Planning and Evaluation

This survey for Tucson Adults will ask questions related to their knowledge, opinions, and beliefs about COVID-19 and seasonal influenza, and preventative measures people take to protect themselves against these diseases. This study will help the Pima County Health Department understand what might be preventing people from getting vaccinated to protect themselves from getting sick with COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. Using the responses, we will be able to focus our vaccine promotion efforts more effectively and reduce the number of respiratory illnesses within the community of Pima County.

The CDC’s Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework is broken down into five steps aimed at helping health practitioners develop and plan for climate effects. Through multi-modal (in person and on-line) surveys we are targeting different audiences that interact with the BRACE program. The surveys include 3-5 questions regarding knowledge about actions individuals and organizations can take to address health impacts of climate change. Surveys will be provided on-line and in person at workshops. An on-line follow-up survey with workshop participants will be sent 6-months after the initial survey to assess practice of/engagement with those actions.  This project is receiving federal funding. 

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a sexual assault prevention program, Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) program, by replicating a Canadian randomized controlled-trial (RCT) at five U.S. universities. EAAA consists of four 3-hour units that involve education in the form of games, mini-lectures, and facilitated discussion, and application and practice activities. The standard of care (SOC) control group study participants will have a variety brochures made available to them about campus sexual assault prevention and resources and will participate in a 15-minute group participant-led question-and-answer session with a trained research team staff member. Study participants will be first-year college women. All participants will complete a survey before the intervention begins, then a week later, and then every 6 months over the next two years (6, 12, 18, and 24-month follow-up). We will use this data to evaluate whether EAAA is more effective than the SOC intervention at reducing sexual assault victimization. This project is receiving funding from the Arnold Ventures Foundation and the Chris and Carrie Shumway Foundation via the Consortium on Gender-Based Violence. 

In the United States, a culture where the elderly are often marginalized, the COVID-19 pandemic has left many older adults feeling further devalued.  The pandemic has heightened its risks not only physically but psychologically.  With quarantines in place, the elderly worry about how they will obtain medications, food, and other daily necessities.  Many older adults will not seek medical care for health concerns for fear of contracting COVID-19. Most people have not experienced a pandemic that caused us to have to stay at home and avoid human contact.  Therefore, we want to explore the impact of the pandemic on older adults to be prepared to intervene in case this should happen again in the future. The purpose of this study is to explore older adults’ experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, including, psychosocial, behavioral responses to the pandemic, and older adult’s overall well-being. The aims of this project are to explore a diverse sample of older adult’s psychosocial responses to COVID-19, explore a diverse sample of older adult’s behavioral responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and evaluate a diverse sample of older adult’s perceived well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Title V legislation requires the state, as part of its Application, to carry out a statewide Needs Assessment every five years that identifies the need for preventive and primary care services for pregnant women, mothers and infants up to age one; children and adolescents; and children with special health care needs up to age 26. The University of Arizona College of Public Health is collaborating with Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to contribute the qualitative components of the Title V needs assessment, including focus groups, community forums and dissemination of results to community partners. Our approach involves (i) participation at state-wide meetings; (ii) conduct of focus groups with selected communities not traditionally heard including African American, Hispanic, Refugees, LGBTQ, Farm Workers, Families with Children with Special Health Care Needs and Youth; (iii) facilitation of community forums with community members and providers to get feedback on preliminary findings; and (iv) dissemination of results to community partners. Results will feed into priority setting for Title V programming for the next five years 2020 – 2025.  This project is funded by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS).

Patient navigation programs can serve as a key approach to achieving the triple aim in cancer care by improving patient experience, improving population health, and reducing health care costs. The goal of this project is to develop a model which can be used by various cancer centers to predict costs and outcomes involved in implementing and managing a patient navigation program. Model variables will be derived from literature review and various scenarios will be built into the model for screening, diagnosis, survivorship, and end of life care. Outcome projections from the model can be used to develop a business case for implementing patient navigation programs. Dr. Prashanthinie Mohan is also a collaborator on this project. 

