Recorded presentation

Catharine Riley, MPH, Arizona Turning Point Project, Maricopa County Department of Public Health, 1845 E Roosevelt, Phoenix, AZ 85006, (602) 506-1248, catharineriley@mail.maricopa.gov, Jennie Mullins, MPH, Professional Development, Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health, P.O. Box 245033, 1834 E. Mabel St, Tucson, AZ 85724-5033, and Aleena Hernandez, MPHc, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., 2214 North Central Avenue, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Abstract Objective: To present the outcomes of the Academy Without Walls Project: a successful workforce development collaboration between Academia, the Arizona Turning Point Project and local public health departments.

Through a comprehensive planning process that valued community partnerships, the Arizona Turning Point Project (AzTPP) established key objectives to strengthen Arizona’s public health infrastructure. Among these objectives, the development of an “Academy Without Walls” to further public health workforce development. Target audience and training topics were identified through an inventory of public health training activities in Arizona, a previous analysis of the public health workforce, and a survey of the county and tribal health departments’ training needs which identified a gap in training for front-line workers. Training topics were narrowed down to three areas of focus, derived from the Council on Linkages’ set of core competencies: Basic Public Health Sciences, Cultural Competency and Community Dimensions of Practice.

In 2003, AzTPP contracted with the Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health (MEZACOPH) to develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of competency-based training for diverse public health audiences. Faculty delivered and evaluated twelve trainings at four pilot sites, including two county and two tribal health departments, reaching approximately 120 public health workers. The final product, a refined curriculum for each focus area, serves as the basis for ongoing workforce development. In addition to strengthening the skills of the public health workforce and developing a model for workforce development, relationships between Academia and local public health partners were strengthened.

Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to

• Identify three key lessons learned from an academic/public health practice workforce development partnership.
• Discuss workforce development strategies used in the Academy Without Walls.
• Identify key components of curricula based on core competencies in public health.
• Describe the evaluation methods and results, including key findings and limitations of the evaluation.

Keywords: Workforce, Competency

Related Web page: www.aztpp.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation