Systems Approaches for Healthy Communities:A Web-Based Professional Development Program

Abstract

This integrated learning experience report provides a detailed description of the experience at the University of Minnesota (UMN) Extension research and outreach, located in St. Paul, Minnesota. The UMN Extension research and outreach is organized broadly into four centers: Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Community Vitality; Family Development; and Youth Development. My experience took place in the extension center of Family Development. This center teaches families and those who serve families to make informed decisions leading to greater health, resilience, and well-being. The primary focus of this experience was to assist in evaluating the data from the Systems Approaches for Healthy Communities (SAHC) web-based professional development program and to create a marketing plan for the program. The products produced through my time working on the SAHC project include the analysis of the SAHC data, a manuscript written for a peer reviewed journal, and a marketing plan developed for the SAHC training course. The experience with UMN Extension deepened my understanding of public health research and program evaluation and the importance of this work in forming public health evidence and research. I was also able to experience quality professional development provided to the UMN staff. Working directly with the program leader for Health and Nutrition in the Family Development Extension Center, Abby Gold, PhD, MPH, RDN, along with the SAHC team provided hands-on experience in program research and evaluation, which, when combined with the public health nutrition coursework at Kansas State University, has well prepared me by expanding my knowledge and understanding within the field of public health.