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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Robert L. Seidman, PhD¹, Janet C. Wolf, MPH², and Edward M. Castillo, PhD, MPH¹. (1) Institute for Public Health, San Diego State University, 6505 Alvarado Road, Suite 211, San Diego, CA 92120, 619-594-8940, rseidman@mail.sdsu.edu, (2) Institute for Publlic Health, San Diego State University, 6505 Alvarado Road, Suite 211, San Diego, CA 92120

There is growing evidence of the looming shortage of trained professionals in the public health workforce. One way of remedying this is simply to increase enrollment in undergraduate and graduate public health programs. However, the majority of high school and undergraduate students are unaware of the exciting issues and career opportunities available in public health since this topic is rarely presented at high schools nationwide. Moreover, most universities have few or no undergraduate courses in public health, and those that do are often quite focused (e.g., health education) and do not cover the breadth of public health topics. In addition, better marketing efforts are required due to the historically poor public visibility of public health and lack of information about public health careers. A brief multimedia module was developed and presented to high school classes in San Diego County by undergraduate public health students from San Diego State University. A variety of additional web resources (including web links and podcasts) was made available, permitting interested high school students to gain more information if they desired. Pre-and post-test instruments allowed evaluation of the extent to which the classroom presentations enhanced the students' understanding of public health issues and careers. This presentation provides results of the pilot project, including development of the materials and ways in which the project staff overcame the challenge of gaining access to high school classrooms.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to

• discuss issues related to ensuring an adequate and well-trained public health workforce.
• understand potential challenges in gaining access to students at high schools and making engaging and effective presentations.
• describe lessons learned from a multidimensional and replicable intervention to educate high school students about public health issues and careers.

Keywords: Workforce, Professional Preparation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation