Students in Action

MPH in San Salvador, Bahamas  

MPH students, faculty and staff have made multiple trips to San Salvador, Bahamas where they have conducted community needs assessment regarding fruit and vegetable intake and access to healthier food options. The MPH students also went to the local elementary school where they conducted a nutrition focus presentation, was able to teach the students at the school how to plant herbs at home and experienced Commonwealth Day where they heard from the students at the school about different countries and cultures! Additionally, MPH students started a community garden at the Gerace Research Institute that can be used for any community member on the island. 

MPH & Austin Hatcher Foundation 

Public Health students were able to provide nutrition education to the kids participating in camps at Austin Hatcher Foundation. They taught students about the importance of a balanced meal, what a healthy plate looks like, created art by using different fruits and vegetables as well as created a few healthy snacks such as a green smoothie and no-bake protein balls! Our students had a fantastic time and looking forward to continue our partnership with Austin Hatcher! 

MPH & OT Collaboration - Delivering Evidence-Based Program in our Community! 

Public Health faculty member, Dr. Elizabeth Hathaway, partnered with Dr. Elicia Cruz and students from the UTC Occupational Therapy (OT) program as part of an interdisciplinary project to deliver an evidence-based program, Matter of Balance (MOB), throughout Chattanooga. MOB is an 8-session program, structured group intervention that emphasizes practical strategies to reduce fear of falling and increase activity levels among people with disabilities and geriatric populations.

Our first year MPH students were certified by OT faculty member, Dr. Erin Melhorn earlier in January. Both MPH and OT students facilitated the MOB sessions across nine sites in the Chattanooga community. A special thank you goes out to the following community partners:

Ridgedale Baptist Church Purpose Point Community Health John Calvin Apartments YMCA Downtown YMCA Cleveland Silvertree Seniors The Bridge at Ooltewah  Caldstead Foundation Community Orange Grove

MPH Student Serves in the Dominic Republic

UTC MPH Cohort 2022 Student Emory Evans went to the Dominican Republic where she participated in an amputee hand-fitting as well as needs assessment for portable water filtration systems. She traveled as a Rotarian Intern under the guidance of Dr. Catherine Colby, who was once a professor at UTC. Check out these articles to learn more about the work she was part of! 

https://elboletinrd.com.do/barahona-club-rotario-de-chattanooga-tennessee-dona-protesis-a-personas-que-han-perdido-manos/

https://elnuevodiario.com.do/club-rotario-de-tennessee-eeuu-dona-protesis-a-personas-que-han-perdido-manos-en-barahona/

Archives

Fall 2019 - Providing Health Education at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic!

On November 16^th & 17^th, the UTC public health program participated in the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic in Camp Jordan, Tennessee. The two-day event brought together nearly 400 volunteers to serve the needs of 931 patients seeking free medical, dental, and vision care. Overall, the RAM Clinic delivered over $500,000 in free treatment & services including: 

• Medical (general medicine, women’s health, and flu shots)
• Dental (cleanings, extractions, and fillings)
• Vision (eye exams, free glasses) Social Services –
• UTC Social Work Program (referrals to local resources) Blood, urine, and HIV testing

 

Serving on the executive planning committee, the UTC Public Health faculty wanted to provide an active, meaningful role for our students, while adding value to the overall RAM Clinic. Fortunately, one of the goals of the clinic director, Mr. Bob Nevil, was to provide clinic patients with information on physical activity, healthy eating, and oral health. Under the direction of Ms. Megan Sloan, a 2^nd year MPH student, our students served in the role of health educators, facilitating, empowering, and informing patients while they waited for their medical services.

Students teamed up in groups of two to three to deliver short, dynamic, and easy to understand health-related education sessions. Each session lasted about 10-15 minutes with time for questions and answers afterwards. Students from Chattanooga State College also participated in delivering oral care sessions. The health education sessions rotated through various waiting stations several times throughout both days. In addition, our students performed a brief patient satisfaction survey with attendees as they finished their services before exiting the clinic. This feedback will help identify areas of future improvement for the services offered at the RAM Clinic.

This was one of the first times that RAM provided patients with health education – it was a great learning experience for our students and one we hope to build upon at future clinics! 

Students’ feedback include:

• “Working as a health educator was an incredible experience. I was able to use the knowledge I have learned to provide educational information about physical activity recommendations and how accessible it is to reach these goals.” – Noa Williams, MPH 2021 Candidate 
• “It was a privilege to be able to share the knowledge we've acquired in our MPH program with the patients at the clinic. For many of us, this was our first experience delivering health education in the community and it could not have gone better. Not only did students get some real-life health promotion experience but the patients had some worthwhile entertainment as they waited. I am so thankful to Remote Area Medical for allowing us to be a part of public health in action.” – Megan Sloan, MPH 2020 Candidate
• As part of our mission, we believe that community engagement and service are essential exposures for students in the public health program. We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Bob Nevil for allowing our program to be involved at the Camp Jordan RAM Clinic!
• We look forward to continue meeting the needs of community events and enhancing hands-on public health experiences such as these.

 Go Team UTC RAM!!

 

Spring 2019 - Delivering Free CDSMP in the Community!

Early in the 2019 spring semester, a group of our graduate students, faculty and staff completed the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) Leader Training certification offered through our partnership with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department. A special thanks to our wonderful facilitators who led the four-day certification; Carleena Angwin, MFA, Public Health Educator at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department and Chelauna Sterling, MPH, Outreach Specialist at Primary Care and Hope Clinic in Murfreesboro, TN. This certification allows our students to deliver the CDSMP to community members across Chattanooga over the spring semester as a part of our Principles of Health Promotion & Communication Strategies experiential learning course. 

The CDSMP is a free program offered to community members with chronic conditions or those that have a loved one with a chronic condition. The program is a series of six weekly, two-hour classes focusing on self-management techniques with the goal of helping participants live a healthier lifestyle. The main concepts included as a part of the CDSMP include:

• Mind-body connection and action planning Dealing with difficult emotions and communication skills
• Making decisions and managing pain & fatigue Healthy eating & physical activity

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Hathaway, instructor of the Principles of Health Promotion & Communication Strategies course, received a High-Impact Practices Development Grant from the UTC Walker Center for Teaching and Learning titled “Empowering Public Health Students to Impact the Chattanooga Community.” This grant allowed Dr. Hathaway to purchase course materials, healthy snacks, and completion gifts for participants at each CDSMP site. To augment their CDSMP training, Dr. Hathaway used the classroom setting to augment their CDSMP training with additional skills such as motivational interviewing, application of behavioral theories, and effective health communication principles. This training culminated with our students applying these skills in real world settings including:

• Delivery of an evidence-based program
• Creation of marketing materials for their target population
• Plan, organize, and establish a professional rapport with organization leaders
• Communication skills for facilitating sessions with community members of various age and racial ethnic groups 
  

  In groups of two to five, our students served as team leaders at six different sites around Chattanooga, delivering the CDSMP course in a multitude of diverse settings. The sites included Alexian, Bethlehem Center, Brainerd Baptist, Eastgate Senior Center, Jewish Federation, and Urban League.

  “Our CDSM participants at Brainerd were mostly adults over the age of 60. One was a 96-year-old man, who may be slow but still mobile and full of spunk and wit. They were all close socially, and very active in each other’s lives. The CDSMP has opened my eyes to the importance for older adults to not only stay active physically but socially as well.” – Ashley Simmons

  “I enjoyed working with seniors in our community and learning each of their stories. They were all very excited to share and work on tasks with the program and fun to work with as well. Over the course, we all connected as a group and were sad to part at the last session.” – Haleigh Dunning  

  “CDSMP has been an eye opening experience that has enhanced my compassion for underserved populations as well provided a genuine experience of working with individuals within the community.” – Hannah Marcum

  Community participants also found the program beneficial. One participant, when asked how she felt after attending CDSMP, said she was feeling confident about dealing with emotional problems and continuing to make and follow action plans. Experiential learning experiences such as the CDSMP are an integral part of the Public Health program. As stated by Dr. Hathaway, “Our mission as Public Health faculty members is to engage students in applied experiences throughout their academic journey. This allows our students to utilize knowledge learned in the classroom in the real world setting while having an immediate, positive impact in the Chattanooga community. We have shining stars in our program; we certainly do not want to keep them in the classroom only.” 

  
  

Fall 2018 - Public Health Back to School Bash!

On August 17th, 2018, as part of a multi-disciplinary effort, faculty members from the Department of Health & Human Performance, Drs. Kara Hamilton (Exercise Science), Shewanee Howard-Baptiste (Public Health), and Melissa Powell (Dietetics), participated in a back-to-school event with Orchard Knob Elementary School (OKES). Our faculty and 13 UTC students, including five public health students, hosted a booth during OKES's "Back to School Bash" in which more than 200 families participated.

Families completed an assessment survey that identified current lifestyle habits, and they participated in nutrition- and physical activity-related activities. UTC students collected the data and interacted with the children and their families. Results from this work will be used to generate a physical activity and nutritional behavior model that will inform the design of a future multi-faceted program to be developed in partnership with OKES and the Hamilton County Department of Education.

Dr. Shewanee Howard-Baptiste checking in families at registration.

Student Kori Hahn educating the children on healthy eating habits.