Deep South Population Health Training Program

People living in the Deep South experience higher rates of health disparities due to multilevel barriers to care and fewer health resources compared to other areas of the country. Further, there are few health research training programs in the Deep South. Our overarching goal is to train students and working professionals with an interest in health research to increase knowledge and skills addressing health in this area of the country. We will achieve that goal through creating and implementing a 4-year program, Deep South Population Health Training Program. We have built a unique community-academic partnership, including Dr. Emma Kay, founding director of the Magic City Research Institute, one of the few research institutions in the Deep South housed within a community-based organization; and Dr. Sarah MacCarthy, inaugural holder of a health studies endowed chair. Our specific aims include: 1) Develop a hybrid community-based education program that addresses core concepts and hyperlocal approaches to population health, with particular attention to health issues affecting women; 2) Increase knowledge of population health via implementation of the program; 3) Disseminate a program toolkit nationally to enable local adaptations, implementation, and evaluation. Year 1 includes development of an online 14-week course covering core concepts in population health, providing a foundational understanding of factors driving health risk and resilience with attention to factors affecting women and those endemic to the Deep South. The course will be complemented by hyperlocal approaches, including an in-person 1- week residency highlighting knowledge and expertise among local partners and a 6-month period of virtual mentoring and networking salon sessions. Years 2 and 3 include recruitment of two, 1-year cohorts (n=5-7 scholars per cohort) and implementation of the program. Year 4 includes the development and national dissemination of a toolkit with guidance on how others can develop, implement, and evaluate their locally adapted version. Our rigorous evaluation plan consists of pre/post surveys to assess scholars’ mastery of topics taught in the online course, as well as interviews with scholars and surveys with program mentors and faculty/community partners to assess opportunities for program improvement. Through national dissemination of the toolkit, our program will be broadly available; supporting tools will enable organizations to create locally-relevant experiences for future scholars to further their understanding of population health research.