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) are a critical set of actions that public health takes to mitigate the effects of infectious diseases in a population.  These actions can vary widely from isolation and quarantine, closure of public venues, environmental clean-up or decontamination, and hand hygiene.  However, studies have shown that the public’s compliance to NPI recommendations can be limited.  In order to better engage the public during an outbreak of an emerging or reemerging disease, such as Ebola, public health agencies could benefit from additional information on (1) ways to make NPIs more acceptable, (2) the best ways to disseminate the information to the general public and key target groups, particularly through social media, and (3) content that is more likely to motivate action.  The main objective of this project was to determine current engagement and successful messaging of NPI activities to across Arizona and determine acceptability of messaging by target groups; i.e. do they see the importance of the message being conveyed. This project received support from the Arizona Department of Health Services. 

The purpose of this grant was to advance understanding of the chronic burden of foodborne illness, help the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) better estimate the true overall burden of foodborne illness, and act appropriately on food safety priorities. The main objectives were (1) to develop a questionnaire for use with healthcare providers to estimate incidence, duration and severity of post-infectious functional bowel disorders and reactive arthropathies in patients with evidence of prior infection with foodborne pathogens and (2) evaluate the available literature and secondary data sources to better characterize and quantify the association between specific acute foodborne infections and chronic sequelae, including functional bowel disorders and reactive joint diseases (arthropathies). This grant was supported by the FDA.  Other faculty/staff/students: Alexandra Armstrong, PhD, and McKenzie Schaefer, undergraduate student.

The goal of the project is to examine the role of women in vector control at three distinct levels of engagement: programmatic, community and household, using case studies in malaria control. This project received support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Ernst's role within this larger project was a Site Principal Investigator. 

 Many communities are not adequately prepared because there are too many information stores in communities and a related lack of essential collaborative preparation. The goal of this project was to improve community preparedness and response activities through sharing lessons learned, identifying and documenting best practices, and fostering national collaboration to strengthen community resiliency to reduce injury-related morbidity and mortality in public health emergencies. To achieve this goal, we created a Consensus Report by identifying issues in planning for and responding to disasters through input from national and federal partners. A Strategic Plan was also created to document lessons learned through qualitative methods to engage all member of communities. Six Proposal Requests were written to learn what made one community successful and how this success could be spread to other communities. Finally, Three after-action reports were generated to develop and pilot and exercise package in relation to inclusive planning moving forward. All these efforts were focused on improving the public health response of communities in order prevent mass injuries and casualties. This project was sponsored by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The pilot project was focused on obtaining preliminary data to highlight the tremendous potential of using the renowned Arizona Respiratory Center (ARC) cohorts for NIEHS-funded air pollution epidemiology projects. More specifically, this pilot project allowed us to demonstrate access to exclusive historical air pollution data as well as demonstrate our capabilities to measure air pollutants in order to develop land-use regression (LUR) models for exposure assessment.  This will be completed through the following objectives: 1) measure nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) throughout the Tucson area in 2015-2016; 2) resurrect historical NOx and PM measurements collected throughout the Tucson area in 1986-1987; 3) develop models and resulting maps of NOx and PM concentrations; 4) assess relationships between these historical exposures and health outcomes in the Children’s Respiratory Study (CRS); and 5) prepare a NIEHS R21 proposal. Completion of this pilot project and the R21 proposal can allow us to establish our capabilities in LUR exposure assessment and presents future opportunities to propose other projects to NIEHS. 

Metagenomics is the study of genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples and can assist in identifying organisms present in any environment. Metagenomics provides faster and more precise analysis of multiple samples, delivers information on pathogen occurrence in water, allows scientists to identify organisms not previously possible using culture based-methods, and has revolutionized the way scientists view the living world. Sequencing of irrigation water could validate the use of traditional indicator organism in southwest US canals. This project will utilize stored samples collected during a previous project to define optimal monitoring strategies for irrigation waters. The specific objectives of the project include: 1) sequencing 350 irrigation water samples, 2) validating a previously quantified non-pathogenic surrogate (E. coli), 3) identifying new pathogenic indicators in irrigation waters of the southwest US, and 4) determining if these novel indicators were correlated to the presence of known foodborne pathogens.  This project was sponsored by the Arizona Department of Agriculture. 

