Practicum
The Arnold School of Public Health (Arnold School) Office of Practice and Community Engagement (PACE) is an office of the Dean that seeks to bridge academia and practice.
As a vital component of the Arnold School of Public Health, PACE exists to foster the development of public health practice through dynamic, experiential learning situations; relevant and accessible educational programs; and applied, practice-based research.
For more information about what we do, please see our 2012 Annual Report and 2013 Annual Report.
The Arnold School has been tied to practice from the very start. DHEC employees made up seventy-five percent of the first class of students in 1975. PACE started as an institutional “idea” in the Arnold School. It was impacted by significant and successive changes in leadership, both within the office and the Arnold School, and by the ever-present issue of funding which led to periods of inactivity and the subsequent struggle to reinvent itself. Figure 1 in the Milestones Timeline tab outlines the milestones that have impacted PACE since 1994.
For many years, practice activities occurred within academic departments and centers based on the passions and drive of individual faculty members and their personal relationships with practice partners. In 1994, Dr. John Ureda, Chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Education (HPRE), was named Director of Public Health Practice for the USC School of Public Health (Arnold School). In 1999, Dr. Fran Wheeler, former Deputy Director of DHEC, joined the Arnold School as Director of what was then known as the Office of Public Health Practice (OPHP).
Initially, OPHP consisted of the Director and a graduate assistant in one office. In 2000, two full-time staff were added with the award of a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation called Health Professions Partnership Initiative (HPPI). This project worked with local middle and high schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and community organizations to establish a “pipeline” that enabled minority students to learn about public health careers and the Arnold School. One unplanned result of this project was the formation of a minority students association within the Arnold School.
In the same year, OPHP moved to share a suite of offices with Dr. Cheryl Addy, then Assistant Dean for Administration. This move gave the office access to limited secretarial support. Administratively, the OPHP Director reported directly to the Dean of the Arnold School. OPHP applied for several federal grants and/or cooperative agreements. These included the Public Health Traineeship Program, Faculty Development for Public Health Practice, and Partnerships for Improving Public Health Workforce Quality – all funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The Director also served as the USC Site Coordinator for the HRSA-funded Southeast Public Health Training Center at UNC. Because of the Director’s previous work at DHEC, OPHP was able to consolidate all Arnold School graduate assistantship funding into one contract, replacing the multiple departmental contracts of previous years. This allowed OPHP to better understand the range of student activities at DHEC.
When Dr. Wheeler left in 2001, Dr. Donna Richter, Chair of what is now the Department of Health Promotion Education and Behavior (HPEB), led a committee from the Arnold School and DHEC to determine what OPHP could look like and do. This effort included consultation with Dr. Kathy Miner, Associate Dean of Applied Research at Emory University, who was leading the Council on Linkages between Academia and Practice. Dr. Richter presented recommendations that led to the creation of a new position, Associate Dean of Public Health Practice, to which she was named in 2003.
While the Associate Dean for Public Health Practice, Dr. Richter continued to serve as Chair of HPEB. There was no physical “house” for OPHP other than her office in HPEB. Major accomplishments during this period include the following: continuation of the committee on public health practice that focused on the development of an Introduction to Public Health course, formal ceremony honoring public health practice partners, practice articles published in Public Health Reports, forging of a strong relationship with Deputy Commissioner for Health Services at DHEC, and implementation of a competency-based Workforce Development Survey for all state public health workers.
Challenges during this period included the lack of formal funding for OPHP, perception of practice as less important than research and teaching, few faculty with practice experience, and the emphasis on research for tenure and promotion. Late in 2003, Dr. Richter was named Interim Dean for the Arnold School, thus relinquishing her role as Associate Dean for Public Health Practice. Dr. Sara Corwin was named Interim Director of OPHP and efforts were made to continue the work. Other Arnold School staff were assigned titles in OPHP; but with no funding for positions, Dr. Corwin resigned the title and OPHP was unofficially closed.
While OPHP fell silent from 2003-2007, another initiative grew out of the academic-practice partnership forged by Dr. Richter through the Academic Health Department (AHD) program, a grant program funded by CDC and administered through the Arnold School. With Dr. Lillian Smith as Coordinator, the one-year program was named the SC Public Health Consortium (Consortium) and breathed new life into the academic/practice collaborations. When funding for the AHD program ended, DHEC and the Arnold School committed to sustaining the Consortium by jointly funding the Director’s position with Dr. Smith in that role. Dr. Richter was named Dean of the Arnold School.
Late in 2005, a formal Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed between the Arnold School and DHEC, which further solidified the academic-practice partnership. The MOA includes statements of support and expectations in the collaborative activities surrounding technical assistance, training of students, professional development and exchange, curriculum development, and creation and implementation of a joint research agenda. This dynamic partnership is also seen in the initiation of the Public Health Practice Postgraduate Program in 2006 and the development of the Introduction to Public Health course.
On Dean Richter’s request, Dr. Smith reopened OPHP in February 2007, with additional staff to support the administration and development of practice-related activities. In a joint appointment between the Arnold School and DHEC, Dr. Smith serves as the Director of OPHP and Director of the Consortium. In March 2007, OPHP received funding for the development of the South Carolina Public Health Institute (SCPHI). Dr. Richter subsequently resigned as Dean and became the Executive Director for SCPHI. Dr. Tom Chandler became Dean of the Arnold School. Dr. Greg Hand took on a joint role when named the Associate Dean of Practice and of Academic Affairs. Dr. Hand later moved from Academic Affairs to Research while continuing to maintain his Practice role.
In 2008, OPHP received a grant from the Duke Endowment to develop the online Continuing Education in Public Health Practice (CEPPHP) certificate program. CEPPHP includes the Introduction to Public Health course as a prerequisite and five core courses: Financial Management, Community Assessment, Public Health Data 101, Program Planning & Evaluation, and Policy & Advocacy. These courses are delivered in a cohort format, range from 20-30 class/homework hours, 2 continuing education hours, and utilize a hybrid framework of synchronous and asynchronous methodologies accomplished through the Internet. The Consortium also led the development of the academic credit Certificate of Graduate Study in Public Health (Smith, Kyle et al., 2005).
Another key concept that originated from the Consortium was the Public Health Dome, a portal that integrates multiple data sources to serve as the clearinghouse of academic/practice collaborations. The Arnold School’s Dean’s Office funded the “Feasibility Study” (Smith, Rhoades, & Mansaray, 2007), which indicated a strong need for the system and identified barriers and facilitators to the adoption of the system by both DHEC and the Arnold School. This project led to what is known today as MySPH, the Opportunity Manager, and the Virtual Campus. All of this work was integrated into the SC Public Health Training Center (PHTC), which was funded in 2010.
During this time, OPHP fell under the Office of Research within the Dean's office. While housed there under the leadership of Director Smith, OPHP grew significantly in scope and activity. The Office served a key need for finding/coordinating practice opportunities for Arnold School students. In addition, PACE began increasing its number of community engagement activities and projects (e.g., Community Engagement community of practice, Community Engagement continuing education courses). Subsequently, in 2014 Dean Chandler split OPHP into a separate entity within the greater Dean’s office entitled the Office of Practice and Community Engagement (PACE) and named Dr. Smith as the Assistant Dean for PACE.
Over time, PACE has become largely self-supporting through the Office’s multiple community projects (both public and private). This support has provided many meaningful practice and post-graduate employment opportunities for our students over the years. For example, Dr. Smith wrote and received one of the first CDC-funded Public Health Training Center grants. The Office’s work in Kershaw County in community health promotion and evaluation (LiveWell Kershaw) is now a model for the state of South Carolina. That project has recently been expanded with fresh and larger funding via DHHS. PACE continues to grow collaboratively and build successful partnerships with a focus on practice and community engagement.
For many years, practice activities occurred within academic departments and centers based on the passions and drive of individual faculty members and their personal relationships with practice partners. In 1994, Dr. John Ureda, Chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Education (HPRE), was named Director of Public Health Practice for the USC School of Public Health (Arnold School). In 1999, Dr. Fran Wheeler, former Deputy Director of DHEC, joined the Arnold School as Director of what was then known as the Office of Public Health Practice (OPHP).
Initially, OPHP consisted of the Director and a graduate assistant in one office. In 2000, two full-time staff were added with the award of a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation called Health Professions Partnership Initiative (HPPI). This project worked with local middle and high schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and community organizations to establish a “pipeline” that enabled minority students to learn about public health careers and the Arnold School. One unplanned result of this project was the formation of a minority students association within the Arnold School.
In the same year, OPHP moved to share a suite of offices with Dr. Cheryl Addy, then Assistant Dean for Administration. This move gave the office access to limited secretarial support. Administratively, the OPHP Director reported directly to the Dean of the Arnold School. OPHP applied for several federal grants and/or cooperative agreements. These included the Public Health Traineeship Program, Faculty Development for Public Health Practice, and Partnerships for Improving Public Health Workforce Quality – all funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The Director also served as the USC Site Coordinator for the HRSA-funded Southeast Public Health Training Center at UNC. Because of the Director’s previous work at DHEC, OPHP was able to consolidate all Arnold School graduate assistantship funding into one contract, replacing the multiple departmental contracts of previous years. This allowed OPHP to better understand the range of student activities at DHEC.
When Dr. Wheeler left in 2001, Dr. Donna Richter, Chair of what is now the Department of Health Promotion Education and Behavior (HPEB), led a committee from the Arnold School and DHEC to determine what OPHP could look like and do. This effort included consultation with Dr. Kathy Miner, Associate Dean of Applied Research at Emory University, who was leading the Council on Linkages between Academia and Practice. Dr. Richter presented recommendations that led to the creation of a new position, Associate Dean of Public Health Practice, to which she was named in 2003.
