Category: Leadership and Systems Thinking

Primary Competency Area

The Swag Deficit: How and Why Public Health Sucks All The Fun Out of Everything

Course Objective

  • Understand primary gaps and weaknesses in how public health presents itself and engages communities
  • Define and discuss “swag deficit” at a barbeque or cocktail party
  • Identify ways to develop a swag surplus or make your public health organization swag neutral

Date: September 5, 2023

Presenter:
Jerel Ezell, PhD MPH
Director of Cornell Center for Cultural Humility
Assistant Professor in General Medicine
Weill Cornell University


Jerel Ezell presents on the importance of “swag” and what that means in the context of public health departments working to build a stronger public presence. He begins by describing three primary factors that contribute to a “swag deficit”. Ezell goes on to discuss approaches for engaging with communities. He ends by suggesting implications for practice and next steps.

Participants will be able to:

  • Understand primary gaps and weaknesses in how public health presents itself and engages communities
  • Define and discuss “swag deficit” at a barbeque or cocktail party 
  • Identify ways to develop a swag surplus or make your public health organization swag neutral
The Science of Trust: Implications for Public Health Research and Practice

Course Objective

  • List key determinants of trust and trustworthiness at the community, population, and patient levels
  • Discuss the impact of trust and mistrust on behavioral and social outcomes as related to a variety of health topics
  • Describe implications of “the science of trust” for public health research and practice

Date: March 7, 2023

Presenter:
Renata Schiavo, PhD, MA, CCL
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health


Renata Schiavo presents on the importance of trust in public health research and practice. She begins by defining “trust” and explaining the importance of gaining trust among communities. Schiavo goes on to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted trust and presents commonly used models of trust. “The science of trust” is then explained by the interconnected nature of biological, social, political and environmental factors, and a new model of trust is presented. Schiavo ends by suggesting implications for practice and next steps

Participants will learn about trust in public health research and practice from Renata Schiavo, PhD, MA, CCL, from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.Participants will be able to:-List key determinants of trust and trustworthiness at the community, population, and patient levels-Discuss the impact of trust and mistrust on behavioral and social outcomes as related to a variety of health topics-Describe implications of “the science of trust” for public health research and practiceRecommended Reading:-Renata Schiavo (2022) The ‘Science of Trust’: moving the field forward, Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 15:2, 75-77, DOI: 10.1080/17538068.2022.2089611https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17538068.2022.2089611-Renata Schiavo (Moderator and Roundtable Chair/Organizer), Gil Eyal (Participant), Rafael Obregon (Participant), Sandra C. Quinn (Participant), Helen Riess (Participant) & Nikita Boston-Fisher (Co-Organizer) (2022) The science of trust: future directions, research gaps, and implications for health and risk communication, Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 15:4, 245-259, DOI: 10.1080/17538068.2022.2121199https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17538068.2022.2121199

 

This program has been approved for 1.0 Category I Continuing Education Credit for CHES/MCHES by the Rutgers School of Public Health. The Rutgers School of Public Health is a certified CHES/MCHES provider by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

This program has been approved for 1.0 Certified in Public Health (CPH) credit by the Region 2 Public Health Training Center. The Region 2 Public Health Training Center is a certified CPH provider by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.

Mortality surveillance using an Automated Mortality Syndromic Surveillance System (MortalSS) – Lessons Learned from New York City

Course Objective

  • Identify aberrations in time-series data.
  • Classify free text cause of death data into multiple ICD-10 code categories using Natural Language Processing (NLP).
  • Construct interactive html dashboards in R and RStudio.

Date: February 7th, 2023

Presenter:
Alejandro F. Castro III, MPH
Mortality Surveillance Analyst,
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH)


In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Alejandro Castro III presents on mortality surveillance using an Automated Mortality Syndromic Surveillance System (MortalSS). He begins by explaining the importance of mortality surveillance in New York City and reviews the death registration process. He goes on to explain MortalSS, including time series analysis, model implementation, and interactive dashboards. He then discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted mortality surveillance in New York City and the potential future impact of MortalSS. Castro ends by explaining artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for ICD-10 cause of death coding.

Participants will be able to:

  1. Identify aberrations in time-series data.
  2. Classify free text cause of death data into multiple ICD-10 code categories using Natural Language Processing (NLP).
  3. Construct interactive html dashboards in R and RStudio.
Adaptive Leadership: Strategies for Public Health

Course Objective

  • List highlights of the leadership approach known as “Adaptive Leadership”
  • Describe situational challenges as technical or adaptive
  • Identify the three phases of the “Adaptive Leadership” process
  • Apply the “Adaptive Leadership” behaviors to situations facing public health professionals

Date: December 6th, 2022

Presenter:
Emil J. Sadloch
SADLOCH DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES


In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Emil Sadloch presents on the leadership approach known as “Adaptive Leadership.” He begins by defining “Adaptative Leadership” and explaining the difference between technical and adaptive situational challenges. He goes on to describe the three phases of the “Adaptive Leadership” model: Observe, Interpret, and Intervene. Sadloch ends by presenting a case study and explaining how “Adaptive Leadership” can be applied to a current public health issue.

Participants will be able to:

  1. List highlights of the leadership approach known as “Adaptive Leadership”
  2. Describe situational challenges as technical or adaptive
  3. Identify the three phases of the “Adaptive Leadership” process 
  4. Apply the “Adaptive Leadership” behaviors to situations facing public health professionals 
Monkeypox: Epidemiology, Clinical Features, Challenges and Opportunities

Course Objective

  • List key epidemiological features of the Monkeypox 2022 Outbreak
  • Describe stigma and disparities in relation to Monkeypox
  • Describe lessons learned from HIV and COVID-19 that should inform the monkeypox response

Date: October 4th, 2022

Presenter:
Wafaa M. El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA
Executive Vice President, Columbia Global
University Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine at Columbia University
Director of ICAP at Columbia University


In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Dr. Wafaa M. El-Sadr, Executive Vice President at Columbia Global, University Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine at Columbia University, and Director of ICAP at Columbia University, presents an update on the current Monkeypox outbreak. She begins by explaining the Monkeypox virus and the epidemiology of the current 2022 outbreak. She then explains its clinical characteristics, along with current vaccinations and treatment. Finally, Dr. El-Sadr discusses stigma and disparities surrounding Monkeypox, as well as lessons from HIV and COVID-19 that can inform the Monkeypox response.

Participants will be able to:

  1. List key epidemiological features of the Monkeypox 2022 Outbreak
  2. Describe stigma and disparities in relation to Monkeypox
  3. Describe lessons learned from HIV and COVID-19 that should inform the monkeypox response
Adaptation to Stress: Five Practices to Cultivate Resilience and Work-Life Wellbeing

Course Objective

  • Examine your work-life wellbeing and causes of work-life conflict
  • Explain a model of resilience (stressors, protective factors, adaptive & maladaptive coping strategies, resilience, thriving)
  • List five practices to cultivate resilience (mindfulness, using stress to grow, self-leadership, positivity, renewal)

Date: September 13th, 2022

Presenter:
Mary Steinhardt, EdD
Professor and Associate Vice President for Research – Research Integrity Officer,
The University of Texas at Austin


In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Dr. Mary Steinhardt presents practices that can be used to adapt to change and stressful situations, promoting resilience and work-life wellbeing. She starts by defining work-life wellbeing and discusses strategies to optimize it. She then explains the stress response and presents a model of resilience. Dr. Steinhardt concludes by presenting five practices that can be used to grow our resilience.

Participants will be able to:

  1. Examine your work-life wellbeing and causes of work-life conflict
  2. Explain a model of resilience (stressors, protective factors, adaptive & maladaptive coping strategies, resilience, thriving)
  3. List five practices to cultivate resilience (mindfulness, using stress to grow, self-leadership, positivity, renewal
Policy Enactment and Implementation in the Policy Process and How Systems Thinking Fits In

Course Objective

  • Describe the steps and strategies needed to enact and implement a policy, program or service
  • Identify the kinds of individuals and organizations who can contribute to the enactment and implementation of policies, programs, and services
  • Explain the importance of monitoring the implementation of policies, programs, and services
  • Understand how applying habits of systems thinking can improve the enactment and implementation processes

Date: June 30th, 2022

Subject Matter Experts:
Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS
Public Health Practice Consultant
&
Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH (Public Health), MBA,
Assistant Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health,
Associate Director of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) at Columbia University


The Strategic Skills Training Series developed by the Region 2 PHTC aims to help prepare public health leaders and the public health workforce to develop the practices and competencies associated with being a Chief Health Strategist. Using a scenario focused on the opioid problem in the fictitious ‘Tycho County’, this course will describe how the ‘Policy Enactment and Policy Implementation’ stages of the CDC policy process can be implemented by a health department using systems thinking tools and approaches.

Learners will be able to:

  1. Describe the steps and strategies needed to enact and implement a policy, program or service
  2. Identify the kinds of individuals and organizations who can contribute to the enactment and implementation of policies, programs, and services
  3. Explain the importance of monitoring the implementation of policies, programs, and services
  4. Understand how applying habits of systems thinking can improve the enactment and implementation processes
How to Recruit, Hire, Monitor and Train Community Health Workers: Guide for Local Health Departments

Course Objective

  • Describe the unique attributes of community health workers (CHWs)
  • List the core roles and competencies of CHWs
  • Define the importance of CHWs in driving public health improvements
  • Discuss ideas for integrating CHWs into public health departments

Date: June 30th, 2022

Subject Matter Expert:
Saehee Lee, MPH, CHES
Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health


This course developed by the Region 2 Public Health Training Center (PHTC) aims to describe the integral role that community health workers (CHWs) can play in public health departments. After illustrating their unique attributes and core roles, the course goes on to discuss ideas for integration into public health departments. The module is designed for local health departments, population and community health organizations, and other relevant organizations.

Learners will be able to:

  1. Describe the unique attributes of community health workers (CHWs)
  2. List the core roles and competencies of CHWs
  3. Define the importance of CHWs in driving public health improvements
  4. Discuss ideas for integrating CHWs into public health departments
New Resources and Creative Strategies for Recruiting Candidates for Health Departments

Course Objective

  • Describe the industry/sector and occupational competition for key roles in public health
  • Identify at least three strategies and tactics your agency can use to attract new hires
  • Assess feasibility of recruitment strategies for your own agency/organization

Date: June 7th 2022

Presenters: 
Heather Krasna, PhD, EdM, MS
Assistant Dean and Director, Career Services, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Laura J. Trolio
Director, New York State Public Health Corps Fellowship Program, Office of Public Health Practice

Jody Ordioni
Chief Brand Officer, Brandemix


In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Dr. Heather Krasna, Laura Trolio, and Jody Ordioni present new evidence-based resources and strategies to overcome current challenges in public health recruitment. They explain how understanding candidate motivation, creating or leveraging appealing recruitment marketing materials, leveraging the public service motivation of candidates, and highlighting the mission-driven work of public health agencies can help agencies attract the best candidates and compete with other employers. They review strategies such as branding, making a Unique Sales Proposition, and the new forthcoming public health recruitment website for standardized job posting. They also present new funding streams and the NYS Public Health Corps Fellowship Program, with its Public Health Essentials Certificate and mentoring opportunities. There is a focus, throughout, on diversity, equity and inclusion in recruitment, and they finish by answering questions from attendees.

Participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the industry/sector and occupational competition for key roles in public health
  2. Identify at least three strategies and tactics your agency can use to attract new hires
  3. Assess feasibility of recruitment strategies for your own agency/organization
Commercial Determinants of Health : A New Framework for Improving Population Health and Reducing Health Inequities

Course Objective

  • Define commercial determinants  of health and explain the historical origins of this concept
  • Identify the  potential and limitations of the commercial determinants of health framework for development of more effective strategies to improve population health and reduce health inequities
  • Discuss key current needs for research, education  and practice on commercial determinants of health

Date: May 3rd, 2022

Presenter:
Nicholas Freudenberg, DrPH
Distinguished Professor of Public Health
CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
Senior Faculty Fellow, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute


In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Dr. Nicholas Freudenberg presents how the commercial determinants of health framework can help reduce health inequities, guided by the belief that another world is possible. He starts by defining commercial determinants of health and reviewing the cascade of public health crises that have happened in the 21st century. He goes over a framework that attributes this cascade and increases in stratification, inequality, and inequity to changes in 6 characteristics of capitalism. He then reviews the importance of changing corporate practices and political and economic structures that harm health, and lists key ideas and strategies that can help tackle that change. He finishes by providing specific examples of how public health professionals can build more alliances and move practice beyond business as usual, and answers questions from attendees.

Participants will be able t0:

  1. Define commercial determinants of health and explain the historical origins of this concept
  2. Identify the potential and limitations of the commercial determinants of health framework for development of more effective strategies to improve population health and reduce health inequities
  3. Discuss key current needs for research, education and practice on commercial determinants of health
Region 2 Public Health Training Center