About this Webinar

The Maine Public Health Association and NEPHTC are pleased to offer the recordings of a three-part interview series designed to share information to help everyone understand The Why, The What, and The How of public health.

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify strategies for making  complex public health issues understandable
• Describe how stories and data together can make a bigger impact than data alone
• Identify strategies that public health practitioners can use to be more successful in educating and influencing policy makers
• Explain the differences between lobbying and non-lobbying activities and what is permissible under the law for non-lobbyists in a non-profit organization
• Decribe how a legislative bill becomes law and where in the process public health practitioners can influence the outcome
• Explain the purpose and process of rule making and why it's important for public health

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  Dr. Dora Ann Mills
  
  Vice President
  Maine Health
• 
  Jennifer Burns Gray
  
  Maine Association of Nonprofits
• 
  Lisa Miller
  
  Senior Program Officer
  Bingham Program

Registration and Contact Hours

Select the Enroll button below to register for this webinar. If you have any trouble accessing the webinar, contact trainingmanager@nephtc.org.

The Certificate of Completion will include the length of the webinar. Generally 50 – 60 minutes is equivalent to 1 contact hour. Contact hours may be applicable towards continuing education requirements for certain credentials. Check with your credentialing body to verify if the topic meets its continuing education requirements.

About this Webinar

Over the past 45 years, Maine’s Bottle Bill program has been extremely effective at reducing litter, increasing recycling, creating jobs, funding charities, and reducing costs for municipalities and taxpayers. The Bottle Bill is a critical foundation for Maine’s recycling culture and remains as important and relevant as ever. Maine's legislature recently passed two bills to keep redemption centers in business and modernize the system. The discussions highlighted the special role that redemption centers play in keeping this program going, and the unique job opportunities they provide. Many of the owners do not turn much profit but do the work because they recognize it is environmental and social significance. The new laws will provide opportunity to further strengthen this program, reduce waste, and create more jobs.

What you'll learn

At the end of the recording, participants will be able to:

• Explain how the Bottle Bill supports jobs in Maine and what happens to the unclaimed deposits. 
  
• Compare effectiveness of recycling and litter reduction with other types of recycling programs.
• Discuss potential of recently passed and future legislation. 
  
  

Subject Matter Expert

• 
  

  Sarah Nichols
  Sustainable Maine Director
  
  

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Sarah is a waste policy expert and leads NRCM’s local and state efforts to reduce waste and litter, encourage reuse, and increase recycling and composting in Maine. Prior to joining NRCM in 2014, she spent several years working to improve recycling programs in rural communities. She earned a master’s degree from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she specialized in environmental policy, and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire in Environmental & Resource Economics. Sarah is from Bath and resides in Cumberland.

• 
  

  Shandra Rubchinuk
  Co-Owner of Jansel Redemption Center

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Shandra has been in Maine for 22 years and lives in Winthrop. She opened a children’s second hand store in order to be at home with her children and saw a need to reduce reuse and recycle. The store has been open for 10 years, children Luke & Aalayah are now 11 & 13. Her partner Jason worked for his uncle for 23 years counting and sorting bottles at a redemption center that was open for 40 years. His uncle finally retired and the two opened JANSEL Redemption center in Jan of 2023. They streamlined the process and are busier than ever.

• 
  

  Mike Noel
  Public Affairs Director, TOMRA

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Mike is a corporate sustainability and public affairs expert with working experience across the public, private and civil sectors. At TOMRA, the world’s largest provider of recycling and reuse technology, Mike advises policymakers on packaging and textiles waste management and reuse policies. TOMRA operates in over 40 jurisdictions around the world with refillable and single-use container deposit return systems and EPR policies. The first project of TOMRA’s Reuse venture includes operating a reusable take-out packaging program in Denmark. Mike is the co- author of “Rewarding Recycling: Learnings from the World’s Highest Performing Deposit Systems”. Prior to joining TOMRA, Mike was a Strategy Director at Futerra where he advised multinationals including Google, Target and 3M on their circular economy and climate strategies. Mike studied Marketing and Environmental Policy at Fordham University where he led a successful campaign to establish the University's Sustainable Business program. Mike is based in Connecticut where he is busy trying to get his 5 year old twins to eat their vegetables.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Deparment of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

Maine's aged building stock creates wide spread health challenges including asthma, exposures to toxins in building materials, stress in physical discomfort and vulnerability in extreme weather and anxiety of about heating and cooling costs. The barriers to retrofitting are multi-fold, the rewards of retrofitting combine the health benefits with carbon and reduction as part of our path to our carbon goals. Equitable approaches to improving the built environment are critical. passivhausMAINE is exploring bundling funding sources for systemic approaches to whole building renovation. We are preparing the case for cross/multi department communication and systems to ease the funding barriers and structure scalable retrofits across the state through pilot projects in Freeport and Lewiston, Maine. 

What you'll learn

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate the potential for wide scale retrofits through multi-agency funding approaches.
• Analyse the comprehensive benefits of building retrofits to physical and mental health and the corollary benefits of carbon and energy reduction. 
• Explore the overlapping issues of housing, gender, racial, education and economic justice. 

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Naomi Beal
  

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Naomi Beal is the Executive Director and founding member of passivhausMAINE [phME] and a founding board member of the Passive House Network. Naomi embraces the challenge of developing phME into a sustainable and impactful organisation through local, national, and international partnerships. Naomi believes Maine’s economic development can be fostered through a framework of building efficiency and innovative and traditional wood products and prioritizes equitable retrofits as both climate mitigation and adaptation. Naomi lives in South Freeport, ME.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

This webinar will explore race as a social construct and its implications in data collection and research. Participants will hear from presenters how the concept of race originated and how to uphold diversity and equity in research and policy, with specific examples of the implications of systemic racism in policies in Maine.

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe race as a social construct
• Explain the implications of race in data collection and research
• Identify two ways to uphold diversity and equity in research and policy

This webinar will be recorded and made available within 2 business days of the webinar close. Please log in to view the recording in the section "View a Recording of the Webinar.

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Winfred Williams, MD

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Dr. Win Williams is the Associate Chief of the MGH Division of Nephrology and Founding Director of the MGH Center for Diversity and Inclusion. He has a long, foundational track record at MGH in the development of programs to enhance the diversity of the physician workforce and at the Harvard Medical School. Over the past two decades, he has helped develop critical initiatives to support hospital-wide diversity goals. Dr. Williams is also the deputy director of the New England Journal of Medicine. He graduated from Harvard College with a B.A. in Biochemical Sciences. He went on to medical school at the New York University School of Medicine and completed his residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

• 
  

  Bruce King

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Bruce King is the Co-Executive Director of Maine Inside Out. His focus is on the leadership, growth and community outreach for MIO. Bruce’s lived experience as a previously incarcerated individual provides him with the insight critical to building connection and promoting healing for the people and communities he interacts with. Prior to joining MIO, Bruce worked in the fields of substance use disorder and recovery, mentoring and coaching multicultural youth and community building. As a second generation Mexican American, Bruce serves on the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations to address disparate treatment of marginalized ethnic groups and actualize racial justice. He is on the board of Mindbridge and an active member of the Prison Reentry Network.

