Holly Mata

Benefits of Professional Organization Membership and Participation in National Conferences: Considerations for Students and New Professionals

The focus of this manuscript is on the next generation of health education professionals and is written by those who are part of that next generation. This manuscript serves as a good reminder to all health educators regarding the importance of professional association membership and attending professional conferences. The co-editors hope that established health education professionals—whether serving as faculty members teaching in professional preparation programs or those practitioners mentoring the next generation—will share this article with students and/ or colleagues regarding the benefits of attending professional conferences and joining professional organizations. Joining professional organizations like the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and attending professional conferences can provide tremendous career development, skill-building, and professional networking opportunities.

Experience preferred: insights from our newest public health professionals on how internships/practicums promote career development.

Universities offering undergraduate degrees in health promotion or health education and/or graduate degrees in public health typically require an internship, practicum, or fieldwork experience. This type of mentored experience is an important aspect of career development for the next generation of public health professionals and benefits not only the students but also the profession and the communities in which they work. This article provides perspectives from four public health professionals who have recently graduated from designated minority-serving institutions and highlights the ways in which internship, practicum, or fieldwork experiences have contributed to their career development. From a career development perspective, internships provide unique opportunities to develop professional networks, practice competencies learned in the classroom, gain experience in different environments, and share lessons learned with others in our field. The diversification of the public health research and practice workforce is increasingly recognized as crucial in building health equity. Internship programs that focus specifically on the academic and professional development of students underrepresented in public health provide experiences that meet or supplement academic requirements, and provide students with real-world experience and an expanded network of mentors and role models.

Professional Development Through Policy Advocacy: Communicating and Advocating for Health and Health Equity

Communicating and advocating for evidence-based public health policy is a key component of health promotion practice, but public health professionals often lack experience in policy advocacy. This article provides perspectives from public health professionals who participated in successful public health policy advocacy efforts in their community. Their experiences using evidence-based research to advocate for policies that promote health equity contributed significantly to their career development, and also contributed to community capacity to reduce tobacco-related disparities. This article builds on previous work emphasizing the value of career development opportunities that enhance and diversify the public health workforce, and provides practical tips and “lessons learned” that are relevant to a wide range of public health professionals.

Translational health research: perspectives from health education specialists

The phrase “from bench to bedside to curbside” is a common definition of translational research among health disparities researchers. Health Education Specialists can make important contributions to the field of clinical translational medicine, particularly in light of U.S. health care reform and a renewed emphasis on medical home or health care home models.Health Education Specialists have the training and experience to engage in and facilitate translational research, as well as the opportunity to learn from the translational efforts of other professions and enhance our research, practice, and community partnerships through translational efforts. In this paper, a Translational Health Education Research framework for health education researchers is suggested to foster increased translational efforts within our profession as well as to promote interdisciplinary collaborations to translate a variety of health-related research. A conceptual framework adapted from translational health disparities research that highlights the level and scope of translational research necessary for changes in practice and policy is also provided.

Career Development Through Local Chapter Involvement Perspectives From Chapter Members

The importance of career development in professional organizations has been noted in the literature. Personal and professional benefits of membership regardless of discipline can be found across the career spectrum from student to executive. The benefits of professional membership with respect to career development in local chapter organizations have seldom been studied. Local chapter participation may offer significant career development opportunities for the practitioner, faculty member, and student. The purpose of this study was to explore the importance of local chapter involvement to the career development of health education practitioners. An 18-item questionnaire was disseminated to the membership of three local SOPHE (Society for Public Health Education) chapters that explored the level of local chapter involvement and the impact of how specific professional development activities impacted career development. The results of the survey highlighted the importance of continuing education programs, networking, and leadership experience in developing one’s career that are offered by local SOPHE chapter involvement. Making a positive impact in the community and earning the respect of one’s peers were most often reported as indicators of career success. These factors can directly impact local chapter participation. Career development can certainly be enhanced by active participation in the local chapter of a professional association.

