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Strengthening competencies of the current and future public health workforce
Guest experts discuss HIV and Hepatitis C outbreaks in Indiana and Kentucky, and the current control programs that were established in the two states.
The University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences is proud to be the Commonwealth of Kentucky Local Performance Site (LPS) for the Region IV Public Health Training Center (PHTC) located at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta.
The purpose of the Commonwealth of Kentucky PHTC is to strengthen the competencies of the current and future public health workforce, expose public health students to the value of working in underserved areas, and advocate for public health systems and policies. This mission is achieved through the provision of workforce trainings in collaboration with partners, faculty and student collaborative projects, and student placements. 
On Jan. 12, the PHTC hosted a webinar on “HIV & Hepatitis C – A Public Health Emergency of Nationwide Concern: Kentucky & Indiana’s Local Response.” Over 65 people from across the region attended the one-hour session. The speakers were Doug Thoroughman, PhD, MS, CAPT, US Public Health Service, CDC Career Epidemiology Field Officer, Kentucky Department for Public Health; and Joan Duwve, MD, MPH, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice, Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Drs. Thoroughman and Duwve discussed the outbreaks of HIV and Hepatitis C in Indiana and Kentucky and the current control programs that were established in the two states.
“Today’s speakers were invited to share their extensive knowledge and experience with the audience,” said Dr. Paul McKinney, associate dean for research and director of the Commonwealth of Kentucky PHTC housed at the UofL School of Public Health and Information Sciences. “It is imperative for the public health community to learn from each other about the most effective ways to detect outbreaks in their earliest stages in order to limit the spread of infectious disease among injecting drug users and other at-risk populations.”
To get more information about the PTHC or to get access to a video of the Jan. 12 presentation, please contact Colette Davis.
