New England Public Health Training Center Wins National Award.
The New England Public Health Training Center (NEPHTC), part of the Activist Lab at the School of Public Health, is the recipient of the 2017 Network Member Impact Award from the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI).
Assistant Dean for Public Health Practice and Associate Professor of Environmental Health Anne Fidler, the principal investigator for NEPHTC, accepted the award on behalf of the center’s entire team during the NNPHI Annual Conference on May 18 in New Orleans.
NEPHTC is one of 10 regional public health training centers funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and led by NNPHI. The center received the Impact Award in recognition of its signature blended learning course, Managing Effectively in Today’s Public Health Environment.
The course is designed for current or future heads of local or regional health departments, or managers or directors in city or state public health agencies in Massachusetts. The course curriculum was developed by Clinical Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Kathleen MacVarish. It was first implemented at the University of New England, and managed by Seth Eckhouse (SPH’01), senior program manager at the Activist Lab.
“This award is a testament to the hard work, creativity, and responsiveness of the education team here in the Activist Lab,” Fidler says. “It is gratifying that our staff has been honored with this prestigious national award.”
Karla Todd, the NEPHTC program manager, says the award “recognizes not just good training content, but also the effort to market, share, and encourage adaptation of the content for other locations in New England and around the country.”
Fidler and Todd attended the conference with Kate McLarty, teaching assistant at NEPHTC and program assistant at the Activist Lab; and Brad Cohen, director of the Office of Professional Development for Boston Public Health Commission and a key partner in customizing and delivering NEPHTC’s training.
The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) is a network of more than 40 public health institutes, 10 university-based regional training centers, and 40 affiliates, connecting more than 4,500 subject-matter experts with organizational partners across the US.