PHX Perspectives | February 2nd, 2019
Wow, time really does fly! It has been two years since we launched the Population Health Exchange (PHX). Two full years of brainstorming, collaborating, creating and delivering public health resources to users around the globe – and, we are just getting started.
A lifelong learning initiative. PHX is a resource hub and continuing education experience for health.
Building an online education portal
An exciting premise, an open canvas, and possibly a very tall order to deliver on. So, we held many thoughtful and animated conversations, picking the brains of faculty, administrators, students, alumni, and industry experts from a wide range of disciplines. We learned just how extensive the need is for people to build and grow their public health knowledge and skills. We gained a deeper understanding of how public health informs all aspects of our lives and work. And, we heard specific needs in individual public health professional development.
Life is hectic and demanding, and we all work in different places and time zones. However, we found people want to connect and stay connected with Boston University School of Public Health. To do so, they need touch points that are flexible, relevant and readily accessible.
Using our newly gained knowledge, we took the BUSPH value of being bold in our pursuit of knowledge that matters, creative in our pursuit of solutions, and innovative in our education to heart to develop PHX.
We relish all opportunities to meet, talk, learn and share with others – to create a community of experts, learners, and peers. And, we want to ensure that you always feel a welcome member of the BUSPH/PHX community. So, whether on-campus, online, via podcast or webinar, in real time or playback, we are going to make it happen.
Public Health Professional Development – options for all
During our annual Summer Institute, we welcome everyone to the BUSPH campus for short, immersive programs on critical public health skills like GIS, monitoring and evaluation, clinical research, and data visualization. By practicing in small groups with our faculty, you will learn new methods and tools to enhance your work and career.
Travel to Boston in January is not usually at the top of anyone’s list, so we started our virtual Winter Institute, to continue providing interactive professional development programs that allow you to stay in place while building your career toolkit.
Online learning takes many forms, and the range of options help us reach people near and far. Learning on your schedule is important to us. Similarly, we prioritize your working closely with our outstanding faculty in developing proficiency. And, that you have a robust learning experience, interacting in meaningful ways with teachers and peers. We offer non-credit, competency-based programs, and are continuing the roll-out of our MPH curriculum online with much more to come.
The Free Associations podcast is the rare triple threat offering of education, analysis, and comedy – seriously, you’ll learn a lot about what’s behind those health headlines while smiling your way throughout. Check out this recent article on the show to see how educators and students find ways to build the podcast into their learning.
Webinars introduce you to our subject matter experts, as they share their research and practice, providing you with a forum for discussion, and the opportunity to watch again on your own time. The Practically Speaking video series offers concise, practical tips and techniques you can use. And, we develop our custom programs specifically for your unique learning goals, in the time and manner you require.
Looking Ahead – Youth Programs, Public Health Teaching Tools and More
It has been a great two years. We have enjoyed all of the idea sharing, community building, and feedback we have received. From this, we have learned how to improve upon our work and approach new initiatives moving forward.
This year, we are excited to broaden our audience of lifelong learners with our new youth summer program, PopHealthExperience. Our faculty and graduate students look forward to offering a fun and enriching program to middle through early high schoolers. Students will learn the basics of biostatistics, epidemiology, and environmental health through hands-on problem solving, data-filled, detective-like activities.
We are also developing new programs and resources for students and educators. The Foundations of Public Health online program is designed to provide foundational knowledge and an introduction to the profession of public health. Created for incoming BUSPH students to address Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), requirements, this month we are launching the program for other individuals and schools. We are excited to continue building the Teaching Excellence in Public Health space with expertise shared from within and outside of BUSPH.
Stay Connected
We are committed to advancing your learning, offering new skill and topic areas, and innovating with programs and technology. So, please join us on campus this summer for a few days of skill-building and community; take an online program on your schedule; participate in a webinar over a lunch break, or listen to the podcast while out for a run. Sign up for our newsletter, and join our community of lifelong learners!
We look forward to another enriching year ahead!
The PHX Perspectives blog is a platform that creates an opportunity to share public health stories and viewpoints. Anyone interested in submitting a piece, which should be 600-800 words long, should contact phx@bu.edu. Population Health Exchange reserves the right to reject or edit submissions. The views expressed are solely those of the author and are not intended to represent the views of Population Health Exchange or Boston University School of Public Health.