Health and Well-being Training and Development for Extension Professionals and Extension Health Ambassadors
Primary Topic:
Health and Well-Being
Other Topics:
No additional topic areas, only my selection from previous question
Internship Overview:
This internship will focus on researching and developing a plan for implementing a public health training program designed to build capacity within Extension for work supporting community health & wellbeing. The training will be developed for Extension professionals and Extension Health Ambassadors who will deliver education and design health-related resources in community-based settings.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
The goals of the internship are to:
1. Review CSU Extension needs assessments, community health needs assessments, Extension staff and stakeholder input, and findings from regional health specialist needs assessments to determine the health and well-being issues relevant to the communities that would benefit from training offered to Extension professionals and Extension Health Ambassadors.
2. The intern will work with teams of public health and Extension professionals to identify existing training content and resources and priorities for training modules, and to map out a plan for filling in the gaps to develop a comprehensive training program.
3. Research will be conducted among peer Extension states across the county to explore existing public health/wellness training programs and modules that could be adapted for CSU Extension.
4. By the end of the summer, the intern will have built out a spreadsheet with public health training topics, resources and modules, explored options and design for online delivery, and worked with CSU teams to develop a plan for completing the training program in Fall 2023. The training will ultimately be made available to all Extension professions and will be piloted with teams of Extension Health Ambassadors.
1. Review CSU Extension needs assessments, community health needs assessments, Extension staff and stakeholder input, and findings from regional health specialist needs assessments to determine the health and well-being issues relevant to the communities that would benefit from training offered to Extension professionals and Extension Health Ambassadors.
2. The intern will work with teams of public health and Extension professionals to identify existing training content and resources and priorities for training modules, and to map out a plan for filling in the gaps to develop a comprehensive training program.
3. Research will be conducted among peer Extension states across the county to explore existing public health/wellness training programs and modules that could be adapted for CSU Extension.
4. By the end of the summer, the intern will have built out a spreadsheet with public health training topics, resources and modules, explored options and design for online delivery, and worked with CSU teams to develop a plan for completing the training program in Fall 2023. The training will ultimately be made available to all Extension professions and will be piloted with teams of Extension Health Ambassadors.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
• Sue will guide a team of Extension field staff who are involved in the project and will be working with the intern, including Ann Duncan (nutrition lead), Ginger Williams (healthy aging lead), and an AgrAbility specialist (behavioral health lead-TBD).
• Tracy Nelson, director of the CSU Colorado School of Public Health, and a team of CoSPH faculty will be collaborating on the project to help identify and develop public health resources for the project.
• Christine Fruhauf, professor in Human Development and Family Studies and healthy aging division director of the Prevention Research Center will connect the intern with a faculty team that can help identify and develop prevention- and aging-related resources.
• The intern will also work with a national team of health extension experts who can provide input on best practices in developing training for a health ambassador program.
• Tracy Nelson, director of the CSU Colorado School of Public Health, and a team of CoSPH faculty will be collaborating on the project to help identify and develop public health resources for the project.
• Christine Fruhauf, professor in Human Development and Family Studies and healthy aging division director of the Prevention Research Center will connect the intern with a faculty team that can help identify and develop prevention- and aging-related resources.
• The intern will also work with a national team of health extension experts who can provide input on best practices in developing training for a health ambassador program.
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
This internship project will lend direct experience toward assessing and understanding community needs, integrating public health and extension education, evaluating quality training and development resources, and developing volunteer programs. The intern will also gain significant content expertise in public health topics related to community engagement, disease prevention, healthy aging, rural health and behavioral health. Finally, this internship will provide a deep orientation on Extension systems in Colorado and across the nation. In addition to these content areas, the intern will learn how to work with interdisciplinary teams, manage a project, develop and organize tables and spreadsheets, and create a workplan.
