Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112388

Isabel C. Scarinci, PhD, MPH¹, Graciela Alarcon, MD, MPH², Mona Fouad, MD, MPH¹, and Maria Norena¹. (1) Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, MT 609, 1530 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294, (205) 975-7177, scarinci@uab.edu, (2) Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, FOT 830, zip 3408, Birmingham, AL 35294

There are many different ways to foster the advancement of academic public health practice. We believe that two key components of successful experiences are initiatives that (1) respond to the needs of academicians and communities, and (2) are innovative. This presentation will focus on how we integrated these two components to create an infrastructure to promote research, teaching, and services regarding Hispanic health in a Southern university. In the past 7 years, Alabama has received a great influx of Hispanic immigrants (primarily from Mexico and Central America), and Birmingham has been ranked 6th among U.S. cities with the fastest growing Hispanic population. Although immigration brings diversity and enrichment to the community, it also brings social and economic restructuring that is likely to affect its residents. Among the crucial issues to be addressed with recent immigration are the health status and health care access among the newcomers. In order to begin an organized effort to address their health needs, we established a Latino/Hispanic Health Working Group through our Minority Health and Research Center. We have used the Empowerment Model to recruit interested faculty members as well as develop priorities and action steps regarding Hispanic health at research, teaching, and service levels. It has been a collaborative effort in which faculty from diverse disciplines (e.g., public health, medicine, dentistry, education, foreign language) have contributed to the development and implementation of the identified priorities. The development of the working group (e.g., methodology, credibility issues, etc.), strategies used, and results will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• to identify strategies to address the health needs of recent Latino/Hispanic immigrants

Keywords: Hispanic, Public Health Infrastructure

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.