Community and Public Health Institute Description

Synopsis

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The aim of the Institute is to introduce students to the field of public health and the important role it plays in our health-care system. Public health leaders will teach participants the basic principles of designing community based health interventions. Throughout the Institute students will practice these lessons with hands on activities that demonstrate health objectives set forth by Healthy People 2010.

Upon completion of the CPHI, participants will be prepared to work with local public health authorities in designing community health initiatives and improve existing community service activities. Participants will also learn about career opportunities in the field of public health.

Goals

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• Learn fundamental public health principles necessary for designing community responsive health initiatives.
• Identify current public health goals and objectives set forth by Healthy People 2010.
• Network with public health leaders.
• Plan specific projects for implementation in the participant's home community.
• Implement community health initiatives developed during the institute.
• Provide ongoing support for participants as they implement community initiatives following the Institute.
• Designate specific strategies by which the Institute participants could impart their new skills to other students. One such method would be for the participants to conduct a workshop for members of medical student organizations at their respective institutions to learn and practice new skills.

Topics

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Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

The 10 leading health indicators

1. physical activity
2. obesity
3. tobacco use
4. substance abuse
5. responsible sexual behavior
6. mental health
7. injury and violence
8. environmental quality
9. immunization
10. access to health care

Strategies for community health initiatives

1. Assessing community need
2. Coalition building
3. Identifying appropriate interventions
4. Fundraising
5. Community outreach
6. Evaluating the initiative

Structure

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The Institute will be held at the national headquarters of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) located in Reston, VA, a suburb near Washington, D.C.

Applicants will be identified through an application process open to physicians-in-training who are AMSA members. About fifteen of these applicants will be selected by a review committee for participation in the Institute. These individuals will be provided with lodging and most meals for the three- to four- day event. Preference will be given to applicants whose schools will assume the cost of transportation to show their support and involvement in promoting physician leadership.

Preference will also be given to CPHI applicants who also apply to become Regional CPHI Coordinators and therefore continue to disseminate their public health knowledge and skills to other medical students. The Regional Coordinator application material can be found on the second page of the CPHI application. Applicants who are chosen to become Regional Coordinators will need to complete an extra ½ day of training on the last day of the Institute.

Throughout the weekend, public health leaders will lead discussions on community and public health. In addition to teaching the basics of public health and the prevention issues currently facing medicine, they will share their experiences, career paths, and what medical students can do to prepare themselves for a career in community or public health.

As part of the application, participants will propose a project in the area of community and public health. These projects might be hypothetical, in planning, or already implemented in their local schools or communities. The goal will be to actively learn about community and public health principles and program design by developing and refining these proposals over the course of the weekend. Individually, in small thematically-related groups and as a whole group, participants will flesh out the specifics of their programs using the strategies listed above, spanning from needs assessment to program evaluation. At the conclusion of the weekend, all participants will present their plans to the rest of the group for feedback and discussion.

Following the Institute, participants can apply for AMSA Local Project Grants to help implement the initiatives they have developed over the course of the weekend. Regional Coordinators will receive some seed money from the Institute and can also apply for a Local Project Grant to help fund their Regional CPHI development.