Public Health Training Certificate for American Indian Health Professionals

Public Health Training Certificate for American Indian Health Professionals

OVERVIEW

The overarching purpose of this public health certificate program is to promote participants’ capacity to address Indigenous population health disparities through multidisciplinary public health approaches and culturally competent strategies. The certificate program examines four quadrants of influence: physical, behavioral, political, and spiritual/emotional, which, in balance, comprise the sphere of public health for Indigenous communities.

The certificate program is offered for credit to graduate students at the Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health. It is also open to healthcare professionals and non-degree-seeking students from outside of Johns Hopkins who are interested in the health of Indigenous peoples. The certificate can be earned over a three-year period through condensed format courses taught in January and June-August. Courses are offered virtually and in person in Baltimore.

The Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health offers additional training opportunities that are not for credit.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Environmental, Cultural, and Political Context

Students completing the certificate program will be able to:

1. Discuss how tribal sovereignty status impacts health policy and management
2. Understand the potential interface of tribal, federal, and private sectors in health system development
3. Discuss and provide examples of inter-relationships between the environment and the public’s health
4. Describe the unique impact of mental, social, and emotional health status on tribal community well-being
5. Describe the components of effective community education and health communication campaigns
6. Understand factors affecting early child development unique to tribal communities

Public Health Research Skills

Those completing the certificate will be able to employ public health theory and logic frameworks and apply basic statistical, demographic, and epidemiologic techniques to:

1. Critique published public health research
2. Identify available disease, behavioral, and mental health surveillance data from Indigenous communities
3. Identify how community-based participatory research can be used to promote Indigenous health
4. Understand how to identify health priority needs utilizing community-based participatory research methods and to evaluate intervention impacts using health surveillance data from Indigenous communities
5. Work with epidemiologists and other researchers to design community-based interventions and other data collection efforts appropriate for Indigenous communities
6. Recognize good data management practices
7. Understand the importance of research ethics and the composition and function of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), with specific emphasis on IRB’s role in tribal environments

Admissions

Complete certificate program admissions information is available on the certificate program page on the BSPH website. 

Sponsoring Department

International Health

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION

This certificate requires a minimum of 18 term credits. All required and elective courses must be taken for a letter grade; a minimum grade of C is required in all certificate coursework, and students must maintain a 2.75 or better overall GPA for all certificate coursework. The certificate program length is flexible; it varies from student to student; however, the certificate must be completed within three years.

The student should review the section of the website that addresses completion before completing the certificate program requirements. The student's transcript will not indicate that the certificate was earned until the Notification of Completion has been submitted, verified by the certificate program, and processed by the Registrar.

COURSE OF STUDY

Students should check the BSPH course directory to confirm when the courses are offered.  Students should also check for prerequisites and whether instructor consent is required.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PH.550.860	Academic & Research Ethics at JHSPH (All students are required to complete this online noncredit course in their first term of study)
Required Courses: Students must complete all three of the following courses
PH.221.666	Introduction to American Indian Health Research Ethics (typically offered every other year in Summer Institute)	2
PH.221.667	An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding the Health of Native Americans (typically offered in Winter Institute)	3
PH.221.670	Collecting, Analyzing and Using Public Health Data in Native American Communities (typically offered every other year, in Summer Institute)	3
Elective Courses: Students must complete at least 10 credits of elective coursework
PH.221.664	Prevention of Unintentional Injuries in American Indian Communities (typically offered in Winter Institute, every other year)	2
PH.221.665	Early Childhood Intervention in Tribal Communities (typically offered in Summer Institute, every other year)	2
PH.221.668	COVID-19 & Infectious Disease Outbreaks in Native American Communities (typically offered in Summer Institute)	2
PH.221.669	American Indian Health Policy (typically offered every other year, in Summer Institute)	2
PH.221.671	Introduction to Quantitative and Qualitative Research for American Indian Health (typically offered every other year, in Summer Institute)	2
PH.221.672	Introduction to Data Management Using American Indian Health Data (typically offered every other year, in Summer Institute)	2
PH.221.673	Mental Health in American Indian Communities (typically offered every other year, in Winter Institute)	2
PH.224.612	Indigenous Perspectives on Environmental Health	2
PH.224.631	Indigenous Harm Reduction	2