<p class="Pa6"><strong>Objective: </strong>Community-based participatory research processes build healthy communi­ties, as well as promote trust and genuine collaborative partnerships between stake­holders. Fostering relationships is essential to promoting these partnerships, which are necessary for collaborative, coordinated, and integrated efforts toward improving health outcomes in the community. The ob­jective of our research was to demonstrate social network analysis as an evaluative tool to assess movement toward positive health outcomes through promoting relationships.</p><p class="Pa6"><strong>Method: </strong>Using the example of the Gulf States Health Policy Center Coalition based at Bayou Clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, we demonstrate the ability of social network analysis (SNA) methods to measure and map the formation of relationships, as well as the level and frequency of these relation­ships. Data were collected via email using a survey of Gulf States Health Policy Center Coalition members (N=80, 87%) and analyzed using UCInet software for social network analysis in April 2016.</p><p class="Pa6"><strong>Results: </strong>In this application of SNA to the community coalition of the Gulf States Health Policy Center, we find that, on aver­age, coalition members doubled their own network within the coalition in a time pe­riod of &lt;2 years and were working together more often and more collaboratively than they were before the coalition formed.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The increased frequency and level of collaboration among the Coalition network was accompanied by a higher level of collaboration among the coalition members as posited by social network and capital theories. As such, the community en­gagement fostered through the Coalition has increased and thus, to date, the Gulf States Health Policy Center has been effective in promoting partnerships and collabora­tion. <em></em></p><p class="Pa7"><em>Ethn Dis. </em>2017;27(Suppl 1):337-346; doi:10.18865/ed.27.S1.337.</p>

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Background. Little is known about the use of project management in public health research and practice in the U.S. Research from other countries supports the use of project management (PM) principles to successfully manage public health programs and research, prevent delays, and reduce costs. However, knowledge of PM training in public health schools and programs is limited. This study sought to (1) determine the extent to which PM training is offered to public health students in schools and programs in the U.S. accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), (2) examine why project management courses are not offered, and (3) identify the challenges faced in offering PM courses. Methods. In May 2019, an online survey was distributed to 178 CEPH-accredited schools and programs in public health in the U.S. Thirty-seven percent of schools/programs completed the survey. Results. About 75% of CEPH-accredited schools and programs that responded do not offer PM training. However, respondents deemed PM skills and training critical for the success of students. Primary challenges included lack of qualified instructors, course cost, lack of school/program interest, perceived lack of student interest, and unfamiliarity of the benefits of PM to public health. Discussion. Opportunities abound for administrators to familiarize themselves with the evidence that PM training helps prepare students for the public health workforce. Identifying qualified faculty and funding to support curriculum development, the implementation of PM competencies by CEPH, and additional research are needed to encourage the adoption of PM in schools/programs of public health.

Health communications may not reach intended populations due to cultural and language barriers. These barriers may prohibit consumers from understanding information needed to make informed health decisions. It is important to ensure everyone—especially racial and ethnic minorities and under-served and under-represented populations—has access to information on medical products. One strategy to address this issue is to develop trainings and resources to better understand how cultural competency affects the ability to communicate effectively with racial/ethnic minorities. The FDA’s Office of Minority Health & Health Equity developed a 3-module training to (1) increase staff knowledge of the role that cultural competency plays in determining health communication messages and channels and (2) provide tools to assist them in creating culturally-competent strategies and action plans. Offered on 4 occasions, the 4.5-h interactive training, grounded in adult learning and project-based learning theories, and used curricula, case studies, and multimedia to guide the discussion and group work. Participants also completed an action plan to guide their current work. Cultural competency knowledge was assessed pre- and post-training and training satisfaction was assessed post-training. Among the 53 individuals who completed the training, average knowledge increased by 13.6%. The training was a success based on anecdotal and evaluation feedback. The majority of participants indicated that they would refer their colleagues to the training and apply what they learned in their work. Participants felt the training was meaningful, applicable to their work, and provided an opportunity to learn and engage with their peers. Becoming culturally competent is a process that should be supported through ongoing training to help build a strong communications and health educator workforce with expertise in developing culturally competent messages to meet their constituents’ needs.

Background: Increased representation of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)–prepared nurses improves health and reduces costs. Fewer rural U.S. nurses have BSN degrees compared with the national average. RN-to-BSN programs provide an opportunity to increase the number of BSN-prepared rural nurses. However, the number of these programs targeting rural students is unknown. Method: Directors of RN-to-BSN programs were surveyed regarding program characteristics and efforts to target rural learners. Using mail and online return options, the response rate was 31.3%. Results: Only 38% of programs targeted rural RNs for recruitment. Supports for rural student recruitment and retention, including partnerships with community colleges, rural clinical placements, and online offerings, were limited in number and/or scope. Conclusion: RN-to-BSN programs with the capacity to recruit and retain rural learners may help increase the number of BSN-prepared rural nurses. Increased collaboration among stakeholders will support rural nurses in continuing their education. [ J Nurs Educ . 2020;59(10):557–565.]