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| Midwest Public Health Training Center | |
|---|---|
| Name | Midwest Public Health Training Center |
| Formation | 2009 |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Region served | Midwestern United States |
| Leader title | Director |
Midwest Public Health Training Center is a regional training hub that supports workforce development for public health practitioners, community health workers, emergency preparedness coordinators, and academic partners across the Midwestern United States. The Center coordinates with state health departments, academic institutions, federal agencies, and professional organizations to deliver competency-based courses, certification pathways, and technical assistance grounded in epidemiology, preparedness, and health promotion.
The Center operates as a cooperative effort linking regional offices such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state health departments including the Illinois Department of Public Health, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and academic partners such as the University of Illinois Chicago, Ohio State University, and University of Michigan. It engages professional associations like the American Public Health Association, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, and National Network of Public Health Institutes to align curricula with national competencies. The Center’s activities intersect with initiatives led by Federal Emergency Management Agency and programs supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Founded in 2009 in response to regional workforce needs identified after exercises involving the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and guidance from the Institute of Medicine (now National Academy of Medicine), the Center expanded through partnerships with land-grant universities like Iowa State University and Historically Black Colleges and Universities such as Howard University’s public health collaborators. Early milestones include collaborations on projects tied to the Affordable Care Act implementation and capacity building following incidents referenced by agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and lessons from responses to the Hurricane Katrina public health aftermath. Funding and program structure were influenced by reports from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and directives aligned with the Public Health Accreditation Board standards.
Training initiatives include competency-based curricula developed with input from faculty at institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alongside distance learning platforms used by Coursera-affiliated courses and continuing education formats accredited by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Programs range from epidemiology short courses reflecting protocols used by the World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization to emergency preparedness simulations modeled after exercises run by the Metropolitan Medical Response System and the National Incident Management System. The Center also offers leadership development using frameworks referenced by the Kellogg Foundation and workforce diversity initiatives aligned with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services health equity directives.
Strategic partners include state-level entities such as the Minnesota Department of Health and Wisconsin Department of Health Services, academic consortia including the Big Ten Academic Alliance and the Great Lakes Public Health Consortium, and non-governmental organizations like the American Red Cross and National Association of County and City Health Officials. Collaborations extend to research partnerships with the National Institutes of Health, community-based organizations linked to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and international engagement through networks such as the Global Health Security Agenda. The Center works with certification bodies including the Council on Education for Public Health and workforce registries maintained by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Funding sources combine federal grants from agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Resources and Services Administration with foundation support from organizations like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and in-kind contributions from universities such as Purdue University and University of Minnesota. Governance typically involves a board with representatives from state health departments, academic partners including Washington University in St. Louis and Case Western Reserve University, and professional bodies such as the American Public Health Association. Financial oversight follows models recommended by the Government Accountability Office for grant administration and compliance with federal award standards.
Evaluation efforts rely on mixed-methods assessment frameworks informed by guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evaluation office, metrics used by the National Quality Forum, and workforce impact studies from institutions like Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Reported outcomes include increases in competency among trainees documented in collaboration with state immunization programs such as the Indiana State Department of Health and measurable improvements in emergency response drills coordinated with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. Impact studies have been published in journals affiliated with the American Journal of Public Health and disseminated through conferences like the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists annual meeting.
The Center’s administrative office is located in Chicago, Illinois and it serves a multi-state region including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. Training delivery occurs through partner campuses such as University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, regional health departments like the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, and convenings hosted at venues associated with the Midwest Research Institute and the Great Lakes Science Center. The service area engages urban centers including Detroit and Cleveland as well as rural public health partners in the Corn Belt and Great Plains regions.