• 
  

  Keith Maddox

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Keith Maddox earned his A.B. in Psychology from the University of Michigan, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a Professor in the Psychology Department at Tufts University, Director of the Tufts University Social Cognition (TUSC) Lab. His research and teaching are focused on exploring social cognitive aspects of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. The long-range goal of this work is to further the understanding of the representation of stereotypic knowledge and its implications for the behavior and treatment of members of stereotyped groups. He is co-Director of the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Program, has served as the Special Advisor to the Provost for Diversity and Inclusion at Tufts, and has founded an initiative at Tufts that seeks to bring social science evidence to bear on the development and evaluation of programs designed to address the challenges and opportunities associated with diversity, climate, and inclusion in organizations.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

Participants will learn about the history of slavery and racism in Maine, including the role of eugenics and the term Vacationland. Presenters will talk about our shared ancestry and how the slavery has impacted the way the world functions today. Participants will also learn specific examples of racism and how it plays out in communities.

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe how Maine’s history with slavery has impacted genocide, immigration, disinformation and racism in American culture.
• Describe the hidden history of black communities in Maine.

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Myron M. Beasley, PhD

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Myron M. Beasley, Ph.D. is Associate Professor and Chair of American Studies at Bates College. His ethnographic research explores the intersection of cultural politics, material culture and social change. His book, Disturbers of the peace: Performance, Art, and politics of the African Diaspora is currently in press by Routledge. Having conducted fieldwork in Morocco, Haiti, and Brazil he writes about art and food and the constructions of identity and culture. He is also an international curator and he is a trustee of the Maine Historic Society. He has been recognized with distinguished awards and fellowships by the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Whiting Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, the Kindling Fund, The Davis Family Foundation, the Reed Foundation, and Dorathea and Leo Rabkin Foundation. His writing appears in Liminalities: The Journal of Performance Studies, The Journal of Poverty, Text and Performance Quarterly, Museum & Social Issues, The Journal of Curatorial Studies and Performance Research, and Gastronomica.

• 
  

  Bob Greene

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Bob Greene is a native of Portland and the eighth generation of his family to be born in Cumberland County. His roots in Maine stretch back into the 1700s. After graduating from Portland High, Bob went off to college and a career as a journalist, covering among other things airplane crashes, Mississippi River floods and the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He has met three presidents: Harry Truman, Lyndon Baines Johnson and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. And, as The Associated Press Tennis Writer, Bob traveled the world covering the sport. After retiring he returned home to Maine where his genealogical research has led to his deep knowledge about Maine’s Black history. He currently teaches a Black History of Maine course at OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute} at the University of Southern Maine. Bob also is the 2021 recipient of the Maine Historical Society’s Neal Allen Award, which is presented each year for exceptional contributions to Maine History.

• 
  

  Pedro Vazquez

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Pedro A. Vázquez (he/him/his) is a community leader and organizer holding multiple roles dedicated to abolitionism, anti-racism, and uplifting of the community. His work highlights the need for just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive initiatives in all structures of society and demands accountability to aim beyond the cosmetic. A father of 6, he specifically engages with young people in recognition of their brilliance and natural ability to lead.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

The concept of food sovereignty has developed within Indigenous communities and is broadly applicable. It offers a framework for working toward a greater degree of local autonomy over food production and food access, alleviating food insecurity, and fostering a culture of environmental justice. While food sovereignty has received increased attention in recent years, the focused has largely been on developing a conceptual framework emphasizing local, Indigenous control over food production and distribution in Tribal communities. Less information has been disseminated on practical strategies for implementing food sovereignty initiatives in real-world settings. The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians (HBMI) has launched a food sovereignty initiative with the aims of increasing access to nutritious food, improving food security, and strengthening connections to Wabanaki culture through the sharing of traditional approaches to food production, storage, and preparation - including planting edible landscapes, Three Sisters, and sacred medicines. Lessons learned are adding to current knowledge about how to develop, implement, and evaluate a model that is rooted in the principals of food sovereignty and designed to increase access to nutritious food, food security, and connection to traditional culture.

The Initiative is implementing coordinated, culturally-connected strategies including establishing community gardens available to youth, Elders, and over 309 individual households throughout Maliseet territory, as well as foster-children in non-Native households - this represents a reach to over 700 individuals. Youth interns have been engaged in program management, training, and evaluation activities. Opportunities to learn and share knowledge about traditional storage and recipes are being provided to community members. Existing partnerships are being leveraged to develop a sustainable model. Evaluation processes are collecting input from the community to understand the overall impact. Household gardens are being installed for each Tribal housing unit. Additional community gardens will enable food production capacity to increase over the coming years.

What you'll learn

At the end of the recording, participants will be able to:

• Describe the concepts of food sovereignty, food security, and environmental justice
• Describe the main programmatic aspects of the Maliseet Food Sovereignty Initiative
• Discuss strategies for implementing and evaluating a community-based food sovereignty initiative

Subject Matter Experts

Chief Clarissa Sabattis, Houlton Band of Maliseets

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Andrew Pritchard, MPH Lead Program Evaluator, PHRI Consulting

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Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

_{Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.}

About this Webinar

The region called Maine is the ancestral territory of indigenous communities. The COVID 19 pandemic has been triggering for tribal nations. Disease was one of the first weapons used against indigenous people, whether understood or not, diminishing and devastating native populations and aiding the taking of land. What does moving forward together look like?

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Restate perspectives of Indigenous Communities from personal narratives
• Explain why social inequity leads to certain outcomes
• Identify basic knowledge of tribal nations in Maine

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Maulian Dana

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Tribal Ambassador Maulian Dana presents issues important to Penobscot Nation and wide native and non-native audiences. Her topics include land use, water rights, trial sovereignty, eradication of native American mascots, and establishing Indigenous People’s Day. Dana was born on the Penobscot Indian Island Reservation on May 17, 1984, and is one of five children. She is the daughter of former Penobscot Nation Chief Barry Dana, who served from 2000 to 2004. She attended the University of Maine with a focus in political science. In 2005 she was awarded the Margaret Chase Smith Public Policy Scholarship and went on to graduate in 2006.[2] She serves on the board of the Maine Center for Economic Policy, as co-chair of Maine Climate Councils Equity subcommittee, and as co-chair of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

_{Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.}

About this Webinar

The endeavor to digitize processes and centralize data that assess risk and grant access to vital community resources is inherently a negotiation in power, ownership, and social control. This session will explore the power dynamics inherent in public health data collection and how data integration platforms can functionally "do no harm."

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the ways public health data can be used to address and reinforce social inequality
• Articulate anti-racist approaches to public health data collection

Subject Matter Expert

• 
  Rhea Boyd, MD, MPH
  Pediatrician, Public Health Advocate, and Scholar
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Rhea Boyd MD, MPH is a pediatrician, public health advocate, and scholar who writes and teaches on the relationship between structural racism, inequity and health. She has a particular focus on the child and public health impacts of harmful policing practices and policies. She serves as the Chief Medical Officer of San Diego 211, working with navigators to address social needs of San Diegans impacted by chronic illness and poverty. And she is the Director of Equity and Justice for The California Children's Trust, an initiative to advance mental health access to children and youth across California. Dr. Boyd graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Africana Studies and Health from the University of Notre Dame. She earned a M.D. at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at University of California, San Francisco. In 2017, Dr. Boyd graduated from the Commonwealth Fund Mongan Minority Health Policy Fellowship at Harvard University’s School of Public Health, earning a Master of Public Health.


Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this webinar. If you have any trouble accessing the webinar, contact support@nephtc.org.

_{Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.}

About this Webinar

Join Maine Public Health Association and our partners in a day-long event to engage in dialogue and learning around equity and ethics in public health research and evaluation. Over the course of the day, we will follow the data lifecycle from design conceptualization to data collection, analysis, reporting, and ownership. We will discuss public health implications and strategies for overcoming challenges to improve the way we practice. We will use a mix of learning approaches, including didactic presentations, case studies, discussions, and opportunities for skill-building.

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe structural and systemic inequities, including implicit biases, which influence the data life cycle and have implications for public health practice.
• Consider practices that influence the equitable and ethical conduct of public health research and evaluation.
• Develop awareness of tools, skills and knowledge for responding to data equity challenges in public health research and evaluation.
• Describe approaches to community inclusion in study design, data collection, analysis, reporting, and data ownership.

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  Linda Silka
  
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Linda Silka's training is as a social and community psychologist and much of her work has focused on building community-university research partnerships. Prior to moving to the University of Maine, she was a faculty member for three decades at the University of Massachusetts Lowell where she directed the Center for Family, Work, Community, served as the Special Assistant to the Provost for Community Outreach and Partnerships, and was Professor in the Psychology Department and then University Professor in the interdisciplinary Department of Regional Economic and Social Development. Recent research partnerships she has led include the NIEHS-funded Southeast Asian Environmental Justice Partnership and the New Ventures Partnership, the HUD-funded Community Outreach Partnership Center and Diverse Healthy Homes Initiative, and the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Community Leadership and Empowerment. She has written extensively on the opportunities and challenges of building research partnerships with diverse groups and have consulted internationally on how to build community-university research partnerships.

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  Anita Chandra
  
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Anita Chandra (she/her) is vice president and director of RAND Social and Economic Well-Being and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She leads studies on civic well-being and community planning; disaster response and resilience; public health emergency preparedness; health and health equity; child health and development, and effects of military deployment on families. Throughout her career, Chandra has engaged government and nongovernmental partners to consider cross-sector solutions for improving community well-being and to build more robust systems, implementation, and evaluation capacity. This work has taken many forms, including engaging with federal and local government agencies on building systems for emergency preparedness and resilience both in the United States and globally; partnering with private sector organizations to develop the science base around child systems; and collaborating with city governments and foundations to modernize data systems and measure environmental sustainability, well-being, and civic transformation. Chandra has also partnered with community organizations to conduct broad-scale health and environmental needs assessments, to examine the integration of health and human service systems, and to determine how to integrate equity and address the needs of historically marginalized populations in human service systems. These projects have occurred in partnership with businesses, foundations, and other community organizations. Chandra earned a Dr.P.H. in population and family health sciences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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  Laurie Martin
  
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Laurie Martin is a social epidemiologist and senior policy researcher with over 20 years of experience in the fields of public health and health policy. Her primary research interests focus on improving health and well-being, and helping communities, stakeholders and policymakers collect and use data to make evidence-informed decisions. She is particularly interested in how health and financial literacy skills, language and culture influence the effectiveness of health and social services policy and programming. Throughout her career, Dr. Martin has worked with government and nongovernmental partners, including foundations and local communities, to consider cross-sector solutions for improving health and well-being at both the individual and community level. She has led numerous large-scale grants and contracts related to these issues and has extensive experience with both quantitative and qualitative methods. Martin received her master's degree from Boston University School of Public Health and her doctorate from the Harvard School of Public Health. She is based in Detroit, MI.

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  Lliam Harrison
  
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Lliam Harrison is a member of Huron’s IRB Service team. He has more than two decades experience in research integrity and research compliance in higher education and healthcare settings. He specializes research oversight services (IRB, IACUC and IBC) and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and Research Integrity progam development and operations. Lliam has successfully negotiated no-action resolutions to allegations of non-compliance reported to the FDA and OLAW, and has conducted intenal investigations into allegations of research misconduct, human subject protections and animal welfare violations. He serves as a peer reviewer for the CITI Responsible Conduct of Research curriculum. Before joining Huron, Lliam was the inaugural IRB Manager at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, the only NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center in Northern New England. Prior to his role at Dartmouth Hitchcock, Lliam was the Director of Research Integrity and Deputy Research Integrity Officer at the University of New England, a health-sciences university in Maine, and was the Director of Research Integrity at the University of Southern Maine. In addition to these roles, Lliam has practiced trial and appellate law in state and federal courts, and has mediated over 1,500 cases in Arizona and Maine. In addition to legal and regulatory experience, Lliam has published research ranging from cross-cultural considerations in medicine, paleopathology, paleomycology, and biopolitical aspects of infectious disease.

• 
  Karen Errichetti
  
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Karen Errichetti, MPH, DrPH is an experienced program evaluator and strategic planner specializing in data visualization and supporting public health departments through accreditation and improvement planning. Dr. Errichetti has an academic appointment as an Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and teaches masters level courses in program evaluation, public health assessment, and qualitative methods. Dr. Errichetti has extensive experience working with BIPOC and underserved populations, particularly Hispanic communities. For the Sí Texas Evaluation, a collective impact project funded by the Social Innovation Fund, she co-led a team that tested eight demonstrations of integrated behavioral health models in southern Texas US-Mexico border communities. In addition, she supervised three randomized control trials and four quasi-experimental studies for Si Texas. One of the trial sites that Dr. Errichetti supervised included patients who were largely undocumented and also under 200% of the federal poverty level. Dr. Errichetti also served as an advisor to a project with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office on Women’s Health to assess the impact of energy development on the behavioral health of women in western North Dakota and Eastern Montana, providing expertise to the project on community-based data collection strategies designed to engage five different tribal communities. In 2022, she developed and conducted a health equity focused data visualization training for the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists as part of their national conference in 2021. Dr. Errichetti recently consulted with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials in implementing the US Virgin Islands Department of Health’s first major health planning process after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Dr. Errichetti assisted both the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in creating a set of health equity-based data visualization standards for their most recent state health assessments. Dr. Errichetti holds a Doctor of Public Health degree from Boston University, a master’s degree in public health from Yale University, and a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College in Biological Sciences. in Massachusetts. She lives with her preschooler, husband, Westie terrier in central Massachusetts.

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  Angela Okafor
  
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Angela Okafor is the Acting Director of Outreach and Community Engagement for the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations of Maine and the owner of Tropical Tastes & Styles International Market, in Bangor. She is a mother of three, an Immigration Attorney, an entrepreneur, a community leader and builder, and a Nigerian immigrant. Months after becoming an American Citizen, Angela’s first Vote was for herself in an election she won to become the first person of color and first immigrant to serve on the Bangor City Council. Angela served on the Presidents’ 2025 Commission on Excellence and Equity at the University of Maine, and the Advisory Committee of Maine Racial Justice Fund. She served on the Governor’s Maine Economic Recovery Commission. She was an AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer. She serves on the Board of the Maine Multicultural Center and Bangor Historical Society. Angela is a 2023 enlistee into the Marquis Who’s Who biographical directory, the First annual Community Solidarity award by Food and Medicine 2022, the Girls’ Scout Pearls of Wisdom Juliette Honoree for 2022, 2021 Trailblazer Award by the PCHC Dentistry Residency program, a Mainebiz Women to Watch 2020, Maine Women’s Fund Honoree 2020 and the Empower the Immigrant Woman Trailblazer Honoree 2018.

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  Ralph Cammack
  
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Ralph Cammack is a citizen of the Kingsclear First Nation and serves as the Research and Data Manager for Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness in the Center for Wabanaki Research, Knowledge and Innovation. Ralph’s professional experience includes public health, research, evaluation, and laboratory medicine. He served as the Infectious Disease Division Manager for Wabanaki Public Health during the COVID19 pandemic and oversaw the implementation of support programs and vaccine efforts in Wabanaki Territory. He also led the evaluation for the Maine Wabanaki-State Truth and Reconciliation Commission looking at events related to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978. He has a background in cancer laboratory medicine and supervised one of the largest cancer laboratories in Maine. He has a passion for bringing Indigenous values to research and data structures as well as continuing the efforts to decolonize these systems. He holds a Masters Degree in Public Health from the University of Southern Maine and is certified through the American Society for Clinical Pathology as a Hematology Technologist. When not doing his great work for WHPW, Ralph enjoys spending time with his family and creating music.

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  Ian Yaffe
  
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Ian Yaffe is Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Maine Department of Health and Services where he works to refine, implement, and make into a living document the Department’s Strategic Plan to Advance DEI. He previously served as Director of the Office of Population Health Equity (OPHE) at Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prior to joining the DHHS team, Ian served as Executive Director of Mano en Mano, a non-profit organization that works with immigrant and farmworker communities in rural Maine to advocate for change and ensure access to essential services, education, and housing. Ian holds a Bachelor's Degree in Latin American Studies and Education from Bowdoin College, and a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of Washington. He is also a Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and serves on the boards of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF), and Maine Philanthropy Center (MPC).

• 
  Dr. Rebecca Petrie, PhD
  
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Co-CEO, Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness Dr. Rebecca Petrie has extensive experience working in Tribal Health, Health Equity, Public Health Nutrition, Program Evaluation, and Systems Development. As Co-CEO of Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, Rebecca oversees the organization’s Operations and Research efforts. Her experience and leadership have been focused on project management and development, performance monitoring, research and data analysis, as well as grants and finance. This valuable work ensures the alignment of resources with a variety of programs, serving the needs of the communities. Prior to joining Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, Rebecca worked in State government for ten years, serving the Office of Health Equity, the WIC Program, Public Health Informatics, and Infectious Disease Epidemiology. During this time, Rebecca reviewed and evaluated statewide health equity efforts. She developed and implemented a variety of tools to improve data collection, analysis, and reporting. Prior to State government, Rebecca worked at the Jackson Laboratory, studying genome informatics and conducting genomic analysis. Rebecca received her B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Maine. She holds an MPH in Epidemiology from Emory University, as well as a PhD in Public Health-Community Health focus from Walden University. She currently serves as the Treasurer of the Board for Maine Women’s Lobby and Maine Women’s Lobby Education Fund.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this webinar. If you have any trouble accessing the webinar, contact support@nephtc.org.

Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

Discover the basics of website accessibility and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as Dr. Amanda Diver, a Physical Therapist turned website developer, shares expert insights and practical strategies in this webinar. Amanda will guide attendees to identify areas for improvement and implement effective strategies to enhance compliance and search engine rankings.

What you'll learn

At the end of the recording, participants will be able to:

• Discuss the significance and meaning of website accessibility and its impact on your organization.
• Identify areas to improve American with Disabilities Act compliance and emerging regulations.
• Utilize practical tools for implementing accessibility changes on your website, including color contrast, website architecture, and more.
• Develop effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies to improve your website’s search engine rankings.
  
  

Subject Matter Expert

• 
  

  Dr. Amanda Diver
  PT, DPT, CPACC

More

Dr. Amanda Diver, PT, DPT, CPACC, is a Physical Therapist, Website Developer and Accessibility and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert. She provides consulting services to diverse businesses and organizations to help clients reach larger audiences, by increasing website accessibility and improving online presence. Over the past several years, during the process of building websites for clients, Dr. Diver realized that 96.8% of the web was not accessible to everyone. This led to the realization that accessibility plays a huge role in SEO, which allows websites to show up in Google and other search engines. This ignited her passion in this emerging field. With her knowledge and experience as a Physical Therapist, and her history working with over 100 business owners across diverse industries on their websites, Dr. Diver set out to become a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competency (CPACC). This foundational credential strengthened her skills in digital technologies, architectural considerations, and thoughtful design as well as her understanding of compliance responsibilities requiring disability access. Dr. Diver’s insights and practical solutions captivate audiences by explaining complex material to those less comfortable with technology. She authored A Beginner’s Guide to Indoor Rowing and owns and curates sites such as The Rowing Doc and Healthy Digital. Amanda Diver lives in Colorado with her husband and two fur-kids.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

Addressing public health in rural areas requires a unique approach. Join this panel discussion to learn about rural health in Maine, how to define "rurality" and how to innovatively adapt public health efforts in rural regions.

