Mixed Methods Evaluation of a Public Health Workforce Pipeline Program: Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Abstract Information: The local public health (LPH) workforce in the United States is severely depleted, requiring a coordinated approach to re-build and repair the public health infrastructure to respond to community needs appropriately and efficiently. One important strategy is the recruitment of public health graduates by pipeline programs that recruit students to roles in local public health through applied practice experiences and enrichment activities. However, few published studies exist on pipeline programs that target local public health and of those that do, few describe components of their program, outcomes, and lessons learned to inform future adaptations, expansion, and replication. Rigorous evaluation is a necessity to inform training and career preparedness programs, barriers and facilitators to implementation of those programs, and outcomes and competencies that are most effectively achieved through the programs. These results inform future design and use of these programs to be most effective in training the next generation of public health professionals. This presentation highlights a mixed-methods evaluation of the Academic Public Health Corps (APHC), a 160-hour, public health student workforce pipeline program established in 2021 to support student (Corps members) learning and interest in LPH. Study participants included stakeholders (e.g., APHC staff, academic partners) and Corps members. Two frameworks guided the evaluation: the CDC Framework for Evaluation provided the foundation for the evaluation design and the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) guided data collection and analysis. Quantitative data included stakeholder surveys (n=12), Corps member surveys (n=63) and qualitative data included key informant interviews (n=17) and focus groups (n=4). Thematic analysis and a matched pre-post survey design identified program barriers and facilitators, Corps member achievement of knowledge and skills across five domains, and the intention to pursue a career in local public health. Since 2021, the APHC program resulted in increased capacity for local health departments (LHDs) through student-based projects, increase in student knowledge and skill in key public health domains, and increase in awareness of public health positions. Gaps included challenges with assignments, access to LHDs, and incomplete operating guidelines. Results are being used to refine the APHC in subsequent iterations. The mixed-methods evaluation revealed the importance of a strong program design, operating practices, communication, and depth and breadth of the applied practice experience to generate satisfaction and interest of students and participating stakeholders. To address long-term workforce outcomes, the evaluation identified best practices for program consideration that includes strategic planning, program design, academic partner and LHD collaboration, performance management, and sustainability efforts. These findings and insights can inform other public health workforce pipeline programs as a way to support student interest in governmental public health.