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

Abstract #115672

Lillian Upton Smith, DrPH, MPH, CHES¹, Joe A. Kyle, MPH², Lisa Waddell, MD³, and Donna L. Richter, EdD¹. (1) Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 1329 Ellison Road, Columbia, SC 29206, 803-790-7747, smithlu@gwm.sc.edu, (2) Health Services, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Mills/Jarrett Complex, Box 101106, Columbia, SC 29211, (3) Deputy Commissioner, Health Services, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, Mills/Jarrett Complex, Box 101106, Columbia, SC 29211

This session will review the work of the South Carolina Public Health Consortium, an partnership formed by the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health (A-SPH), to collaboratively develop and deliver the Introduction to Public Health. The curriculum is competency-based, targeted to all staff, regardless of level of education, who do not have formal training in public health. The course covers the history of public health; the core functions and ten essential services; the ecological model; and the national, state, and local organization of public health and how the DHEC employee fits within these systems. The curriculum is geared to the adult learner with multiple activities, group work, and case studies and designed to occur over three daylong sessions delivered at least one week apart, allowing learners an opportunity to assimilate the information. After review of the first pilot's evaluation data, the curriculum was modified and piloted again. Components of the evaluation included an expert review, process evaluation, retrospective pre-post survey, and focus groups. This session will describe the process of collaborative development of curriculum and the practical evaluation employed in the pilot study and results.

Learning Objectives: