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 | About The Medicine and Public Health Initiative
|  | The Three Themes of MPHI
Jay H. Glasser, Ph.D., M.S.
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| | Title: Why The Timing Is Right For MPHI
Author: Jay H. Glasser, M.S., Ph.D.
Date: 2006-02-15
It has always been right, and there are many opportunities and cooperation in selected areas in the past and currently. MPHI builds on existing substantial cooperation and organizations already working together and helps to organize and extend collaboration. Here are my informal top ten reasons why the importance of MPHI today is underscored:
Opportunities
Existing Connections
New Partners
Enduring Problems
Cost crunch and resource constraints
Connecting Values
Public and professional Information and Discourse
Makes Sense, and welcomed
Do-able and Sustainable network plan and activities
We Are Developing MPHI Around Three Summary Themes
Education (influence and assist undergraduate education, professional education including continuing education and current practitioners)
Applied Research (translation of what we know about best practices into practice)
Demonstration: putting MPHI in action on local levels, real community input and evaluation
Developing Value Added For Health Professionals who are already engaged or Interested in contributing as their time and expertise permits while complementing their interests rather than competing.
Publicity and Publication
Example, Dr. Les Beitsch et al, American Journal of Preventive Medicine: “MPHI Ten Years Later” and accompanying editorial comment by Dr. Ron Davis.
We can provide the opportunity for research, papers, and presentations
Web Site: see www.mphi.net (dual language English and Chinese) a backbone of communication and exchange.
We have a ready outlet, which shares credit, disseminates and provides a 24/7 format for exchange while respecting busy schedules, links to organizations increases value added participation while giving due credit.
Renewing partnerships, and develop new partnerships, several examples were mentioned consistent with state and local opportunities or cross national needs.
The renewal of MPHI had focused on bringing in new partners to represent the broad array of health professionals, interested foundation or organizations that have a direct interest in community health but not necessarily involved in prior collaboration. We have kept our fundamental identification with the primary health care providers of public and community health as our core function while extending our inclusion (to the benefit of MPHI’s mission) of individuals and organizations in education, research and delivery that are essential links to solve particular continuing problems and gaps in community health advancement.
We have also recognized the increased need to emphasize fostering continuing, independent organization on State, local or national levels. Localities are places not only “where health happens or not” but are the historic innovators of change, the laboratory for new alliances and approaches. There are core functions and efforts that must be sustained nationally and globally. But we want to have the best of “both worlds” joined in a continuum, while respecting and benefiting from different historic basis, organization, and health challenges and opportunities at local or cross national levels.
To provide some examples:
Domestically we met with several national agencies on research, as well as voluntary disaster relief organizations, and also educational resources that provide new energy as well as outlets for mutual activities.
In China we have begun working with the Chinese Gerontology Association, and the Beijing Institute for Health and Development, as well as with our core partner fields of public health and community medicine, agencies and Universities
Extend State Network in Developing Potential MPHI
(several examples of development)
California is the flagship state MPHI, formed in 1998, they are updating their mission and agenda
Arizona: congratulations to AZ MPHI on their initial formation.
Texas: under discussion primarily through the TX PHA and Texas Medical Association, we would renew earlier collaboration.
Florida: held a seminar and informal conference on forming an MPHI
Alaska House of Delegates Alaska Medical Assoc passed a resolution on MPHI feasibility. I have contacted Alaska PHA leadership.
Student Health Alliance (SHA)
Connect with young professional through their own recognized student organizations (with support of their parent health professions associations.)
We would extend the network through designated student associations with professional standing, we would like to foster the model at Academic Health Centers that was pioneered by North Texas Health Science Center a few years ago, as well as take advantage of a the new national student health alliance (which MPHI also has helped foster.)
Current Activities and Projects
To be extended; specifics details are available
Chronic Diseases
Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
Following the CDC National Forum Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.
