Webinar Wednesday Announced

The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) is happy to be kicking off a free one-hour webinar series on emerging and established public health issues that will help CPH-certified professionals stay current in the rapidly evolving field of public health.

Hosted by NBPHE's Manager of Educational Programs, Ashley Mueller, and presented by your CPH peers, announcements of upcoming webinars can be found at nbphe.org/certified-in-public-health/wednesday-webinars/ and you can view recorded Wednesday Webinars along with their descriptions below.

Prometheus Unbound: The Potential and Risks of Large Language Models in Public Health

Presented by Chris Von Csefalvay, MA, CPH
January 10, 2024, at 3 p.m. ET
View Recording: https://youtu.be/za-p2LNV-qk

Large language models (LLMs) like GPT have captured the public’s attention, raising both overinflated expectations of generalized artificial intelligence (AGI) and fears of a takeover of the machines. Yet, in the right hands, LLMs can be powerful tools for improving public health surveillance, detecting early signals of pathogenic outbreaks from noisy social media, and supporting data-driven decision-making at a hitherto unprecedented scale. This presentation will briefly introduce what LLMs are (and, more importantly, what they aren’t), followed by a discussion of possible applications in public health as well as their risks, concluding with an equity-centered perspective on creating safe and unbiased AI/ML tools. Public health experts will undoubtedly find themselves as consumers of, and sometimes interactors with, such models, making it all the more crucial to build a fact-based understanding of this new tool and discuss how its risks are best mitigated.

Domain: Policy in Public Health

Candida Auris: The Emerging Threat

Presented by Douglas Austin, MPH, CPH
February 14, 2024, at 3 p.m. ET
View Recording: https://youtu.be/R07LCghfj6g

Initially discovered in a Japanese man’s ear in 2009, Candia auris has spread globally since then and has become a pathogen of concern. If invasive, this highly drug-resistant super fungus has a mortality rate of up to 34% and can quickly colonize patients throughout a facility. What can we do to tackle this emerging issue? This webinar discusses what Candida auris is, what we know about its transmission, and its effect on hospitals and long-term care facilities.

CPH Domain: Public Health Biology and Human Disease Risk

Science to Advance Social Change via a Punk Rock Ethos

Presented by Cynthia Prieto-Diaz, MPH, CPH
March 13, 2024, at 3 p.m. ET
View Recording: https://youtu.be/TMY6YpPu1VI

Advancing health and equity doesn’t need to require a lot of expertise but leaning into past education, lived experiences, observations, and the desire to be of service to your immediate community – while thinking globally.

CPH Domain: Health Equity and Social Justice

Public Health Microbiology in the 21st Century Under the Landscape of Changing Climate

Presented by Dr. Aliyar Cyrus Fouladkhah, PhD, MS, MPH, CFS, CPH
April 10, 2024, at 3 p.m. ET
View Recording: https://youtu.be/j9y_DidpmN8

Bacterial pathogens have unique and efficient capabilities for moving towards diversity and fitness through various mechanisms such as vertical and horizontal gene transfer mechanisms and quorum sensing. Expansion in global travel and commerce, changes in the production and processing of commodities, consumers’ demand for minimally processed products, and growth of the at-risk portion of populations are breeding grounds for novel, emerging, and re-emerging bacterial infectious diseases. Global warming due to the anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases is further fueling these national and global challenges, as minor changes in environmental temperature have pronounced and appreciable effects on bacterial fate and proliferation. The presentation will discuss the impact of climate changes in various regions of the world and further articulate the expected changes associated with public health microbiology, water safety, microbial food safety, and food security.

CPH Domain: Public Health Biology and Human Disease Risk

Public Health Leadership in Remote and Low Resource Settings: Increasing Capacity for Health Promotion

Presented by Ekua Agyemang, MD, MPH, CPH
May 8, 2024, at 3 p.m. ET
View Recording: https://youtu.be/9LSrkFigX_Q

How do you lead a team with several vacancies and a high turnover rate? How do you manage TB outbreaks without TB physicians and nurses? How can you increase the capacity of local indigenous Inuit to manage and contain outbreaks of TB? It is said everything rises and falls on leadership. Come and find out how public health leadership can increase capacity for great outcomes in low-resource settings.

CPH Domain: Leadership

The Role of Cultural Competence & Cultural Humility in the LGBTQ+ Population for Public Health Professionals

Presented by Anthony Dissen, EdD, MPH, MA, RDN, CPH
June 12, 2024, at 3 p.m. ET
View recording: https://youtu.be/_BQjWf64Qsg

People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more (LGBTQ+) experience unique forms of discrimination and stigma that have significant consequences across various dimensions of health. These healthcare disparities increase the risk for several chronic illnesses and may further feelings of mistrust and disengagement from healthcare professionals, who often contribute to these instances of stigma. Public health professionals who are equipped with the requisite knowledge, competency, and cultural humility are better able to serve the LGBTQ+ populations, as well as update and change professional practices to improve the quality of care and service being offered. This webinar will review key ways in which developing and strengthening both cultural competence and cultural humility pertaining to LGBTQ+ people is a key aspect of evidence-based public health practice, as well as important resources that exist that can be helpful tools to help professionals engage with this population.

CPH Domain: Health Equity and Social Justice