Health Promotion

Expanding the Public Health Workforce in CT

Overview

The UCEDD received ACL funding through the "Expanding the Public Health Workforce within the Aging and Disability Networks" program to increase the disability competency of the public health workforce in the state. The project will work in collaboration with our state DD Network to conduct research and provide community outreach and training on the needs of people with disabilities in Connecticut to public health students and professionals.

Pre-Service Preparation: Inventories

  • Connecticut: Institutes of Higher Education public health and related programs and course offerings that include disability by course title and description
  • Connecticut: Inclusion of disability in Local Health Department Annual Reports
  • National: Inclusion of early childhood intervention/disability in Maternal and Child Health courses/concentrations in MPH programs

Pre-Service Preparation: Outreach, Training, & Technical Assistance

  • Embedding the Including People with Disabilities: Public Health Workforce Competencies in graduate and undergraduate public health curricula in CT
    • Recommendations for course content, materials, application assignments
  • Developing resources including sample syllabi on disability public health topics
    • Social determinants of health
    • Aging with disability
  • Developing training needs assessments for students, staff, and faculty on disability
  • Increasing awareness of disability in public health
    • Leadership Development Institute, University of Bridgeport MPH program

Continuing Education: Professional Development

  • Two-part webinar series for public health educators through CT SOPHE on disability health equity (2022)
    • Building a diverse and skilled workforce: Public health education for disability equity
    • Using inclusive communication and creating inclusive spaces: Public health education for disability equity