The contractor provided specialized Services related to the development of new technology and methods for improved monitoring and detection of microbiological and chemical contaminants in the drinking water distribution system. These Services were focused on improving Tucson Water's investigative capabilities by providing real...time contaminant data in the field. Real-time data can be used to assist in the selection of proper analyses techniques and to determine appropriate responses to emergent events.  The Services included development of a Water Quality Measurement Instrument, a smartphone application coupled with a multi-channel paper microfluidic assay, which will identify and quantify waterborne pathogens in water samples. The paper microfluidic assay employs antibody-conjugated latex particles to capture antigens produced by viruses and bacteria present in a water sample. The custom smartphone application analyzes images produced from the paper microfluidic assay and calculates the concentration of specific pathogens (such as E.co/ 1) that may be present in a water sample.

This application, entitled “Student Transformative Experiences to Progress Underrepresented Professionals” (STEP-UP) for cancer prevention, is a multidisciplinary initiative led by the Cancer Prevention and Control and Health Disparities Programs’ faculty at the University of Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center. It is uniquely designed to provide 55 undergraduate and 54 Masters’ degree seeking students with an intensive, 12-week summer research experience in cancer prevention and control. Educational pedagogy will inform on our methodology in order to assure students receive the quality research experience that not only will increase understanding, but also will motivate students toward a continued educational commitment to advance in cancer prevention and control sciences. The emphasis in training will be largely within the clinical trials to community-based participatory research end of translational research, yet offering students 2 week-long immersion opportunities to experience cancer prevention and control science across the entire continuum of basic to applied and even dissemination research. Over 35 faculty members from diverse disciplines who are funded in cancer prevention and control research are committed to this program. The program fills a gap in our web of training opportunities for underrepresented students and yet builds on a substantial foundation of purpose-driven efforts at the UA and the Arizona Cancer Center to attract and retain a diverse student body in cancer prevention and control research. Importantly, this effort leverages our international reputation in cancer prevention research. Our specific aims include: 1. Recruit undergraduate and Master’s level graduate students from URM into the STEP-UP in cancer prevention 12-week summer experiential cancer prevention and control research training; 2. Provide an integrated, innovative, multidisciplinary educational experience in cancer prevention and control research that strengthens self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation to become a cancer prevention and control scientist; 3. Support mentoring and professional relationships with scientists, research programs and community partners; 4. Conduct formative and summative evaluations to improve the program over time. The training program is centralized in Southern Arizona and offers experiential learning within our unique catchment area which is rich in diversity relative to ethnicity (30.7% Hispanic), race (5.8% Native Americans) and age (16.4% over age 65 years). This distinctive location, strong community ties, university facilities and resources for research and education, as well as committed and experienced faculty mentors and program leaders, assures a quality program that will impact the diversity, competence and commitment of the cancer prevention and control workforce of the future.

The Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC) is funded by HRSA to support the public health workforce in HRSA Region 9, which includes Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii and US Associated Pacific Islands. We are a consortium of public health professionals that have a mission to develop, provide and monitor need-based trainings for current and future public health professionals to strengthen their public health competencies. We also provide additional expertise on nutrition, physical activity and obesity to the national network of PHTCs. The consortium consists of a local performance site (LPS) in University of Arizona, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health; University of Nevada, Reno, School of Community Health Sciences; University of Hawai’i, Manoa, Department of Public Health Sciences; Pacific Island Health Officers Association; and University of California, San Francisco, California Area Health Education Center Programs. Our vision is to have a strong collaborative public health network and public health workforce that collectively works towards the development of healthy communities in HRSA Region 9 and the Nation.  This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under UB6HP27880 and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Public Health Training Centers for $900,579. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

