Environmental factors and federal policies have had a large impact on the health and cultural identity of our Indigenous populations.  With increasing rates of diabetes, obesity, and cancer in Native American communities, strengthening Native food systems offers an opportunity to improve Native economies, health, and culture. This course is meant to give an overview of how health departments and public health workers can help strengthen Native food sovereignty, for the purpose of improving Native health and revitalizing Native cultures.

This course introduces basic knowledge and skills useful in assisting and responding to victims of sexual violence.  The course consists of six self-paced modules, which include reflection activities, videos, self-check questions, and a role-play scenario. A collection of comprehensive resources for further use are included.

This training discusses the benefits of mentoring and presents motivational interviewing as an approach for mentors to guide mentees in clarifying their goals and values and for enhanced communication. We also present considerations for ethical practices in mentoring relationships, choosing a mentor, and how to evaluate progress during a mentoring relationship. Many scenario examples are presented throughout the training for perspective and context.

Nutrition assessment is a useful and important tool to assess a person's food intake or to reveal patterns in food intake for a group or population. This training will review various nutrition assessment methods and present benefits and limitations for their use in different settings. This training will also present ways of using nutrition assessment in local programs.

"Building Community Leaders" is designed to get people comfortable advocating for change in various settings and to empower community members to make healthy changes in their communities.

The first session of our mental health mini-talks will focus on self-care and coping strategies, particularly for public health and healthcare professionals dealing with burnout and fatigue while addressing the pandemic. We'll hear from two experts, Patricia Haynes, PhD, and Thaddeus Pace, PhD, about frameworks and strategies you can apply to improve your mental health.

The final of our mental health mini-talks will focus on trauma-informed practice for public health professionals. With the stress of the last two years of the pandemic, understanding a trauma-informed approach is an increasingly critical skill for those that provide services to communities. This session will feature Phylicia Bediako, MSW, PhD, and Patrick Goodman, MC.

The second session of this year's mental health mini-talks will focus on strategies that can improve wellness when implemented at an organizational level, examining both environmental, design, and policy level considerations for employers. This session's featured speakers are Altaf Engineer, PhD, and Rebecca Wolf, PhD candidate.

Motivational Interviewing is a communication technique that helps empower patients to make desired behavior changes to improve their health. Available literature demonstrates the use of motivational interviewing in patients with diabetes significantly enhances adherence to treatment recommendations and weight loss efforts. This training will get you familiar with the concept of motivational interviewing in the context of weight management.

This training will prepare you for your role as a new supervisor in the public health field. We'll start with tips to get you started in your first weeks on the job, then present ways to develop your supervisory skills over time. You will learn ways to build trust with your team and gain ideas for what to discuss during one-on-one meetings with staff. This training also presents a six part tool that can be used to help employees think about their performance or for your own performance. As your supervisory experience grows, this training will help you consider ways to be more influential in your role. 

Excess weight gain during pregnancy and excess weight retained after pregnancy can contribute to lifelong development of obesity and increasing cycles of obesity and diabetes in mothers and children.  This training reviews body mass index (BMI), prevalence of obesity in women, health consequences of excess weight in pregnancy, guidelines for weight management during and after pregnancy, and components of effective community-based postpartum weight loss programs.

Overdose fatality reviews can be critical to developing expertise on and solutions to the prevention of overdose deaths. This course describes the need for overdose fatality review teams, the general nature of those teams, and factors to consider when developing them. 

Public health advocacy includes promoting education, processes and legislation that are designed to improve the general health of people living within a defined geographical location. This training will help you develop advocacy skills and strategies that can be used in community advocacy.  Examples are presented in the context of childhood obesity prevention.

Acanthosis nigricans is a skin condition known to be associated with insulin resistance.  This training explains more about the condition, and discusses recommended identification and referral techniques in children.  

Have you considered ways that local health departments may work with youth sports organizations to improve health? Learn how national public health goals are in line with youth sports participation, ways to consider equitable access to youth sports, and how youth sports organizations can support positive mental and physical health. Develop your skills to strengthen connections between local health departments and sports organizations and support equitable sports participation.