Health, Hope, and Human Development: Building Capacity in Public Housing Communities on the U.S.-Mexico Border

Summary: In this paper we highlight results from our recent survey of public housing residents living in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Our data inform our interdisciplinary (public health, education, environmental engineering, sociology) efforts to improve health and educational equity in our community, and provide ripe opportunities for policy advocacy.

Depression, Self-Esteem, and Childhood Abuse Among Hispanic Men Residing in the U.S.–Mexico Border Region

&NA; Hispanics experience health disparities in mental health and HIV infection when compared to non‐Hispanic Whites, which may be related to childhood abuse. The purpose of our cross‐sectional study was to examine the relationship between childhood abuse and depressive symptoms in a sample of Hispanic men (N = 103) living in a metropolitan U.S.–Mexico border area. Secondarily, we examined the role of self‐esteem in mediating this relationship, and the moderating role of sexual orientation. Gay/bisexual men (n = 53) were more likely to report childhood abuse than heterosexual (n = 50) counterparts (47.2% vs. 32%). Self‐esteem mediated the relationship between childhood abuse and depression for men who have sex with men, but not heterosexual men. Nurses should increase knowledge of mental health disparities that impact Hispanic men to ensure that appropriate treatment can be provided to reduce the risk of co‐occurring health risks to these men, including risk for HIV infection.

Promoting Health Through Policy and Systems Change: Public Health Students and Mentors on the Value of Policy Advocacy Experience in Academic Internships:

Emerging professionals and new Certified Health Education Specialists often lack academic training in and actual experience in National Commission for Health Education Credentialing Area of Responsibility VII: Communicate, Promote, and Advocate for Health, Health Education/Promotion, and the Profession. For undergraduate and graduate students who have an opportunity to complete an internship or practicum experience, gaining experience in Competencies 7.2: Engage in advocacy for health and health education/promotion and 7.3: Influence policy and/or systems change to promote health and health education can have a profound impact on their career development and their ability to advocate for policies that promote health and health equity. Compelling evidence suggests that interventions that address social determinants of health such as poverty and education and those that change the context through improved policy or healthier environments have the greatest impact on public health, making it vital for emerging public health professionals to gain experience in policy advocacy and systems change. In this commentary, students and faculty from two large universities in the U.S.–Mexico border region reflect on the value of policy advocacy in academic internship/fieldwork experiences. Based on their experiences, they highly recommend that students seek out internship opportunities where they can participate in policy advocacy, and they encourage university faculty and practicum preceptors to provide more opportunities for policy advocacy in both classroom and fieldwork settings.

Health Risk and Protective Factors Among Hispanic Women Living in the U.S.–Mexico Border Region

As the Hispanic population continues to flourish in areas such the U.S.–Mexico border region, more attention needs to be focused on health factors among Hispanics. The purpose of this study was (1) to determine what specific health protective and health risk factors exist among Mexican/Mexican American women residing along the U.S.–Mexico border and (2) to determine the relationship between the protective and risk factors among these women. A sample of Mexican/Mexican American women (N = 98) participated in a structured interview that collected data on familism, Hispanic stress, depression, violence, and sexual risk and demographic variables. Religious factors had the largest influence on the health risk behaviors of alcohol intoxication and drug intoxication (p < .05), while familism influenced only condom use (p = .002) and a lifetime history of intimate partner violence (p = .039). Health care access also influenced the health risks of alcohol intoxication (p = .013), drug intoxication (p = .012), and condom use (p = .019). The study’s results provide implications for clinical care and directions for future research.

Professional Development Through Planning for and/or Participating in an Accreditation/Approval Review

The quality of delivery of health education services is connected to landmark events in the history of health education. Quality assurance is one type of professional development in which practicing health education specialists engage. This article presents the steps of an accreditation/approval process, brief overviews of the major accreditation/approval systems, and the opportunities within the accreditation/approval process for professional development.