What you'll learn

At the end of the recording, participants will be able to:

• Describe what rurality means in Maine.
• Identify 2-3 ways to address public health challenges in rural Maine.

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Tim Cowan

More

Tim Cowan received his Masters of Science in Public Health in 1994, with a focus in epidemiology. Since then, he has been an analyst and/or administrator for multiple program evaluation and quality improvement projects. Currently, Tim is the Director of Community Health Surveillance and Evaluation at MaineHealth. Tim leads programs that help MaineHealth prioritize the community health issues toward which system resources are allocated. In addition, Tim oversees activities to analyze data and disseminate information about opportunities for most effectively addressing the priority health issues, as well as to provide feedback on the collective impact being made by the many organizations involved.

• 
  

  Erika Ziller

More

Erika Ziller is Chair of Public Health at the University of Southern Maine, where she also serves as the Director of the Maine Rural Health Research Center (https://mrhrc.org/). She began her career at the intersection of public health and social work practice, where she observed how policy can impact the wellbeing of individuals and communities. Since then, Dr. Ziller has been committed to policy-informed research aimed at improving health care access for underserved populations, particularly rural residents. She grew up in small-town Maine and obtained all three of her degrees, including a PhD in public policy, from the University of Southern Maine. In recognition of her contributions to rural health policy, Dr. Ziller received the Louis Gorin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rural Health from the National Rural Health Association. She served on the editorial board of the Journal of Rural Health and is an active member of the National Rural Health Association.

• 
  

  Tom Judge

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Tom Judge is founding Executive Director of LifeFlight of Maine/ LifeFlight Foundation. LifeFlight of Maine, a non-profit hospital consortium critical care system. (www.lifeflightmaine.org) serving over 40 hospitals in Maine and New England as well as providing primary response to accident scenes and medical emergencies to remote and island communities. With an extensive background in emergency medical services and air medicine he has worked in the private, public and non-government sectors designing and implementing systems nationally and internationally. Thomas has served as an air medical and EMS subject matter expert for the Institute of Medicine, the US Government Accountability Office, the National Transportation Safety Board, the State of Maryland, as well as five successive appointments to the Federal National EMS Advisory Council and a current appointment to the Federal Air Ambulance Patient Billing Advisory Committee.

• 
  

  Sabrina Keene

More

Sabrina Keene attended the University of Maine at Farmington in Farmington Maine from 2011- 2017. She holds a B.S degree in Community Health. Sabrina currently leads the resource team at Healthy Community Coalition connecting patients and community members to services throughout Franklin County. She also host bi-monthly Franklin Resource Collaborative meetings where community members, businesses, and state organizations come together to collaborate efforts that best serve the community. Sabrina also coordinates harm reduction initiatives under two opioid related grants at Healthy Community Coalition, and is working on efforts to mobilize a syringe exchange in Franklin County. Sabrina has been with Healthy Community Coalition for five years working on a variety of grants, and has her Prevention Specialist certification.

• 
  

  Brendan Schauffler

More

Brendan Schauffler has worked in public health in rural Western Maine for the past ten years, cultivating a broad network of relationships with community partners across diverse sectors. Working with those partners in groups both large and small allowed him to practice being a careful listener and communicator, and to create spaces where meaningful conversations can be held around deep-held concerns regarding community health. Much of his work over the past five years has focused on Substance Use Disorder, Adverse Childhood Experiences and resilience, and diseases of despair.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

This webinar will describe the intersection between homelessness and housing and public health and health outcomes. It will discuss how housing is a social determinant of health and identify local solutions to ending homelessness.

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe what homelessness looks like in Maine
• Describe how homelessness intersects with health promotion and disease prevention
• Identify 1-2 services and solutions to homelessness
• Identify 1-2 ways Maine is approaching the design and delivery of homelessness services
  

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Lauren Bustard

More

Lauren Bustard is the Senior Director of Homeless Initiatives at MaineHousing. Prior to joining MaineHousing in 2012, she worked for many years in social service and education programs in Maine, and in refugee and international development programs in Latin America and Southeast Asia.

• 
  

  Courtney Pladsen
  DNP, FNP-BC

More

Courtney Pladsen is the Clinical Director at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council where she leads national efforts to improve health care quality and access for people experiencing homelessness through quality improvement initiatives, technical assistance, research, policy/advocacy, and training. She is a current fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leader program for her work at the intersection of health and housing. She works clinically providing medical, mental health, and substance use treatment to people who are experiencing homelessness at the FQHC Greater Portland Health in Portland, Maine.

• 
  

  Cullen Ryan

More

Cullen Ryan has a 35-year career serving homeless and special needs populations. A formerly licensed clinician (LICSW) with a BA from the University of Vermont and a MA in Counseling and Psychological Services from St. Mary’s University (Minnesota), Cullen has provided street outreach, case management, family therapy, and individual/group psychotherapy to homeless adults, families, and adolescents in a variety of clinical and non-clinical settings in three states. Since 2004, Cullen Ryan has served as Executive Director of Community Housing of Maine, the largest housing provider for homeless populations in the state. Cullen currently co-chairs or chairs several Boards and Coalitions, and he serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Maine CoC. Cullen was a past Chair of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, and recent Acting Chair of Maine’s Statewide Homeless Council, and actively serves on both. For more on Community Housing of Maine, go to www.chomhousing.org

• 
  

  Erin Healy

More

Erin Healy is a Strategy Lead for Large Scale Change at Built for Zero. Her work focuses on implementing the Built for Zero model on a statewide level. She has worked on issues related to the homeless sector for over fifteen years. Erin specializes in systems improvement, movement building, and helping collaborative teams set and achieve clear, measurable goals. After several years as an independent consultant, Erin re-joined the Community Solutions team in 2021. She was a member of CS’s 100,000 Home Campaign team (2012 – 2014) and helped launch Built for Zero in 2016. Erin holds a JD from the University of Washington School of Law and an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College.

• 
  

  Donna Kelley
  MSW, LCSW

More

Donna Kelley is the President and CEO of Waldo Community Action Partners. She is Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Maine and joined WCAP in 2018. Prior to that she worked for Kennebec Behavioral Health for 19 years. Donna has been immersed in the community mental health and social services field for 32 years. She has worked to plan, develop, implement, and restructure mental health and community service programs and systems by working with local, regional, and statewide community-based organizations, groups, and governmental agencies to improved access and quality of services for consumers allowing for improved quality of life and greater self-sufficiency. Donna earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Maine, and her Master’s in Social Work from the University of New England in Biddeford.

• 
  

  Rich Hooks Wayman

More

Rich Hooks Wayman serves as the President and CEO for Volunteers of America Northern New England (www.voanne.org), a nonprofit organization offering affordable housing, residential care and community based social services to communities in Maine and New Hampshire. Prior to his tenure at Volunteers of America, Richard served as the National Executive Director for the Children’s Defense Fund. Additionally, Richard was the CEO of a regional child welfare agency in Massachusetts, was the Executive Director of a statewide supportive housing program serving long term homeless persons in Minnesota, and conducted federal legislative advocacy and policy analysis for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Richard attended the University of Iowa College of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 1992, and the University of Iowa College of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 1992. He is a member of the American Bar Association to has been appointed to the Commission on Homelessness and Poverty. Richard and his husband (Aaron) have six adoptive children.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

In this webinar, we will host a panel of experts on oral health. We will be discussing access to care, barriers and inequalities prevalent in Maine in relation to dental care. Speakers from UMA’s Dental Health Programs, From the First Tooth, and Partnership for Children’s Oral Health, will share their expertise on the topic.

What you'll learn

At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe oral health inequity in Maine
• List 2 ways to increase access to dental care in Maine
• Describe 3 resources for professionals who are improving Maine’s Dental Health

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Jennifer Crittenden, PhD, MSW

  Assistant Professor in the UMaine School of Social Work

More

Jennifer Crittenden, PhD, MSW is an assistant professor in the UMaine School of Social Work as well as the Associate Director of the University of Maine Center on Aging. Dr. Crittenden has over fifteen years of experience in professional and community education, program evaluation and program planning. Nearly all research projects and grant-funded programs under her management entail the translation of academic research into professional and public education programs, events, and dissemination activities. Her experience in healthcare research and evaluation includes a variety of initiatives aimed at prevention and quality improvement across the care spectrum. Dr. Crittenden is currently the evaluation co-lead for the statewide AgingME Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program. She is also co-PI for The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care Project, a project that is developing a national framework from which person-centered care can be defined and implemented in long-term care settings. Dr. Crittenden has also spearheaded a primary care elder abuse screening project, served as a consultant for an educational initiative focused on care transitions, and has served as a lead evaluator for two oral health initiatives implemented within primary care and long-term care settings.

• 
  

  Kellie A Stanhope RDH, BSDH, EFDA

  Program Coordinator at Northern Light
  Health

More

Kellie Stanhope has worked for 36 years as a clinical dental hygienist, practicing in many settings, including private practice, Indian Health Services public health, and as a clinical instructor. She is a graduate of University of Maine, Orono and University of Maine Augusta-Bangor, and is currently employed at Northern Light Health as Program Coordinator, Child Health within the Community Health and Grants Department. She works directly with the Raising Readers and From the First Tooth Programs and is a Professional Clinical Teacher II in the Dental Health Programs at the University of Maine at Augusta-Bangor campus. She provides clinical instruction in the senior Dental Hygiene Clinic and is clinical lead for the Local Anesthesia and Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary labs.

• 
  

  Kalie Hess

  Associate Director for Partnership for Children’s Oral Health

More

Kalie Hess works at the Partnership for Children’s Oral Health, working to build a network of partners in Maine who are dedicated to eradicating dental disease in children. Dental disease is an equity issue, and she approaches this work through that perspective. Prior to working at PCOH, Kalie worked with Maine’s Federally Qualified Health Centers to implement quality improvement, policy, and systems solutions to increase access to health care for underserved people. Kalie has a background of working locally and at the state level to promote community health and wellbeing through community coalition efforts. Kalie brings to her work a commitment to addressing health equity and the underlying causes that prevent people from thriving – whether that is addressing barriers in transportation systems, improving confidence in public health efforts, or working to build new systems that better serve the people they are intended to help. Kalie received her Bachelor’s in Anthropology from the University of Maine and her Master of Public Health from the University at Albany.

• 
  

  Kathryn Walker, RDH, EFDA, MSEd

  Assistant Professor of Dental Health at UMA

More

Kathryn Walker is Assistant Professor of Dental Health at the University of Maine, Augusta. In April 2020, she was appointed by Governor Janet Mills to serve a five-year term as a member of the Maine Board of Dental Practice (MBDP). The MBDP is a state regulatory agency that meets monthly with a primary focus in the protection of the public through individual dental professional regulation.

• 
  

  Hibo Omer, MPH

  Consultant for Public Health

More

Hibo Omer is a consultant for public health and diversity who educates and advocates in Maine. Hibo earned her Bachelors of Science from the University of Southern Maine, and her Master’s in Public Health from University of New England. Hibo, who was born in Ethiopia and acculturated in Somali, identifies herself as Ethio-SoMainer because she has lived most of her life in Maine. Hibo’s history has included working in Social Service with the New Mainers’ community from resettlement to connecting New Mainers to service. Additionally, she worked with the NH-ME Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program as Public Health and Diversity Consultant. She is a co-founder of an international NGO called New Mainers Public Health–Horn of Africa, which provides public health consultation in public health disability and the program of Behavioral Health Professional (BHP) services. Hibo is a co-founder of Smart Health Consultant, a consulting firm that focuses on public health projects, diversity training, and strategic planning.

• 
  

  Carrie Woodcock

  Executive Director for Maine Parent Federation

More

Carrie Woodcock is a graduate from Saint Joseph's College in Maine with a BA in liberal arts. She spent 15 years after graduation in the filed of sales and marketing. Six years after the birth of her daughter she joined Maine Parent Federation as the Regional Family Support Coordinator for Southern Maine. Five years ago she became the Executive Director for Maine Parent Federation. She has a son who is 16 years old who is diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD a 14 year old daughter with Down Syndrome. She has been advocating for the needs of her children across all systems of care since 2007. Her work with Maine Parent Federation has allowed her to share my knowledge and experience with parents and professionals alike since 2013.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this webinar. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

_{Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.}

About this Webinar

Gun violence is a threat to public health. As of November 1, 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 586 mass shootings in the United States just this year. Join us to hear from national and state experts, advocates, and policymakers about evidence-based strategies to reduce gun violence and promote gun safety, and what actions you can take to help make our communities safer.

What you'll learn

At the end of the recording, participants will be able to:

• Describe gun-related data and research.
• Identify evidence-based policy proposals to reduce gun violence, promote gun safety, and protect public health.
• Identify actions that can be taken to support gun safety.

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Shannon Frattaroli
  PhD, MPH, Professor and Core Faculty with the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions

• 
  

  State of Maine
  Representative Vicki Doudera
  Co-Chair of Maine Legislature's Gun Safety Caucus
  

• 
  

  Margaret Groban
  Board Member, Maine Gun Safety Coalition, former federal prosecutor, and adjunct faculty at University of Maine School of Law

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Deparment of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

Measuring the economic costs and benefits of a public health program translates its impact into objective monetary terms and helps make the case for investments that support positive health outcomes. Economic evaluations are unique in their ability to assess the cost-effectiveness of a program by weighing costs and benefits. This presentation will discuss the feasibility of doing an economic evaluation and will present the findings from two programs as examples.

What you'll learn

At the end of the recording, participants will be able to:

• Describe the purpose and benefits of economic evaluations.
• Explain economic terms such as return-on-investment, break-even analysis, and quality-adjusted life years.
• Discuss the importance of different perspectives and how to engage stakeholders.

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Michelle Mitchell

  More

  Michelle Mitchell is the Founder and Executive Director of Partnerships For Health, where she Mitchell serves as Principal Investigator in all evaluations undertaken. With a business undergraduate and a psychology graduate degree, Michelle navigates both the fiscal and relationship aspects of evaluation oversight. Her career in public health began while working in the rural HIV/AIDS-related clinical trial setting in South Africa. Since then, she has served as the principal investigator for over 85 evaluations that range from formative research on informed consent among vulnerable populations, to efficacy of an asthma home-visiting intervention. During her 20+ years in the field of public health, she has worked with local community organizations, statewide agencies, legislators, health systems, federal programs, and international agencies. In addition, Michelle has presented at many local, national, and international conferences.

• 
  

  Clyde Mitchell

  More

Clyde Mitchell has worked in academia for 27 years, teaching accounting and finance at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in both the United States and South Africa. Originally from Zimbabwe, Dr. Mitchell is currently a professor of Business at the University of Maine Farmington. Before entering academia, Dr. Mitchell worked as an accountant and consultant for Ernst and Young. Dr. Mitchell’s research includes business ethics, environmental accounting and reporting, and more recently economic evaluations and financial analyses in the field of public health.





Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.



Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

Healthy Democracy Healthy People is a nonpartisan initiative of major public health and civic engagement groups, aiming to strengthen our collective capacity to advance health and racial equity by ensuring access to the ballot for all eligible voters. Join us to learn about this initiative, and how health indicators correlate to voting policies.

What you'll learn

At the end of the recording, participants will be able to:

• Describe how health, health equity and inclusive democracy are connected.
• Introduce the Healthy Democracy Healthy People (HDHP) Initiative and provide an overview of Health & Democracy Index.
• Identify 3 practices HDHP is using to build power to advance health equity.
• Describe actions we can take collectively to strengthen civic and voter participation.

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Jeanne Ayers

More

Jeanne Ayers, RN, MPH, serves as the executive director of Healthy Democracy Healthy People Initiative (previously known as VoteSAFE Public Health), a coalition of 10 national public health organizations focused on advancing health equity by assuring participation in the electoral process is available to everyone. Before joining the Initiative in 2020, Ayers held leadership roles in state governmental public health for more than 9 years. She served as the Wisconsin State Health Officer and Administrator of the Division of Public Health and as Assistant Commissioner and Chief Health Equity Strategist for the Minnesota Department of Health. Prior positions include director of nursing and preventive services and occupational health at the University of Minnesota, Boynton Health Service. She worked in professional continuing education for 15 years and founded and directed the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach at the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota.

• 
  

  Gnora Gumanow

More

Gnora Gumanow, Dr.PH(c), MPH, is the Healthy Democracy Health People Partnerships Director. Gnora grew up in a family filled with organizers and started her professional career as a regional organizer for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. She fought tirelessly to build grassroots movements for reproductive rights and democracy reform in Oregon before pursuing her graduate degree at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. Most recently, Gnora worked at the Alliance for Youth Action as a Director of Network Capacity where she continued to support youth centered organizing on democracy reform and economic justice across the country. Gnora brings a deep understanding of the voting rights movement and what it takes to build strong community organizing campaigns. Alongside her professional endeavors, Gnora is pursuing a Doctorate of Public Health where she is studying the relationship between voting and health. In her free time, Gnora can be found walking her goldendoodle Juniper, playing ultimate frisbee, or romping through the forest appreciating nature.





Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.



Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Webinar

Fragility is a term often used to describe countries that are emerging from conflict. The United States, assessed in 2018 to be the country most able to deal with a disaster, has tragically performed the worst of any industrialized country in the COVID pandemic. The speaker will discuss the possible roles and specify policy options for health professionals that can address American fragility. Without public health there will be no public trust. Without public trust, American fragility will not only continue but it will worsen.

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Define "American fragility"
• Identify 1-3 possible roles health professionals are already playing to address “national fragility”
• Identify 1-3 new ways health professionals can increase their professional engagement to address American fragility
• Identify 1-2 policy options to address American fragility
  

Moderator

• 
  

  Noah Nesin, MD

More

Dr. Noah Nesin has been a family doctor in Maine since 1986, first in a private, solo practice and then in FQHCs (Health Access Network in Lincoln and Penobscot Community Health Care, based in Bangor. Dr. Nesin was raised in Howland, Maine, where his father was a family doctor for 39 years. He attended Tufts University School of Medicine and completed his Family Medicine residency in Duluth, Minnesota. Throughout his career Dr. Nesin has led efforts in evidence based prescribing and in practice transformation to improve efficiency and to use health care resources judiciously. Dr. Nesin has mentored PA, nurse practitioner and medical students, and Family Practice residents throughout his career Dr. Nesin serves as the chair of Maine’s Academic Detailing Advisory Committee, the body which oversees the Maine Independent Clinical Information Service, sits on the Advisory Committee for the Lunder Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine, and on the Community Advisory Committee for Maine Health Access Foundation. He was a co-founder of Maine Quality Counts’ Maine Chronic Pain Collaborative, is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Ambulatory Care Management, and is a member of AHRQ’s National Integration Advisory Council, which is currently focused on treatment of substance use disorders across the country. Dr. Nesin is also a member of Maine’s Opioid Clinical Advisory Group and Maine’s Governor has appointed him chair of the newly formed Maine Prescription Drug Affordability Board and also appointed him as a member of Maine’s Board of Licensure in Medicine. Dr. Nesin is the current President of the Maine Public Health Association and published a number of papers and opinion pieces related to primary care.

