The PRC-RH provides training and technical assistance to support professionals working in government, non-profit, and community organizations to advance public health and health equity. See current trainings below, and we can develop new topics as needed. We provide technical assistance for evaluation, community-engaged research and practice, message development, community asset and needs assessments, qualitative interviewing and focus group discussions, health equity training, and survey development and implementation.

Contact us at UI-PRC@uiowa.edu to request training or technical assistance from the PRC-RH.

Building Health Equity: Webinar Series

Live and archived webinar sessions

Next session: Housing as a Human Right
May 10th, 1-2CST

Vaccine Confidence Webinar Series

There are no upcoming sessions at this time

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Building Health Equity Training Program

Description:Growing scientific evidence shows that the conditions of life exert a tremendous influence on health-related behaviors and health outcomes—above and beyond individual choices and actions. This presentation explains the principle of health equity (i.e., removing obstacles to the highest possible attainment of health), defines the social determinants of health, and clarifies how they can affect health status. It provides an overview of conceptual models developed by the World Health Organization and used in Healthy People 2020. It will lay the foundation for participants to apply a health equity approach by addressing the social determinants of health in public health services, clinical practice, and other professional activities. This presentation supports the Public Health Accreditation Board’s domain 1 (assess) and domain 8 (workforce).

Learning Objectives:

  • Define health equity and the social determinants of health.
  • Explain a conceptual model of the social determinants of health.
  • Identify potential pathways shaping individual and group differences in health outcomes seen in clinical practice
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Special Populations and Strategies for Community Engagement

Description: Community engagement means that all segments of a population share a collective vision for health and that community members can participate in meaningful ways in planning, carrying out, and evaluating health promotion efforts. However, it can often be difficult to identify relevant parties, build trusting relationships, and work effectively together across different experiences. 

This presentation explains the principles of effective engagement, presents ways to pursue engagement using the Ladder of Community Participation as a guide, and considers barriers that might emerge.  

Learning Objectives: 

  • Describe how community engagement advances public health
  • Define different types of community and identify local groups that may be historically excluded from or underrepresented in public health services
  • Identify specific actions for community engagement
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Health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health

Description: Growing scientific evidence shows that the conditions of life exert a tremendous influence on health-related behaviors and health outcomes—above and beyond individual choices and actions. This presentation explains the principle of health equity (i.e., removing obstacles to the highest possible attainment of health), defines the social determinants of health, and clarifies how they can affect health status. It will lay the foundation for participants to apply a health equity approach by addressing the social determinants of health in public health services, clinical practice, and other professional activities. This presentation supports the Public Health Accreditation Board’s domain 1 (assess) and domain 8 (workforce).

Learning Objectives:

  • Define health equity and the social determinants of health.

  • Explain a conceptual model of the social determinants of health.

  • Identify potential pathways shaping individual and group differences in health outcomes seen in clinical practice.

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Using Evidence Based Interventions

Description: Over the past decade, there has been increasing emphasis on evidence-based public health, and many state and national funders require evidence-based interventions. At the same time, there are barriers to wider implementation, such as lack of familiarity with the concept and under-developed skills to apply it. This presentation will start with the core foundations of public health (e.g., a population perspective, levels of prevention) and explain how evidence-based practices can be incorporated into the various essential public health services. The presentation will include an overview of resources to find evidence-based interventions (EBIs), a process to select and adapt EBIs, and potential barriers to successful implementation in the local context. This presentation supports the Public Health Accreditation Board’s domain 10 (evidence-based practices) and domain 8 (workforce).

Learning Objectives:

  • Explain the concepts underlying evidence-based public health
  • Describe the process of selecting evidence-based interventions and other programs for local use
  •  Analyze potential barriers to successful implementation of evidence-based practices

Format: Webinar, Adaptation Planning Tools

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Nutrition and Physical Activity Policy, Systems, and Environment

Description: In this 3-part webinar series, the University of Iowa Prevention Research Center for Rural Health’s Deputy Director, Natoshia Askelson, and Research Manager, Becky Bucklin, will discuss how policy, systems, and environments impact health. The webinar series will discuss how using evidence-based nutrition and physical activity strategies grounded in policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change can support community programs in improving their communities. 

Format: 3-part webinar series

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COVID-19 Vaccination Webinar Series

Despite recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), COVID-19 vaccination coverage among pregnant women and children has been low. The University of Iowa Prevention Research Center for Rural Health has partnered with Iowa Public Health Association and Iowa Immunizes to develop a virtual webinar series about the safety and importance of receiving a COVID-19 vaccines and ways to communicate vaccine information to patients. The purpose of this training series is to increase provider confidence in recommending COVID-19 vaccines and to create a vaccine-promoting clinic that minimizes barriers for providers and patients.

Deconstructing Colonial Legacies and Understanding Implications for Public Health Equity and Justice (2022)

A framework for action for researchers and practitioners

This transcontinental workshop, held over four days, investigated the enduring impacts of colonialism on our work in public health. A transcontinental team from the University of Global Health Equity (Kigali, Rwanda), the Native Center for Behavioral Health (University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States), and the PRC-RH engaged participants in discussion of the personal and systemic transformation required to dismantle deeply rooted histories of colonialism. Together, we envisioned rebuilding systems of care that honor and value community knowledge and restore power and resources to indigenous peoples and other people impacted by colonization. Participants left with skills and strategies to change their own research and practice in public health.