Public Health Workforce Skills Micro-Credential

This course is designed to provide an introductory understanding of the basic concepts, skills, models, and resources currently utilized in the field of health education and promotion. The course will assist health care providers and public health professionals to holistically approach their work and acquire the essential tools to deliver information and strategies to improve health with a focus on underserved populations. Through lectures, weekly readings, assignments, in-class discussions/presentations, guest lectures from local public health experts and Community Health Promotion Work Practice, students will explore various approaches to community-based health promotion. We will explore how these approaches connect efforts to promote social justice and to end health disparities.

Public health institutions are financed through a combination of public and private sources. An important component of this financing for many public health programs is grant funding. These funds are available from a variety of private foundations and government sources. Every healthcare professional in a public institution must be aware of these sources of funding and the means by which these funds are awarded. This course provides the student with an understanding of the grant writing process from proposal development to funding, and on to implementation. Students will explore grant funding sources and prepare sample submissions based on real-life scenarios from local Bay Area non-profit programs.

Mental Health is becoming a vital part of our public health system. Mental health goes beyond simple mental illness and moves to a whole view of how humanity can care for itself. Mental health services can transform how we build responses to things like substance abuse, anxiety disorders, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Mental health services are a big part of the evolution of our public health system. This course provides an introduction to the public health approaches to the prevention and early intervention of mental health disorders. Including community based, school, family and individual level approaches and interventions.

This course is organized under two main themes: understanding yourself (and others) and working with others. The course is designed to initiate reflection, build community, and inspire action in the area of public health leadership. The course will give each student an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of their leadership style that is rooted in their values, vision, and career goals; apply leadership insight to case studies and reflection exercises covering a range of public health topics including: maternal/child health, environmental health, and participatory decision making; and apply a growth mindset to develop individually as a leader and use insight to enhance relationships with peers, community members, and colleagues.

At the conclusion of this micro-credential, you will:

• Have the skills in teamwork and organizational performance
• Have developed skills to effectively lead public health teams
• Have developed capacity and abilities in public health leadership
• Understand the grant proposal writing, funding an implementation process
• Know and understand approaches to community-based health promotion
• Understanding methods to prevent and for the early intervention of mental health disorders