The SHLI-CHLP is designed to close the gap between academic medicine or academic health centers and the communities of greatest need by connecting to people who are most affected by disparities. The goal is to develop and/or enhance community health leaders who are educated, motivated, and mobilized to lead community groups in changing health behavior, improving environmental health, and influencing policies to support community health. The SHLI-CHLP is an 8-session training that is held every Friday for 8 weeks. The program is focused on developing community health leaders, such as: community advocates, leaders of non-profit organizations, and faith-based representatives. The community participants partner in developing community projects that are relevant to the community needs, show evidence of sustainability, and impact health disparities.

Developed partnerships throughout Michigan and NW Ohio to create opportunities for MPH students to gain applied practice experience through project-based learning, community service opportunities, workshops, speakers, and training. Designed food, water, justice, and health equity service-learning tracks that incorporated community service, workshops, and projects with community partners. Led the food project team in a mixed-methods approach (including qualitative interviews, GiS, secondary research, and field observations) that led to the development of community profiles that explore the food environment in each of Detroit’s 7 Council Districts. Led the justice project team in the development of a report and assessment tools that helped a community partner assess the efficacy of their inside-out literacy program that had not been evaluated in 20 years. The student team will use this project to fulfill Applied Practice Experience (APEx) competencies required for graduation under new accreditation standards. Designed an engaged learning workshop that introduced public health students to concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), catastrophic weather events, scenario planning, and the FEMA Incident Command System structure. Participants reported that they gained new information relevant to public health, found the event to be a valuable learning experience, felt they could better identify health outcomes that stem from a disaster, and that the event was a positive experience. Nearly 75% of participants reported feeling more prepared to differentiate vulnerable subpopulations during a disaster.Presentation to Future Public Health Leaders Program: Utilizing the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Model to Better Understand Working Class Food InsecurityAmerican Public Health Association (APHA) oral presentation: Developing community-academic partnerships that prepare graduates to answer the call of Public Health 3.0.

Coordinated internship recruitment, including the development and implementation of a recruitment strategy that doubled the number of applicants. Collaborated with Wayne County Health, Veterans, and Community Wellness (HVCW) to conduct a stakeholder discovery project undertaken in order to develop a richer understanding of challenges unique to Wayne County, to identify early stakeholder organizations for a collaboration that HVCW envisioned, and to develop insights that better inform the development of future partnerships in Wayne County. This project included protocol and interview development, semi-structured interviews, qualitative data synthesis, and secondary research. This process revealed several partnership opportunities and resulted in 5 early insights ready to be tested through the continuation of stakeholder discovery.

Co-writer for grant through Lucas County Mental Health Recovery Service Board that will create partnership between Food for Thought and Cedar Creek Church’s Addiction Recovery group called Celebrate Recovery. Food for Thought will provide nutrition education and mobile food pantry services to the group on a monthly basis.Instructor for NHA Food Box Program "Toledo Fresh," a program that teaches pregnant women cooking skills and provides them with food boxes full of healthy food and kitchen supplies.

The position was created to utilize my strengths as a community organizer, program developer, and to expand and create more linkages with other organizations in order to better serve our clients and their families.Grant writing: ​Primary or assisted in writing small to mid-sized grants through Seedmoney.org, Toledo Community Foundation, Headspace, and Victims of Crimes Act Crime Victims Fund that have brought in more than $150,000. Assessment to Program Development: Developed and conducted community needs assessment that resulted in the development of partnerships, programs, and projects designed to address needs identified by staff, youth clients, and their families. Lead to the development of several opportunities for youth to be involved in worthwhile programming generally inaccessible to youth with their confluence of mental health, trauma, educational, and socioeconomic issues. Developed Wellness Fair utilizing SAMSHA’s 8 Dimensions of Wellness framework that provided resources and same-day referrals in order to address needs identified through client, family, and staff needs assessments and secondary research. Expanded ZONE garden program to include a youth job program to recruit, train, and pay youth to care for growing spaces throughout inner-city Toledo.Developed 8-week cooking class that teaches Zepf youth cooking skills using recipes from a cookbook created with the SNAP budget in mind. Each 8-week class ends with a family dinner where they display new skills to their families and receive a copy of the cookbook. Developed program with Radiant City Arts that teaches youth how to build a recording studio, make music and do storytelling.

Case management services to youth identified as having severe and persistent mental health issues emphasizing family engagement, behavior management, educational advocacy, crisis intervention, and linkage to services in the community. Developed curriculum, internal staff, referral process, budget, documentation, data collection plan, and structure for ZONE (Zepf Centers Organic gardening and Nutrition Education program), an experiential learning program that teaches youth participants and their families the principles of gardening, healthy cooking, nutrition, and food storage. The program includes field visits and family dinners with participants applying skills learned throughout to help make healthy meals with their families. Developed and trained youth peer educators that help develop and lead program activities. The peer educators do community outreach, plant gardens in their own backyards, and have developed transferable job skills. Many of the peer educators have shown marked improvements across life domains. Identified and developed connections with various organizations and people interested in helping implement ZONE including trained chefs and several community-based gardening and health organizations.Manage nearly an acre of land used for growing fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs using organic, sustainable methods. Recruited and managed volunteer work groups to help out with various garden tasks. Written and received grants to help fund various programming activities. Developed and trained program staff that volunteer time away from their caseload in order to assist with program.

Tutor students one-to-one in order to improve studying and test taking skills.Implement individual plans for improving test scores based on diagnostic testing and in-session observations.

Helped organize, facilitate, and train staff (host country nationals as well as fellow volunteers) for leadership and empowerment camps for 300 young men and women; the camps included workshops on health, goal setting, career planning and interviewing skills. Partnered with 5 other Peace Corps Volunteers to establish “Peer Support Network,” a formal program that worked to address and support the emotional needs of PCVs and Trainees in a confidential, structured, accessible format by promoting communication, facilitating effective stress management, and encouraging a positive and healthy environment. Trained Peace Corps Volunteers and Trainees on basic skills for providing effective emotional support for each other and their respective communities. Training included active listening, stress management, effective peer support, and knowing how and when to seek outside support for oneself or others. Trained Community Health Workers on various health topics, including mental health, dehydration, nutrition, and various infectious diseases. Identified over 100 mothers with children under five without functioning mosquito nets, ensuring that families received a suitable net and education on malaria prevention.Facilitated the linking of 6 secondary schools with health workers working for “Operation Smile.” Exposed over 300 students to behavior change communications related to mouth hygiene, disease prevention, fire safety, first aid, and goal setting.Technical training on health, first aid, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.Produced, shot and edited video shorts about Camp GLOW Rwanda for partnering organizations.Produced, shot and edited video interviews used to fund raise for and provide insight into the lives of Ubutwari Foundation Scholars.Developed curriculum and taught photography to over 30 young men and women. Trained staff to help implement curriculum. Photographically documented success stories for USAID funded Twubakane Program.

Trained incoming Psychiatric Care Technicians on de-escalation techniques and daily responsibilities; operated as shift leader for PCTs.Implemented personal action plans for clients working to achieve good mental health.Assisted a diverse youth population work towards achieving good mental health by implementing: behavioral modification, active listening techniques, and individual and group counseling.

Provided behavior related risk-reduction counseling and testing for clients; administered Oraquick Advance HIV-1/2 Antibody test.Explained test results and resources that CATF and other organizations provide.Answered STI Hotline, taking phone calls and providing relevant information for clients.

Customer service; explained policy and answered questions.

Administered self-doubt and self-esteem study designed by a graduate student; collected data and encoded using SPSS.