Proposed interdisciplinary collaborative trial on primary and secondary prevention of Heart Disease and Stroke on a community level
Seminar(s) for Possible web topic development Seminars presented in China on Heart Disease and Stroke, primary and secondary prevention, relation to aging and risk
Infectious Diseases
HIV AIDS, Community Education, discussed in China, need for educating population, media as well as health providers and educators (see also Health Informatics below.)
Health Informatics
A project was suggested (with the sources data available) on producing GIS mapping technology to HIV AIDS distribution. This project is of interest as it can be used for any disease or health effects mapping using extant software. Also relates directly to syndromic surveillance
Health Informatics in sensing and relational data base mapping has been suggested for the Health Disease and Stroke program. The software and procedures are generalizable.
Cross Cutting Community
Gerontology
Meeting the challenge of an aging population and rising expectations for quality of life. Discussed with China Gerontology Association, a comparative situation analysis of commonalities and differences between the China and USA local settings has been suggested.
EMS related to preparedness but also core functions
The community and public health approach to Emergency Services
Emphasizes both the commonalities but also the need to ‘customize” to local settings.
Why EMS is an essential daily community need, “its not just for disasters, natural or manmade”.
Local preparedness, public education program
Related to the above but generalized to “news you can use “(the community, family and individuals). Discussed with Tennessee PH Association and also with the National Red Cross, but this was over a year ago.
General MPHI Topics
Survey of Collaboration
Update on examples of Health Professions Cross Collaboration: an informal survey of states to describe on going opportunities as well as activities. The survey would explore barriers as well as opportunities.
It will be a “case study approach” using a web based response not a formal complete survey, thereby providing valid information but not a representation of all activities (and hence a lower response burden as well).
But it would also set the stage to show that with a considerable base, an MPHI organization can really build on existing collaboration and also help bridge gaps. There are many innovative approaches that have not been well publicized.
Leadership Development
There are nationally recognized leadership programs (UNC) as well as State specific Leadership Institutes.
The collective experience would be useful in China, where this was identified as one of the top priorities needed for health delivery improvement.
Education
History Project and Open Learning Resource
There is considerable interest in the historic basis of current health challenges and successes. There is commensurate lack of knowledge among health professionals, let alone families, students, and communities.
In traveling as President of the American Public Health Association, I began collecting state and local histories of medical societies, public health associations, as well as been inspired by the persons who would and are participating.
There are two basic audiences for preserving lessons learned from histories around current themes and challenges for emerging health themes.
Health professions and health professional education. For example see HYPERLINK \"http://www.iime.org/gmer.htm\" http://www.iime.org/gmer.htm and Task Forces such as Richard Riegelmann et al
General knowledge Undergraduate and K-12 education.
We have explored and discussed this project with several prominent public health historians, health museum, and undergraduate education experts.
There are several committees working on health professional reform and updating curricula agendas, and we have met with them as well.
The project would be an open architecture project that would have basic modules. We would ask local (state, county city) to contribute information on their own experiences. Thus again “the best of both worlds, a general authoritative but thought provoking structure with the local experience that transport the user to his or her community.
Public Health Today and in The Future
PH and Community Health 20/20 what will the community be like in the year 2020, what do we “foresee.”
The 5 Generation experience, preparing for the future, with the realities of emerging and reemerging diseases, yet the unprecedented increase in longevity in the US and throughout the world. Permits an opportunity to see challenges ahead, and setting an agenda for example see: HYPERLINK \"http://www.genpolicy.com\" www.genpolicy.com
The forecast of future public health can have expanded uses, for example, we have discussed the relationship of Sustainability in developed and developing countries with interested agencies and organizations that have previously not included health as a prominent consideration in future scenarios of sustainable communities.
Conference on MPHI Themes
Translational Research
Based on actual State and local experience in moving research results into practice. This consideration follows from the several IOM and other Expert Panel recommendations: what accounts for promulgating “best practices” and “evidence based “ population measures and what factors retard such implementation?
MPHI wants to assist in networking, technical assistance, and securing resources for projects or affiliated state, local and international collaboration on MPHI.
MPHI Presentational Power Point and supporting documentation: available on request, background on MPHI for use in presentations.
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