UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health receives federal support for training center
| September 23, 2010 | |
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The Southeast Public Health Training Center (SPHTC), part of the N.C. Institute for Public Health at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, has received $3.2 million, part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services award of $16.8 million to support 27 Public Health Training Centers (PHTC) at schools of public health and other public or nonprofit institutions across the country.
The five-year grant supports the SPHTC’s work in both North Carolina and West Virginia. The SPHTC was initially funded in 2000, thus this is the start of the third five year cycle. Previously, the SPHTC included partners in N.C., S.C., W.Va. and Ky. With the increased funding, all the states but W.Va. now have their own PHTCs.
The PHTC Program helps improve the public health system by enhancing skills of the current and future public health workforce. Institutions accredited to provide graduate or specialized training in public health were eligible for funding.The awards “represent a dramatic increase in support for Public Health Training Centers,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “Investing in prevention and public health is the foundation for improving the health and well-being of all Americans.”
Edward Baker, Jr., MD, director of the N.C. Institute for Public Health, research professor of health policy and management, is principal investigator for the SPHTC. “Our Public Health Training Center has been critical to assessing and meeting the training needs of public health practitioners throughout the state and region,” Baker said. “The expanded network and HRSA’s increased commitment to public health workforce development provide many new ways to address the state’s critical public health workforce needs in innovative, evidenced-based and assessable ways.” Funded organizations plan, develop, operate and evaluate projects in preventive medicine, health promotion and disease prevention. They also improve access to and quality of health services in medically underserved communities. “The PHTC Network has been highly successful in influencing national workforce development policy,” said Janet Place, director of the SPHTC. “The SPHTC took the lead in the development of the new three tier national public health core competencies which guide the work of all PHTCs. The PHTCs build the core competency skills upon which more specialized training can be built. The expanded network is an exciting opportunity to strengthen national, regional and state workforce development processes. What is most exciting is the ability to continue working in more innovative ways with those states with whom we have had a long and productive collaborative relationship.” For more information on the work of the Southeast Public Health Training Center, go to sphtc.org.Note: Place can be reached at janet_place@unc.edu, or 919-966-7921.
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UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, 919-966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu. |
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