UA and Pima County to Launch Academic Health Department

The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the Pima County Health Department will launch an Academic Health Department (AHD) to enhance public health education, training and research to improve community health in Pima County.

An AHD partnership is a formal affiliation of a health department and an academic institution that trains future public health professionals.

One key component of the AHD will be the Mini Public Health School, a monthly lecture series featuring presentations by faculty members and health department staff, who will discuss their research and community-based projects.

Other AHD programs will include expansion of the current internship opportunities at the Health Department for UA Zuckerman College of Public Health students; bi-annual research poster forums featuring projects developed by interns; a bi-annual training for internship preceptors, faculty advisers, graduate coordinators and undergraduate advisers; a fellowship program; and plans for a Western regional conference.

“The Academic Health Department will help bridge the gap between the education of public health professionals and the practice of public health,” said Cecilia Rosales, MD, MS, interim associate dean of community engagement and outreach and associate dean of Phoenix Programs at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health. “This model is right in line with the mission of the Zuckerman College of Public Health and our commitment to community engagement and outreach. We are creating a model that will be shared with other health departments and tribal health departments throughout Arizona.”

“This partnership aims to develop opportunities between our organizations to enhance research, innovation, policy and public health,” said Paula Mandel, RN, BSN, deputy director for the Pima County Health Department. “It’s about making a better workforce by helping our staff learn from our academic partners, and, in turn, sharing our boots-on-the-ground, real-world application of public health strategies with partners from the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health.”

Members of the AHD core team from the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health are: Dr. Rosales and Emily Waldron, community engagement and outreach coordinator. From the Pima County Health Department: Bob England, MD, MPH, interim director; Julia Flannery, organizational development program manager; Paula Mandel, deputy director; and Kristin Barney, MA, division manager.

For more information, about the Academic Health Department, please contact Dr. Cecilia Rosales at crosales@email.arizona.edu, 602-827-2205.

About the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health

Established in 2000, the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona Health Sciences is the first nationally accredited college of public health in the Southwest. Today the college remains the only accredited college of public health in the state of Arizona with campuses in Tucson and Phoenix. The college enrolls more than 1,100 students per year across degree programs at the bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctoral levels. Through research, education and community engagement, the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health continues to find solutions to public health problems in Arizona, the Southwest and globally. For more information: publichealth.arizona.edu

Contacts: Gerri Kelly, 520-626-9669, gkelly@email.arizona.edu

About the Pima County Health Department

The Pima County Health Department is committed to creating a healthy Pima County. Everyone. Everywhere. Everyday. Get connected at pima.gov/health

Contact: Aaron Pacheco, Pima County Health Department, 520-724-7745, aaron.pacheco@pima.go