College of Public Health

News Story

CPH introduces Center for Public Health Practice

Posted 07/01/2009

The Office of Workforce Development, within the Ohio State University College of Public Health, is the new Center for Public Health Practice as of July 1.

This change coincides with the start-date of the center's new director, Michael Bisesi, PhD, who also serves as the college's associate dean of academic affairs. Bisesi comes to Ohio State from the University of Toledo where he served as senior associate dean of Health Science Campus Graduate Programs and chair of Public Health in the College of Medicine at the University of Toledo.

July 1 also marks the debut of the center's new web site at http://cph.osu.edu/practice.

"Dr. Bisesi's teaching and management skills are just what we need to lead the new center through this transition," said Stanley Lemeshow, the college's dean.

The center, located at 1212 Kinnear Road, offers programs and services to both current and future public health workers including management training, disaster preparedness classes, and group facilitation.

Offerings will expand under the new structure. Further development of practice-based research and technology will become additional components within the center.

The center will continue its successful training and development programs for public health practice, public health systems and preparedness, but it will make significant strides in the areas of education, research, and community outreach and engagement.

Bisesi's first order of business will be to update the center's strategic plan to better mirror the goals of the College of Public Health, one of which is to address a severe shortage of qualified public health workers in the United States by offering educational programs to help boost these numbers.

"I am quite honored to be part of a team with such a great track record in a college with such an ambitious growth plan," Bisesi said.

The Office of Workforce Development opened in 2004, as a link between the then School of Public Health and public health practitioners. Later, the school graduated to college status as the Office of Workforce Development coalesced around the Ohio Center for Public Health Preparedness, the Buckeye-Bluegrass Regional Leadership Academy, and the Pennsylvania & Ohio Public Health Training Center.

The office added components including customized content, strategic planning and leadership development programs that reflects current needs of public health agencies and nonprofit organizations.

The creation of the Center for Public Health Practice acknowledges this evolution.

The new center will be supported by the public health expertise of Associate Director Joanne Pearsol and Assistant Director Adam Negley, both of whom have first-hand experience in the field. In addition, a staff of eight other consultants manages and creates the programs.

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The Center for Public Health Practice is a part of The Ohio State University's College of Public Health. The center is home to federally funded public health programs, including the Center for Public Health Preparedness, Pennsylvania and Ohio Public Health Training Center and the Buckeye Bluegrass Regional Leadership Academy. The center provides training to hundreds of public health practitioners every year through in-person and online programs. It also offers contractual and fee-for-service support in the areas of organizational and leadership development.

 

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The Ohio State University's College Public Health is an integral part of the most comprehensive health sciences campus in the nation. The college was created in February 2007 by the University Board of Trustees. First established in 1995 as part of the College of Medicine, we are the first and only accredited school of public health in the state of Ohio. Specializations within the college include biostatistics, epidemiology, health behavior and health promotion, environmental health sciences, health services management and policy, veterinary public health and clinical investigations. The college is currently ranked 21st in public health graduate schools by US News & World Report. Its Master of Health Administration program is ranked 12th.