All activities conducted by the contractor will be implemented through community-based participatory methods supportive of building both professional and organizational capacity. A participatory model will be used that incorporates evaluation as part of program design, actively involves staff and program participants, and continuously incorporates evaluation into program implementation. Maia Ingram, MPH, Co-Director of the Prevention Research Center, will serve as the Principal Investigator or lead staff member for the MEZCOPH and will work on the contract with a ORA in providing evaluation services to the Mariposa Community Health Center (MCHC) in the evaluation of the Coordinated Community Care Model, a collaboration between MCHC and the Rio Rico Fire Department Activities Include: 1)     Review communication protocol and revise as needed 2)     Monitor and update CCCM Logic Model 3)     Conduct process evaluation with a focus on barriers, successes and recommendations in the expansion of the CCCM to other fire departments in the. region 4)     Oversee outcome evaluation of CHW and CCCM services related to chronic disease indicators using EMR 5)     Participate in project meetings.

Each year, an estimated 8-10 million animals will be housed in animal shelter. These animals are susceptible to infectious diseases during their confinement. Many organisms have been discovered in animal shelters including feline noroviruses, sapovirus, canine circoviruses, canine influenza, feline calicivirus, and many others. Sheltered animals are at increased exposure and infection risk due to dense housing conditions and community transmissions of pathogens. The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a passive air purification technology developed by PetAirapy, LLC. Under controlled conditions of air flow, humidity, and containment, the PetAirapy unit will be evaluated for efficacy of seeded aerosolized virus (bacteriophage MS2) removal from the air.

We are in our fifth year of an established agreement for research and evaluation services for Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) Medical Marijuana Programs, using research, evaluation, compilation of statistical data on established resources, preparation of reports, development, update and maintenance of curriculum and technological resources and data sharing as requested for the Medical Marijuana division of ADHS. Deliverables from project work include the following: Yearly, comprehensive program implementation plan to be provided to ADHS no later than 30 business days from contract start date, including proposed total costs allocated to personnel, operations, travel, direct and indirect costs; and yearly total project costs;  Preparation and continual update of Continuing Medical Education/CEU/CME programs for medical providers and other interested parties, related to Medical Marijuana, including all administrative, maintenance and technological responsibilities associated; including, but not limited to the conversion of system requirements to TRAIN format.  Medical Marijuana Course update, conversion and maintenance shall include updates, as new or emerging information or changes become available, to the following content items:  Welcome Page (with as needed update from ADHS Director); Module 1-Introduction Page—Lessons 1-3; Module 2-Physician’s roles, duties and risks—Lessons 1-3; Module 3-Marijuana 101—The medicinal uses and risks of marijuana—Lessons 1-3; Module 4—Procedures and rules for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Program—Lessons 1-3; Module 5—Dispensary Medical Director—Lesson 1; Course rating survey; and Certificate of Completion (to include text approved by ADHS).  Total content shall include 84 screens in all lessons; 11 quizzes, introduction section, feedback survey and certificate. Review and evaluation, and/or addition or reformatting of new and debilitating conditions to the Clinical Trials database, including associated administrative, maintenance, travel-related, and technological responsibilities, to be updated as new conditions emerge and published to the Continuing Medical Education website in order to notify interested patients of studies that will be conducted in the United States, pursuant to ARS ss 36-2804.02 (B), Registration of qualifying patients and designated caregiver;. Quarterly progress reports to be provided to ADHS, in Department approved format, no later than 30 business days from the end quarter date, illustrating all progress “to-date.”; Quarterly CER reports (for ¼ of the total amount each quarter period; adjusted for clinical trials per request) to be provided to ADHS, in Department approved format, no later than 30 business days from the quarter end date; and, submitted to invoices@azdhs.gov and copied to the designated Medical Marijuana Program point-of contact (subject to change); and Submission of any project-specific products, according to timelines set out in an ADHS approved program implementation plan. 