Subject Matter Expert

• 
  

  Norbert Goldfield, MD

More

Norbert is founder/ CEO of Healing Across the Divides (www.healingdivides.org; HATD), focusing on peace-building through health in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The mission of this organization is to measurably improve the health of marginalized Israelis and Palestinians through community-based interventions. Norbert Goldfield MD is also founder/ CEO of a bipartisan venture incorporated in April 2018, Ask Nurses and Doctors or AND (www.asknursesdoctors.com). The mission of AND is to organize and then link local health professionals with competitive national political candidates who have practical plans for universal quality affordable health coverage for all Americans. Dr. Goldfield has published more than 100 books and articles. His latest book is Peace Building through Women’s Health: Psychoanalytic, Sociopsychological, and Community Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Routledge, Taylor Francis, 2021). He is also a practicing internist at a community health center. Dr. Goldfield has served on a number of local (e.g. Congregation B’Nai Israel; Health Care for All) and national boards (e.g. Bend the Arc). He has taught college courses on a variety of topics including Peace Building Through Health, and the Impact of AIDS on American cities. Prior to February 2018, Dr Goldfield worked for 30 years as medical director for a research group developing tools linking payment for health care services to improved health care outcomes. These tools are in use in many countries in addition to the U.S.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

_{Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.}

About this Webinar

More than 100 million Americans suffer from a chronic disease, which are responsible for 7 in 10 deaths in the U.S. each year. Park Rx America began as a community health initiative that aims to prevent and treat chronic disease and promote wellness by prescribing and linking patients to their local parks. Now, their searchable park database links parks to clinic Electronic Health Records, and can be used by healthcare and public health professionals to share with patients in their community.

What you'll learn

At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the current epidemic of chronic disease, including physical and mental health diseases, and research about spending time in nature as beneficial for health
• Review the planning, development, and implementation of Park Rx
• Explain how health care and public health professionals can prescribe parks and utilize existing online databases for patient education
• Learn about the Park Rx program in the Greater Portland, Maine-area

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  

  Dr. Stacy Beller Stryer

  Pediatrician and Associate Medical Director for Park Rx America

More

Dr. Stacy Beller Stryer is a pediatrician and associate medical director for Park Rx America, where she educates healthcare providers, schools, and park agencies on benefits of nature and nature prescriptions; and works with organizations and the core team to strategize ways to move this mission forward. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and other media outlets and has published on this topic. Dr. Beller Stryer previously served as a health promotion and disease prevention coordinator in the Indian Health Service and was a pediatric subject expert for an online health website, Revolution Health. She currently works with her local school system to increase awareness and promote outdoor classrooms and green schoolyards and serves on Governor Hogan's task force for "Project Green Classrooms.” She wants others to benefit from nature as much as she has through the years.

• 
  

  Courtney L. Schultz, Ph.D.

  Research
  Fellow for
  Park Rx
  America

More

Courtney L. Schultz, Ph.D. is the Research Fellow for Park Rx America. Dr. Schultz is a social science researcher with an expertise in the design and execution of behavioral research across the lifespan focusing on integrating nature exposure into a salutogenic healthcare approach. In addition to her work with Park Rx America, Dr. Schultz is the Executive Director of Health and Technology Partners LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to improving wellbeing through cooperative partnership with healthcare providers, communities, and natural resources; Adjunct Faculty at the University of Missouri; and sits on the advisory board for the SHIFT Emerging Leaders Program and Hike it Baby. Dr. Schultz holds a Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management from NC State University, along with a BS and a MS in Parks and Recreation Management from the University of Missouri.

• 
  

  Jessica Burton

  Executive Director of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative

More

Jessica Burton has been the Executive Director of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative (Collaborative) since its founding in 2012. The Collaborative works as a network of land and water conservation organizations in Southern Maine and seeks to build strategic partnerships to expand conservation's reach for greater relevance and healthier communities. Over the last year, with support from NEPHTC and in partnership with the University of New England, the Collaborative has started a Park Rx program in Portland, Maine.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this webinar. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

_{Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.}

About this Webinar

As the Coronavirus impacts our lifestyles, schools are pivoting to prioritize children’s health and well-being above academic considerations. Access to the outdoors during the school day, through co-curricular activities, at home and within a community is part of a systemic approach to Social and Emotional Learning and addresses critical issues of public health.

Outdoor activities are a great way to address the five core competencies of social and emotional learning while increasing self-esteem, improving mood and reducing anxiety. This session highlights the benefits of spending time outdoors and offers a series of physically distanced activities that build Self-Management, Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision Making.

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the benefits of outdoor time
• Learn strategies and activities to support SEL in the outdoors
• Know how to do an inventory of outdoor spaces for learning
• Consider partnering or hosting an outing club for your community

Subject Matter Expert

• 
  Alicia Heyburn, MS
  
More

Alicia Heyburn is Executive Director of Teens to Trails, a non-profit working throughout Maine to connect high school students with life changing outdoor experiences. She is a Registered Maine Guide, Wilderness First Responder, and co-leader of The Ladies Adventure Club, an outing club for Maine women.  Here is an article of the work Teens to Trails is doing in Brunswick, ME.


Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this webinar. If you have any trouble accessing the webinar, contact support@nephtc.org.

_{Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.}

_{* Yale School of Public Health, Office of Public Health Practice, a New England Public Health Training Center partner, is a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. All CHES credit inquiries are managed by YSPH}

About this Webinar

The Transgender Introductory Primer is ideal for a variety of professionals in the helping and health professions, particularly mental health, social service and medical providers. During this training, participants will learn basic terminology and theory, how to ask for pronouns, health disparities facing the transgender community, resiliency factors, gender transition paths and support needs, and targeted best practices. Providers will have an opportunity following the training to list themselves in MaineTransNet's community health database.

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand basic terminology and theory as they relate to transgender health.
• Describe health disparities facing the transgender community.
• Identify resiliency factors, gender transition paths and support needs, and targeted best practices for serving the transgender community.
  

This webinar will be recorded and made available within 2 business days of the webinar close. Please log in to view the recording in the section "View a Recording of the Webinar. "

Subject Matter Expert

• 
  

  Quinn Gormley

More

As the Executive Director of Maine TransNet, Quinn’s work ranges from community building initiatives, expanding health equity and access across the state, suicide prevention, policy advocacy, and violence prevention. Before MTN, Quinn worked in a variety of community organizing settings, including at the Health Equity Alliance managing a rural HIV testing program and building rural LGBTQ+ communities, and with the Maine People’s Alliance working on economic and health justice issues. Throughout her work, Quinn believes in centering the wellness of marginalized communities, and that the root of power and liberation can be found in communities that embrace their diversity and interdependence. She lives with her husband Ezra and their dog Zoe in Auburn, Maine.

Registration

Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.

_{Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.}