BACKGROUND and OBJECTIVE

1. BACKGROUND and OBJECTIVE RESULTS and NEXT STEPS “Cultural competence is the ability of an individual to understand and respect values, attitudes, beliefs, and mores that differ across cultures and to consider and respond appropriately to these differences in planning, implementing, and evaluating health education and promotion programs and interventions.” Growing population diversity requires that racial and ethnic health disparities be addressed with greater emphasis on cultural competence. While it may be formally taught in some medical and nursing programs, in public health it is often incorporated into other classes or offered as an elective. In order to meet the health demands of a population that will be 48% minority by 2030 it is necessary to formalize cultural competence training in public health education. Although it is not a solution to health disparities, cultural competence has been shown to improve health outcomes among diverse populations. This project aimed to develop a cultural competence training module tailored to the public health field. • A cultural competence module for public health was developed in PowerPoint format, which includes: • (1) the evolution of cultural competence • (2) the process of becoming culturally competent • (3) application in public health contexts • The cultural competence module promotes a definition most relevant to public health. • The module can be feasibly integrated into public health curricula within the fieldwork/practicum experience and capstone/culminating projects. • Individual- and organization-level cultural competence assessment tools are being developed to help with self-assessment and guide students’ development along the continuum of cultural competence. Development of Cultural Competence Tools for Graduate Education in Public HealthElena Hoeppner, MPH, Andrea Skowroneck, MPH, RD, and Diana Romero, PhD, MA, CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College METHODS • A review of cultural competence literature was completed using the ISI Web of Knowledge database as a primary search engine. • Key phrases included: cultural competence, cultural competency, cross-cultural, health disparities, curricula/um, education, yielding approx 300 cites. • References were categorized by field (medical education, nursing education and practice, public health education and practice, health disparities). • The final 14 articles were chosen because they provided the greatest depth to inform development of a cultural competence curriculum in public health. CONCLUSION • Health outcomes among diverse populations are shown to improve with culturally competent interventions. • Formal cultural competence training in public health education is necessary to support this effort. • The increasing diversity of the US population makes this work in public health very relevant. Cultural Competence Initiative (in Public Health) with respect to: SERVING… PR/Latino MPH students et al (as students) (ie, in our educational setting) TRAINING… PR/Latino MPH students et al (as future PH professionals) (ie, to work in diverse settings/communities) Train/increase awareness of faculty/administrators Organizational/institutional commitment (systems/policies) Cultural competence as a component of curriculum (ie, in fieldwork placement and capstone seminar) Betancourt JR, Green AR, Carrillo JE, Ananeh-Firempong O. Defining cultural competence: A practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. Public Health Reports 2003;118(4):293-302; Betancourt JR, Green AR, Carrillo JE, Park ER. Cultural competence and health care disparities: Key perspectives and trends - Among stakeholders in managed care, government, and academe, cultural competence is emerging as an important strategy to address health care disparities. Health Affairs 2005;24(2):499-505; Betancourt JR, Cervantes MC. Cross-Cultural Medical Education in the United States: Key Principles and Experiences. Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences 2009;25(9):471-478; Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals. In: Public Health Foundation's Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice; Corliss HL, Shankle MD, Moyer MB. Research, curricula, and resources related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health in US schools of public health. American Journal of Public Health 2007;97(6):1023-1027; Doutrich D, Storey M. Education and practice: dynamic partners for improving cultural competence in public health. Fam Community Health 2004;27(4):298-307; Gebbie KM, Rosenstock L, Hernandez LM, Century. IoMCoEPHPfts. Who will keep the public healthy? : educating public health professionals for the 21st century. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press; 2003; Gregg J, Saha S. Losing culture on the way to competence: The use and misuse of culture in medical education. Academic Medicine 2006;81(6):542-547; Luquis RR, Perez MA. Cultural competency among school health educators. J Cult Divers 2006;13(4):217-22; Munoz CC, DoBroka CC, Mohammad S. Development of a Multidisciplinary Course in Cultural Competence for Nursing and Human Service Professions. Journal of Nursing Education 2009;48(9):495-503; National Healthcare Disparities Report. In: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2009; Schools of Public Health Goals Towards Eliminating Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities. In: Association of Schools of Public Health; 2008; Shortell SM, Weist EM, Sow MS, Foster A, Tahir R. Implementing the Institute of Medicine's recommended curriculum content in schools of public health: a baseline assessment. Am J Public Health 2004;94(10):1671-4; Stein K. Navigating cultural competency: in preparation for an expected standard in 2010. J Am Diet Assoc 2009;109(10):1676-88; Vaughn L. Families and cultural competency: where are we? Fam Community Health 2009;32(3):247-56. .