This pilot project is funded by the newly created, Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute, created through federal appropriation. This was part of the inaugural funding from this institute and this was the only award in the State of Arizona (the project was scored at 1% from over 800 submissions with 50 awarded; http://www.pcori.org/pilot-projects/).  In this participatory research project two innovative methods to improve the delivery of patient-centered behavioral health services are being tested in a federally qualified health center in Yuma County: Sunset Community Health Center (SCHC).

In this contract I oversee evaluation of the impact of a train the trainer leadership curricula on the activities of community health workers across the U.S.  To date, we have gathered baseline data from master trainers and trained CHWs. In the next year, we will gather post evaluation data on curriculum competencies as well as conduct interviews with CHWs about their leadership activities 6 months following the training.  

Abstract not available. 

This project was connected to the ADHS Medical Marijuana Project. This project focused on research-data manipulation in order to create a service-draft of an annual report on medical marijuana for communicating findings to various communities. As part of collecting research data, training for CME and other workforce development was offered through online courses. 

This is a service contract to provide evaluation for a HRSA-funded Rural Health Outreach Grant awarded to Mariposa Community Health Center to provide patient centered clinical and community services to people with diabetes in Santa Cruz County. The model integrates clinical care, telenutrition classes, peer education classes, and community services.  Evaluation is focusing on improving HbA1C and other health indicators among the patient population with HbA1C of 8.0 or higher.

 A needs assessment of the potential for under-reporting of melanoma in Arizona and to identify the barriers to appropriate reporting. This assessment was done working with community Melanoma Task Force. This project was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the United States Department of Health and Human Services. 

Noise exposures and hearing loss in the mining industry continue to be a major problem, despite advances in noise control technologies. This study evaluated the effectiveness of engineering, administrative, and personal noise controls using both traditional and in-ear dosimetry by job task, work shift, and five types of earplug. The noise exposures of 22 miners performing deep shaft-sinking tasks were evaluated during 56 rotating shifts in an underground mine. Miners were earplug-insertion trained, earplug fit-tested, and monitored utilizing traditional and in-ear dosimetry. The mean TWA8 noise exposure via traditional dosimetry was 90.1 ± 8.2 dBA, while the mean in-ear TWA8 was 79.6 ± 13.8 dBA. The latter was significantly lower (p 0.05) than the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) personal exposure limit (PEL) of 90 dBA. Dosimetry mean TWA8 noise exposures for bench blowing (103.5 ± 0.9 dBA), jumbo drill operation (103.0 ± 0.8 dBA), and mucking tasks (99.6 ± 4.7 dBA) were significantly higher (p 0.05) than other tasks. For bench blowing, cable pulling, grinding, and jumbo drill operation tasks, the mean in-ear TWA8 was greater than 85 dBA. Those working swing shift had a significantly higher (p 0.001) mean TWA8 noise exposure (95.4 ± 7.3 dBA) than those working day shift. For percent difference between traditional vs. in-ear dosimetry, there was no significant difference among types of earplug used. Reflective of occupational hearing loss rate trends across the mining industry, this study found that, despite existing engineering and administrative controls, noise exposure levels exceeded regulatory limits, while the addition of personal hearing protection limited excessive exposures. This project was supported by the Science Foundation Arizona Grant.  The full research report can be found here.  Eric Lutz was a contributor on this project but has since left the University of Arizona. 

Research: For this contract, I am conducting a process and outcome evaluation of Tucson Indian Center's Native Pride Project funded through the Indian Health Service. Native Pride is an 8 week program designed to increase protective factors, and decrease risk factors, for suicide and substance abuse among Native youth in the greater Tucson area. As lead evaluator, I coordinate all evaluation, data collection, and reporting activities.  Service: I attend biannual advisory committee meetings to disseminate results of the project to TIC staff, community members, and other key stakeholders. I have also developed presentations to disseminate results at regional and national Indian Health Serivice conferences. I also assist TIC with grant proposal development and submission to secure funding to continue Native Pride and other mental health related projects. Nancy Stroupe was a contributor on this project but has since left the University of Arizona.

Funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Rural Health Network Development Grant Program, Mariposa CHC and partnering agencies will formalize and advance the Santa Cruz County Adolescent Wellness Network (SCC AWN). As Network partner I will provide technical assistance and evaluation services.

Pima County was awarded a $16 million grant by the CDC to address obesity. MEZCOPH is responsible for evaluation of coalition activities to impact obesity through environmental and policy changes in Pima County with a focus on health disparity. This has involved working across the University with the College of Architecture Drachman Institute and the College of Nutritional Sciences as well as with a number of community agencies that include the Tucson Community Food Bank, the United Way, the YMCA and Carondelet Health Network.  CPPW interventions focus on schools, worksites, health and human services, faith-based organizations, and communities.

This project implemented by Campesinso Sin Fronteras utilizes the promotora model to conduct health outreach and education to farmworker community in South Yuma County. I am overseeing the process of participatory evaluation which focuses on several activities. A core activity is the delivery of the Su Corazon Su Vida curriculum with an enhanced focus on the role of stress and depression on health behaviors. In addition, a leadership curriculum seeks to teach parents to advocate for their children in the school. The project also seeks to improve the cultural competency of the Sunset Community Health Center through provider and staff training. Evaluation of SCHC efforts focuses on patient satisfaction and knowledge of cultural competency among staff. MPH students who have served as graduate assistants on this project receive a community based experience and training in participatory evaluation.

I facilitated a process of participatory evaluation with Mariposa Community Health Center on a program entitled Salud Si, a health promotion project targeting Latinas of child bearing age that was originally funded in 2000 and developed with our collaboration. Salud Si utilized CHWs to provides weekly nutrition classes, physical activity opportunities, and emotional support as strategies to improve nutrition and physical activity behavior. Coping with stress is also addressed. The contract included a study of the maintenance of behavioral and health outcomes that had been established through prior evaluation.Analysis of 5 years of pre/post questionnaires was being complemented with qualitative data collected by the program director and myself with a sample of women who graduated at least one year prior to the time of interview. A final report was submitted to Mariposa and the results of this evaluaiton guided decisions to sustain the program within Mariposa. A collaborative manuscript was prepared and submitted on evaluation findings.

This AHEC funded needs and assets assessment was completed in April 2010 and provided to the AHEC Health Sciences Advisory Committee and to the Regional Center for Border Health.

The purpose of this community assessment is to begin to describe the provider system-based reasons for low rates of pediatric visits in young children enrolled in University Family Care (UFC) in Pima County, and to identify optimal mechanisms to improve these members’ access to UPH providers.  The quality measures of interest are:1)   well-baby visits, where children should be having 6 well baby visits by 15 months of age, and 2) children having at least one wellness visit between age 3 and 6 years.D. Jean McClelland, of the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Division of Health Promotion Sciences (HPS), will lead a Quality Improvement (QI) Team composed of HPS Maternal and Child Health concentration (MCH) faculty and students, UPH Department of Pediatrics personnel and UPH Health Plans personnel to perform a provider system community assessment and collaborate with the QI Team to develop a proposal for improving quality of preventive care in the population of UFC members age 0-6.  Ms. McClelland will be responsible for convening the QI Team, instrument and database development, oversight of MCH students assisting in the best practices review, conducting key informant interviews, reporting on findings, and facilitating recommendations. 

This evaluation contract is now in its 3rd and final year in 2012.  The Center for Well- Beings goal is to provide behavioral health providers with a more comprehensive view of refugee mental health issues, and identify trends within cultural groups and genders. This information will be used to revise assessment tools used to screen refugees and inform referral protocols. Core activities include, but are not limited to the following: 1. Baseline Assessment: Compile baseline information regarding the types and prevalence of mental health issues presented by various refugee groups, including Iraqi, Burmese, Bhutanese, Somali and Burundians. This will be accomplished by creating a questionnaire and surveying service providers. 2. Focus Groups: The compiled baseline information will be augmented by gathering information on the cultural perspectives of refugee groups about the causes of mental health issues and their appropriate treatment. Refugee perspectives will be ascertained by holding small focus groups and interviewing the In-Home Well-Being Promoters. 3. Impact Measurement: Develop a pre- and post-test model to determine Refugee Well Being Project participants knowledge of key concepts and information delivered through in-home instruction; Develop a survey to determine Well-Being Project participants confidence regarding advocacy for themselves and others.

Technical assistance and evaluation contract with the Arizona Department of Education in partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services, funded by the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH). Funding to the ADE began in 2008 and continues through 2013; this is the first time Arizona has received this DASH funding, which has been available since the 1990's. I provide technical assistance, in addition to evaluation leadership. Assist with development of five year Strategic Plan, annual Work Plans, conference planning, and technical assistance planning for communities. I provide linkages to the AzPHA School Health Section, the Arizona School Based Health Care Council, and partners in the southern Arizona.

Evaluation contract with the Yuma County Public Health Services District (YCPHSD). YCPHSD was awarded a grant for community based trainings by the First Things First Yuma Regional Partnership Council. YCPHSD will provide parent education in the community setting and through home visits. I work with YCPHSD to meet reporting requirements to the state and develop local program evaluation. Will develop database to be transfered to local site. Contract will most likely continue for a total of 3 years.

This project was an evaluation subcontract for part of a $16 million CDC-funded cooperative agreement awarded to Pima County Health Dept. to focus on policy and environmental strategies to prevent obesity. Evaluation teams included the following roles: Co-PI, Sr. Research Specialist, Sr. Program Coordinator, Research Specialist, 2 GRAs, and data input specialist. Maia Ingram served as the Co-PI for this subcontract, and co-lead team in primary and secondary data collection activities. She also served as Youth Risk Behavior Survey Coordinator for the project. This project successfully obtained weighted YRBS data for Pima County by surveying over 1300 students in 21 high schools. 

The project provides public education, evaluates the content of private wells, and integrates the efforts of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Pharmacy, and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

This grant provides funds for some rural health research and evaluation activities. The following were conducted in 2012 and some are continuing into 2013.Each activitie is identified as research, service, or training. RESEARCH: Conducted an Investigation of Rural Women's Health Literacy Levels and Preferred Sources of Health Information - IRB approval was secured early in 2012, data was collected from 350 subjects between February and May 2012, data analysis was conducted from August to December 2012, and data analysis is still ongoing. RESEARCH: Evaluation of the impact of the MEZCOP Arizona Rural Health Professions Program's rurally-based week-long, intensive service-learning courses on public health graduate students subsequent career plans and choices related to rural practice. Planning of this research project began in November 2012, and the IRB application will be submitted by the end of February 2013. The project will survey all MEZCOPH current students and alumni who have participated in any of the rural or underserved area Service-Learning Institutes since they began in 2008. The purpose of the survey will be to determine if the goal of the Rural Health Professions Program - to increase the numbers of public health students who practice in rural and underserved communities in the state of Arizona - is being achieved. SERVICE: Conducted two Community Conversations on Health Care - one in Marana and one in Ajo - to collect community health needs assessment data, and document the findings through a report for each event provided to the community and published on the Center for Rural Health Website. This research project will continue throughout 2013. SERVICE: Performed additional collection, analysis, and publication on the Center for Rural Health Website of existing health-related data resources for the border counties of Cochise, Santa Cruz and Yuma in the in the "Arizona Border Region Data Resources and Virtual Library." This project will continue throughout 2013. SERVICE: Planned and conducted a community needs assessment project for Mohave County Health Department and Kingman Regional Medical Center in Kingmam, Lak Havasu, and Bullhead City. Reports documenting findings were prepared for each site and delivered to the Mohave County Health Department. Project is still ongoing. TRAINING: Provided Community Health Needs Assessment skills training to selected staff of the Mohave and Navajo County Health Departments. Training for others is planned for 2013.

Global Mining Community Health - Environmental Exposures. Eric Lutz was a contributor on this project but has since left the University of Arizona. 

This project received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Association of Schools of Public Health Project amounting to $3,548,573.