Public Health Leadership Institute Takes Honors

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 3, 2010) − Over the past three consecutive years, the Kentucky Public Health Leadership Institute (KPHLI) at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health has developed award-winning teams dedicated to improving the nation’s health. 
 

This year, two KPHLI teams were selected as the winner and runner-up for the prestigious Balderson Leadership Project Award. The award, given each year by the National Public Health Leadership Development Network, recognizes individuals and teams participating in public health leadership institutes nationwide.

First place honors went to Alicia Bloyd, Cindy Gray, and Tanya Young, who developed the program, Outside Inside, Inside Outside, It’s Reversible, which received the first place award. The program was a collaborative effort with the Kentucky Department of Corrections to increase access to healthcare services for inmates within the prison and after being released into the community.   Elizabeth McKune, of the Department of Corrections, served as the group’s mentor.

First runner-up was awarded to Laura Strevels and Ted Talley who developed the program, Avoid the Scratcher. The program contributes to the public’s health by introducing and passing a local regulation to require bloodborne pathogen education for tattoo and body piercing artists operating within the Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department to prevent disease. Strevels and Talley were mentored by Louise Kent, planning administrator of the Northern Kentucky District Health Department.

"Once again our teams have achieved a high level of success and are being recognized by the nation’s public health community," said Cynthia D. Lamberth, director of KPHLI and faculty member in the College of Public Health." Both of these programs have the potential to impact the public health system in a positive way. We congratulate the team members and their mentors.”

The project winners and runners-up will give brief presentations on their projects during two interactive sessions hosted by the National Public Health Leadership Development Network and the Public Health Leadership Society. The interactive sessions will allow the teams to discuss the impact of their projects on the public health infrastructure and share details about the skills they gained by participating in the leadership institute. The one-hour sessions will be held Nov. 17 and Dec. 1, 2010, starting at 11:30 a.m., CST. Registration for the interactive sessions can be completed by visiting http://bit.ly/a5e4bp, and is free to the public.

“The public health practitioners in the leadership institute have dedicated their time and energy to developing programs that make a measurable difference in the health of the Commonwealth’s citizens. I am excited to see new practitioners be recognized by the network,” said Dr. F. Douglas Scutchfield, principal investigator on the KPHLI grant, which is funded by the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

KPHLI is a year-long development program, within the Office of Workforce Development at the University, for practitioners in the field of public health. Scholars who complete the KPHLI experience are awarded a Certificate in Public Health Leadership from the UK College of Public Health. KPHLI has been awarded 11 Balderson awards in the last 8 years, more than any other institute in the nation. The mission of the institute is to strengthen the public health system in the Commonwealth by improving the skills of the professionals who administer state, regional, and local public health systems.
 

For more information, please call Erin Louis, assistant director for KPHLI via e-mail Erin.Louis@uky.edu or visit www.mc.uky.edu/kphli.