News Release

Michigan Public Health Training Center announces new courses—mentored online, through videoconferencing/face-to-face, and via CD-ROMs.

November 18, 2004 press release from the Michigan Public Health Training Center and the University of Michigan School of Public Health

ANN ARBOR, MI– The Michigan Public Health Training Center (MPHTC) announces upcoming continuing education courses. New course topics include the legal basis of population health and issues in measuring health disparities. Also new are courses available through videoconferencing and CD-ROM. These competency-based courses represent a partnership learning approach through collaborative training of employees of state and local health departments, community-based organizations, health delivery systems and health plans, and those studying public health.

All courses offer continuing education credits for a variety of health professionals, and a MPHTC certificate for successful completion, identifying relevant core competencies in population-based health practice. The registration fee is $135 per course per person. The courses on CD-ROM are free with a nominal charge ($45) for continuing education credit. Limited scholarship support is available to those working in Michigan.

About MPHTC online course offerings: Online mentored courses offered by the MPHTC provide guided instruction from distinguished faculty for the duration of the course and incorporate video and PowerPoint presentations, online discussions with the instructor and classmates, readings, and supplementary exercises to offer a unique learning experience comparable to traditional-face-to-face courses.

Mentored online courses:

Budgeting and Accounting, taught by Jack Wheeler, PhD, professor of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health. This course will be held January 31 through March 21, 2005 online.

Beyond Numbers: Qualitative Research Methods, Application, and Analysis, taught by Rebecca Malouin, PhD, an epidemiologist in the Epidemiology Services Division at the Michigan Department of Community Health. This course will be held April 4 through May 15, 2005 online.

Videoconference course:

The Legal Basis for Population Health: A Guide for Practitioners (NEW) – in Lansing and Gaylord, taught by Peter D. Jacobson, JD, MPH, professor of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health. This videoconference course allows participants at two locations to see and hear each other simultaneously. The instructor and teaching assistant will alternate locations. Class meets on Tuesdays: April 19, May 3, May 17, June 7 and June 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

CD-ROM courses:

Addressing Environmental Contaminants and Their Effects on Human Health (NEW). This course on CD-ROM covers concerns on common environmental contaminants and their potential effects on human health. Presentations include mold, lead, mercury, and pesticides, all of which are found in the home, the community, and the workplace.

Issues in Measuring Health Disparities (NEW - coming soon) developed by John Lynch PhD, MPH, MEd, and Sam Harper, PhD, epidemiologists working at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and affiliated with the Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health. This interactive, self-paced practical guide for applying concepts and methods in measuring and addressing health disparities will be available early 2005. Information will be available soon on our web site (www.mitrainingcenter.org).

Order / register via: https://www.sph.umich.edu/iscr/mphtc/courses.

For more information: e-mail us at mphtc@umich.edu or call us at (734) 615-9439.

Background

In two years, MPHTC has provided course-based training to more than 1,000 members of Michigan's workforce representing 43 local health departments, 57 community-based organizations, 23 health systems, and organizations serving the Native American, African American, Arab, Catholic, Jewish, and Latino populations.

The courses offered by the MPHTC have been made possible through funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health Professions.

The MPHTC received a five-year grant from HRSA to develop a state-wide training center, and the Michigan Department of Community Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has provided additional funding. The MPHTC strives to improve the competence of the current and future public health workforce to improve the public's health.

Contact: Jeanette Kunnath
Phone: 734-615-9439
E-mail: kunnathj@umich.edu

More executive and continuing education opportunities from the University of Michigan School of Public Health: http://www.sph.umich.edu/exec_ed/index.html

Testimonials

“Being in the Upper Peninsula, we are very fortunate to have the Michigan Public Health Training Center available for distance learning opportunities that are effective in improving staff training at a low cost.”

--Jim Rahoi, finance officer for the Marquette County Health Department in Negaunee, Michigan

“The Michigan Public Health Training Center offers a partnership approach toward improving the public’s health through mutual training of employees from diverse health and community settings.”

--Diana Kerr, deputy director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Henry Ford Health System

"Michigan public health professionals are truly fortunate to have the Michigan Public Health Training Center in our midst. Existing skills of our staff will surely be enhanced and new and important ones will be added as we move forward to address the myriad public health issues facing us in our complex world today. I look forward to the further development of the Center's capabilities in distance learning courses and workshops to the more remote and rural areas of our state."

--Richard J. Thoune, director of the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department

"I have always believed that only very brainy people understood data and statistics. As such, I was initially reluctant to take the data course. However, I am thrilled I took the course because the instructor ensured that every student, regardless of their exposure to data, was able to understand the concepts presented. I have already begun using my newly acquired skills."

--Gwen Imes, public health consultant at the Michigan Department of Community Health