While the Associate Dean for Public Health Practice, Dr. Richter continued to serve as Chair of HPEB. There was no physical “house” for OPHP other than her office in HPEB. Major accomplishments during this period include the following: continuation of the committee on public health practice that focused on the development of an Introduction to Public Health course, formal ceremony honoring public health practice partners, practice articles published in Public Health Reports, forging of a strong relationship with Deputy Commissioner for Health Services at DHEC, and implementation of a competency-based Workforce Development Survey for all state public health workers.
Challenges during this period included the lack of formal funding for OPHP, perception of practice as less important than research and teaching, few faculty with practice experience, and the emphasis on research for tenure and promotion. Late in 2003, Dr. Richter was named Interim Dean for the Arnold School, thus relinquishing her role as Associate Dean for Public Health Practice. Dr. Sara Corwin was named Interim Director of OPHP and efforts were made to continue the work. Other Arnold School staff were assigned titles in OPHP; but with no funding for positions, Dr. Corwin resigned the title and OPHP was unofficially closed.
While OPHP fell silent from 2003-2007, another initiative grew out of the academic-practice partnership forged by Dr. Richter through the Academic Health Department (AHD) program, a grant program funded by CDC and administered through the Arnold School. With Dr. Lillian Smith as Coordinator, the one-year program was named the SC Public Health Consortium (Consortium) and breathed new life into the academic/practice collaborations. When funding for the AHD program ended, DHEC and the Arnold School committed to sustaining the Consortium by jointly funding the Director’s position with Dr. Smith in that role. Dr. Richter was named Dean of the Arnold School.
Late in 2005, a formal Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed between the Arnold School and DHEC, which further solidified the academic-practice partnership. The MOA includes statements of support and expectations in the collaborative activities surrounding technical assistance, training of students, professional development and exchange, curriculum development, and creation and implementation of a joint research agenda. This dynamic partnership is also seen in the initiation of the Public Health Practice Postgraduate Program in 2006 and the development of the Introduction to Public Health course.
On Dean Richter’s request, Dr. Smith reopened OPHP in February 2007, with additional staff to support the administration and development of practice-related activities. In a joint appointment between the Arnold School and DHEC, Dr. Smith serves as the Director of OPHP and Director of the Consortium. In March 2007, OPHP received funding for the development of the South Carolina Public Health Institute (SCPHI). Dr. Richter subsequently resigned as Dean and became the Executive Director for SCPHI. Dr. Tom Chandler became Dean of the Arnold School. Dr. Greg Hand took on a joint role when named the Associate Dean of Practice and of Academic Affairs. Dr. Hand later moved from Academic Affairs to Research while continuing to maintain his Practice role.
In 2008, OPHP received a grant from the Duke Endowment to develop the online Continuing Education in Public Health Practice (CEPPHP) certificate program. CEPPHP includes the Introduction to Public Health course as a prerequisite and five core courses: Financial Management, Community Assessment, Public Health Data 101, Program Planning & Evaluation, and Policy & Advocacy. These courses are delivered in a cohort format, range from 20-30 class/homework hours, 2 continuing education hours, and utilize a hybrid framework of synchronous and asynchronous methodologies accomplished through the Internet. The Consortium also led the development of the academic credit Certificate of Graduate Study in Public Health (Smith, Kyle et al., 2005).
Another key concept that originated from the Consortium was the Public Health Dome, a portal that integrates multiple data sources to serve as the clearinghouse of academic/practice collaborations. The Arnold School’s Dean’s Office funded the “Feasibility Study” (Smith, Rhoades, & Mansaray, 2007), which indicated a strong need for the system and identified barriers and facilitators to the adoption of the system by both DHEC and the Arnold School. This project led to what is known today as MySPH, the Opportunity Manager, and the Virtual Campus. All of this work was integrated into the SC Public Health Training Center (PHTC), which was funded in 2010.
During this time, OPHP fell under the Office of Research within the Dean's office. While housed there under the leadership of Director Smith, OPHP grew significantly in scope and activity. The Office served a key need for finding/coordinating practice opportunities for Arnold School students. In addition, PACE began increasing its number of community engagement activities and projects (e.g., Community Engagement community of practice, Community Engagement continuing education courses). Subsequently, in 2014 Dean Chandler split OPHP into a separate entity within the greater Dean’s office entitled the Office of Practice and Community Engagement (PACE) and named Dr. Smith as the Assistant Dean for PACE.
Over time, PACE has become largely self-supporting through the Office’s multiple community projects (both public and private). This support has provided many meaningful practice and post-graduate employment opportunities for our students over the years. For example, Dr. Smith wrote and received one of the first CDC-funded Public Health Training Center grants. The Office’s work in Kershaw County in community health promotion and evaluation (LiveWell Kershaw) is now a model for the state of South Carolina. That project has recently been expanded with fresh and larger funding via DHHS. PACE continues to grow collaboratively and build successful partnerships with a focus on practice and community engagement.
References
Smith, L.U., Rhoades, D., & Mansaray, A. (2007). The South Carolina public health dome: Covering academic/practice collaborations in South Carolina (Unpublished feasibility study). Columbia, SC: Office of Public Health Practice, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina.
