Minority populations, including African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and certain segments of the nation’s Asian/Pacific Islander population, are not present in significant numbers in our public health workforce. While there are outstanding minorities in the public health career path, access to health professions remains unequal for minorities. To increase access to advanced study and career opportunities in public health for minorities, the Public Health Foundation (PHF) was awarded a cooperative agreement from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In years one and two of this cooperative agreement, PHF collaborated with one Historically Black College or University (HBCU) – Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) – to pilot an outreach program. The collaboration has yielded the development and implementation of a program that specifically targets and is designed to:
- Increase the number of minority undergraduate students aware of public health as a field of study and the variance and diversity of career tracts in public health;
- Provide access to introductory public health training; and
- Provide public health internship opportunities to facilitate the target populations pursuit of public health careers.
An increased number in minority undergraduate students with awareness about and access to training in public health can effectively contribute to ensuring that the public health workforce is more representative of all populations that comprise communities, especially minority communities with limited access to culturally competent public health programs.
From conducting research to completing online courses, the computer is a key tool for teaching and learning. TRAIN (https://www.train.org), the online platform/vehicle that was used in this initiative, is a unique web-based learning management solution for public health training and an effective mechanism for introducing minority undergraduate students to potential careers in public health. Currently with over 535,000 registered learners who participate in over 25,500 courses (online and on-site) provided by over 4,000 course providers, TRAIN offers introductory to advanced level trainings. Available 24/7, TRAIN is a convenient way for learners to search, register, and launch training at their convenience. The activities under this objective were designed to help undergraduate students access, use, and benefit from public health training.
"Using Innovative Technology as a Tool to Recruit Minorities to Public Health Careers” was presented at the American Public Health Association (APHA) 138th Annual Meeting and Exposition in Denver, Colorado on November 9, 2010.
To learn more about the Minority Outreach Initiative or if you would like to provide contact information for faculty in schools who would potentially like to participate in the replication of this study please contact Lois Banks at 202.218.2247 or lbanks@phf.org.