancer: The Latest Research and Guidance on Risk, Screening Recommendations, and Resources to Support Public Health Professionals
In 2024, an estimated 159,600 cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in the US, and a total of 53,010 people will die from these cancers. Raising colorectal cancer screening rates is more critical than ever as incidence grows among people younger than 55 years of age. Even more concerning are recent findings that show colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second in women under 50 years old. This leads us to ask questions about why rates have gone up and what we should be looking for. This webinar will discuss current nutrition and colorectal cancer research being conducted through the American Cancer Society. It will also address the basics of colorectal cancer by touching on current guidelines and the importance of making this cancer an area of focus. The webinar will introduce the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable and provide several resources available to public health practitioners.
Bolstering Nutrition Security: Public Health Strategies That Promote Healthier Food Environments
Poor nutrition is associated with early disease and death in the United States due to the increased risk for diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. While poor nutrition can affect anyone, not all Americans have consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food. This talk will cover evidence-based nutrition interventions that are part of state and community efforts to improve nutrition security. The webinar will touch on nutrition standards within early care and education (childcare), food banks and pantries, as well as food service guidelines that can be used in parks and recreation, worksites, hospitals, and other community settings. The webinar will also discuss community fruit and vegetable programs, including voucher incentives and Produce Prescription programs to help individuals become more food secure and help support chronic disease self-management. CDC’s web resources, such as Data, Trends, Maps, and its State and Community Media Center, which hosts nutrition content for reaching consumer audiences, will be provided.
Addressing Environmental Injustices and Their Impact on Public Health: Water, Water Everywhere, But None That We Can Drink
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.
Fighting for Public Health: How Do We Strengthen Public Health Advocacy at Local, State, and National Levels?
The politicization of widely accepted practices like vaccinations and the declaration of public health emergencies is directly impacting public health’s ability to protect and promote healthy communities. The decline in trust and investment in public health has raised the question: How can we strengthen public health advocacy at local, state, and national levels? In a feasibility study conducted by the Network for Public Health Law, public health advocates and leaders from 45 organizations were asked this very question. Their responses provide a snapshot of the current state of public health and highlight opportunities to amplify the voice of public health and our partners in advocating for evidence-based policies and approaches. Join us in this webinar to learn more about the findings from this study and the opportunities to work together to support the profession and practice of public health. Participants will also learn how to build skills to better communicate public health to all in their community and the resources available to support this critical advocacy work.
Leveraging Emotional Intelligence and Diversity in Public Health
This webinar will explore what it means to develop your emotional intelligence across lines of difference. In addition to reviewing the foundational EQ (Emotional Quotient) framework developed by Goleman (1995), we will explore the emotional intelligence and diversity model developed by Gardenswartz, Cherbosque, and Rowe (2010). Public health professionals attending this webinar will understand how EQ influences their own worldview, gain insights into others’ perceptions and the importance of managing emotions and building relationships with people from diverse backgrounds, intellects, and cultural perspectives. The webinar will conclude with strategies to create environments where public health efforts can succeed, and diversity can thrive.
The Emotionally Intelligent Leader: A Critical Role in Improving the Work Environment
An emotionally intelligent leader is aware of their thoughts and behaviors and how the two impact the individuals and teams they lead. The result, more productive and collaborative teams who communicate effectively. The Emotionally Intelligent Leader webinar will dispel myths about emotions’ place in the work environments and provide a foundational understanding of emotional intelligence to include an introduction to a theoretical model that guides individual and social behaviors. Participants will complete this webinar with skills and strategies to elevate their emotional intelligence for their personal and team’s success.
Foundations of Health Communications
Foundations of Health Communication is a series of self-paced courses geared towards addressing the need for effective communication skills essential to the public health workforce’s efforts to collaborate with partners and teams, educate policy makers, convey messages during an emergency, or take action in other ways as we work to build healthier communities.
Working with the News Media: How to Enhance Your Message
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.
Show Me the Money! Effective Strategies for Identifying and Writing Winning Grants
Public health practice depends on funding to function. This training focuses on understanding, identifying, and securing funding to meet your organizations’ strategic needs. Strategic grant writing aligns the needs of organizations with funding sources, whether foundations, government agencies, corporations, or individuals. This webinar offers an introductory-level guide to the basics of strategic grant writing and how to successfully identify, plan, and write winning grants. It also outlines the components included in every grant proposal and highlights grant writing best practices, tips, tools, and resources to support your grant writing efforts.
Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the Workplace through Mentorship
This course will provide an introduction to mentorship, best practices and expectations of mentees and mentors, and organizational strategies for implementing a successful mentorship program to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. In this course, mentorship is presented as an effective strategy to advance DEI among individuals, groups, and organizations, especially those in governmental public health agencies. There are no prerequisites.
Strategies for Combatting Health Misinformation
Misinformation has been a risk factor throughout the pandemic, leading to more disease and death from COVID-19. Dr. Katrine Wallace (UIC School of Public Health) is an epidemiologist and social media science communicator who debunks misinformation and false claims about COVID-19 and the vaccines. In this webinar, Dr. Wallace will explain the difference between misinformation vs disinformation, discuss why disinformation is such a widespread public health issue, and identify strategies to combat health misinformation among your own friends/family/workplace.
Scientific Reporting During a Pandemic: A Conversation with Katherine Wu
During the COVID-19 pandemic, media outlets have been tasked with translating complex and evolving scientific data about the nature and risks of SARS-CoV-2 to the public. Journalists in these roles have had to stay up to date with rapidly evolving information, wade through misinformation, scrutinize data, and amplify voices from underrepresented and marginalized communities at unprecedented speed to keep the public informed. In this webinar, Dr. Katherine Wu, a staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us for a conversation about her experience, challenges, and lessons learned while reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic.