THURS-111 - Training Today’s Public Health Workforce Using Innovative Service-Learning & Social Justice Approaches
Thursday, April 17, 2025
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM PST
Location: Pacific I/II, 2nd Floor
Area of Responsibility: Area VII: Leadership and Management Subcompetencies: 7.1 Coordinate relationships with partners and stakeholders (e.g., individuals, teams, coalitions, and committees)., 7.2 Prepare others to provide health education and promotion.
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Describe a comprehensive health equity-focused service-learning experience that develops public health and health education competencies through real-world grant writing; program planning, implementation, and evaluation; and community engagement.
Apply lessons learned from faculty to create a meaningful academic experience for masters-level public health or health education students.
Apply lessons learned from students to create a meaningful academic experience for masters-level public health or health education students.
Brief Abstract Summary: .Discover innovative approaches to training public health education masters-level students using service-learning and social justice approaches. This session will review a unique approach to teaching public health education competencies through service-learning, including real-world grant writing; program planning, implementation, and evaluation; and community engagement skill-building to promote health equity. Participants will hear from program faculty and former students as they discuss their experiences with developing and participating in service-learning, the benefits and obstacles of securing internal and external funding, and the importance of fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with community partners that positively impacts both the workforce preparation of students and the health outcomes of the community. Course and student artifacts will be shared with attendees.
Detailed abstract description: .The Austin Peay State University Master of Public Health (MPH) program offers a unique three-course service-learning experience in the core curriculum that allows students to apply multiple public health and health education competencies in a real-world environment while partnering with one or more community agencies. Over the course of three semesters, MPH students have the opportunity to write a grant proposal that is submitted to an internal or external funding source; plan, implement, and evaluate a complete health promotion program aimed at advancing health equity and promoting social justice; and engage with their community partners during both formal and informal meetings.
This presentation will benefit attendees in multiple ways. First, the curriculum-building process will be shared to include public health and health education competencies addressed. Second, faculty and student experiences will be discussed to provide insights into the benefits and obstacles of facilitating and participating in such a high-stakes and long-term experience. Third, community engagement strategies will be provided, including a description of the community partners who previously engaged in this experience as well as best practices for creating lasting partnerships. Last, tips for developing a successful service-learning project will be shared to assist higher education faculty with their own efforts at creating meaningful and authentic academic experiences for students that allow for competency development and meaningful community engagement that positively impacts the health outcomes of equity-seeking populations. Course and student artifacts will be shared with attendees.
