​​Originally Presented on Tuesday, November 18, 2025
1-2pm EST

Description: Join us for the opening session of the 2025 Public Health Learning Forum! This session will begin with welcoming remarks from the Public Health Foundation, followed by a dynamic discussion with the Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Kentucky Health Departments Association highlighting state and local collaboration for effective workforce development. Learn from Kentucky’s experiences and explore strategies that you can apply to enhance collaboration and build a strong public health workforce.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain how Kentucky is utilizing funding from the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) to develop and implement workforce development initiatives and programs for the state and local public health workforce.
• Describe how local, state and federal organizations are working together to recruit, hire, retain, sustain and train a competent and diverse response-ready public health workforce through different public health career pathways.
• Identify the best practices that contributed to the development and success of Kentucky’s state and local workforce development programs.

Co-sponsored by Pfizer.

Presenters: 

• Ron Bialek, President, PHF
• Joe Finkbonner, Chair, Board of Directors, PHF
• Jennifer Medina Matsuki, MPH, CHES, Director, Public Health Partnerships and Initiatives, Pfizer
• Taban Herrington, MA, Chief of Staff, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
• James R. House, BS, MEP, Workforce Director, Kentucky Department for Public Health
• Billy Pitts, MHA, MHR, Chairman of the Training Committee, Kentucky Health Departments Association

Explore Resources from Our Speakers:

• Learn more about the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Department for Public Health
• Center for Foundational Health (Now the Public Health Workforce Readiness Branch at the Kentucky Department for Public Health)
• Learn more about the Kentucky Public Health Association
• Explore Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Public Health Career Pathways
  • Kentucky Public Health Exploration Program
  • Student Internship Program
  • Employee Learning and Development Program
• Learn more about the Kentucky Health Departments Association

Follow the links to learn more about our sponsors and how their resources can support public health efforts:

• Pfizer’s We Talk, We Rise campaign: https://www.wetalkwerise.com/
• Umemba Health: https://www.umembahealth.com/
• Health Communications Consultants: https://healthccinc.com/
• Riester Influence: https://riesterinfluence.com/
• Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health: https://aspph.org/
• Institute for Healthcare Advancement’s Health Literacy Academy: https://ihaacademy.org/

Originally Presented on Tuesday, November 18, 2025
2:30-4:00pm EST

Description: What makes a strong workforce development program? Join this interactive session to learn the basics of workforce development planning and action. Explore why workforce development is important, how workforce development plays a role in health department accreditation, how retention and recruitment relate to workforce development planning, and opportunities to better meet workforce development needs within your organization. Consider identifying at least one retention activity that you can advocate for or initiate within your organization in the next three months.

This session will be followed by a 30-minute panel discussion from 3:30-4pm. Please stay on to join the conversation and engage with our speakers.

Co-sponsored by Health Communications Consultants.

Presenters: 

• Ron Bialek, President, PHF
• Sonja Armbruster, Performance Improvement Expert, PHF
• Sarah D. Matthews, PhD, Founder & Principal Scientist, Health Communications Consultants, Inc.

Explore Resources from Our Speakers:

• Public Health Accreditation Board’s Workforce Resources
• Competency-Based Workforce Development Plans
• Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals
• New eLearning! Introduction to the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals
• Retention and Recruitment Toolkit
• Academic Health Department Partnerships Toolkit
• Read the PHF blog post, Charting New Paths: Alameda County’s Academic Health Department Journey
• Academic Health Department Partnerships Environmental Scan Service
• PHF’s Performance Improvement Services

​​Originally Presented on Wednesday, November 19, 2025
1-2pm EST

Description: This session will introduce the basic tenants of quality improvement (QI) and performance management (PM) framed in a public health accreditation context. Participants will receive help on how to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement in their agency’s current QI/PM practices through an agency assessment tool.

Presenter: Amanda McCarty, Performance Improvement Expert, PHF

Explore Resources from Our Speakers:

• Performance Management Toolkit

Originally Presented on Wednesday, November 19, 2025
2:30-3:30pm EST

Description: Discover the foundations for performance management in public health. Practitioners who have updated their performance management system will share their lessons learned and tips for success. Participants will leave with concrete action steps for making progress on performance management.

Presenters: 

• Sonja Armbruster, Performance Improvement Expert, PHF
• Ashley McCracken, Transformation Program Manager, Division of Public Health, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
• Ryann Ickes, Evaluation and Quality Improvement Manager, Division of Public Health, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

Explore Resources from Our Speakers:

• Collaborative Performance Management for Public Health: A Practical Guide
• Performance Management Toolkit
• Dive into the PHF blog post, From Framework to Functionality: Manitowoc County Health Department’s Use of the Foundational Public Health Services Framework as a Backbone for the Performance Management System

Originally Presented on Wednesday, November 19, 2025
4-4:30pm EST

Description: An open discussion with public health leaders and a crisis communications expert.

Sponsored by Riester Influence. Strategic communications partner for public health leaders.

Presenters: 

• Summer Johnson, Founder and Managing Partner, Riester Influence
• Lisa Camooso Miller, MA, Crisis and Strategic Communications Consultant, The Friday Reporter

​​Originally Presented on Thursday, November 20, 2025
1-2:30pm EST

Description: Discover innovative strategies, real-world examples, and actionable takeaways that will empower public health leaders to harness the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in driving organizational and system-wide improvements in performance. The pace of change in generative AI models has been nothing short of extraordinary. This session will explore how AI can modernize public health performance by providing actionable insights on how to minimize the disruptive effects when adopting AI. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how to leverage AI tools to drive system-wide improvements in performance by showcasing practical examples for using specific generative AI models.

This session will be followed by a 30-minute panel discussion from 2-2:30pm. Please stay on to join the conversation and engage with our speakers.

Co-sponsored by Umemba Health. AI-Powered Learning. Human-Centered Results.

Presenters: Jack Moran, Performance Improvement Experts, PHF

Explore Resources from Our Speaker:

• Minimizing Disruption When Implementing AI
• PHF’s Approach to Implementing AI
• Your AI Future Depends on Your Data
• What Are the Challenges and Risks of Using AI?
• Using a VUCA Analysis to Assess a Turbulent and Rapidly Changing Public Health Environment

Originally Presented on Thursday, November 20, 2025
3:00-4:00pm EST

Description: This session will guide participants through the concept of using the Foundational Public Health Services framework to develop a Performance Management System in public health agencies. Explore the key principles of performance management and the benefits of utilizing the FPHS as a framework to align with national standards and to encourage cross-cutting objectives to achieve broader community health goals.

Presenters: Amanda McCarty, Performance Improvement Expert, PHF

Explore Resources from Our Speakers:

• Performance Management Toolkit

​​Originally Presented on Friday, November 21, 2025
1-2:30pm EST

Description: Montana is transforming public health workforce development through bold vision, strategic collaboration, and practical tools. This closing session brings together key partners from across the state to share how Montana is turning ideas into action through initiatives like Montana 21C and the statewide foundational public health assessment. Panelists will explore how these efforts are shaping a more resilient and responsive workforce, and how tools like the TRAIN Learning Network and Public Health Foundation (PHF) services are supporting this transformation.

Through real-world examples and candid discussion, attendees will gain insights into:

• Describe how Montana leverages TRAIN and PHF tools to support workforce development. 
• Identify key components of a successful workforce development initiative. 
• Explain how cross-sector collaboration enhances public health capacity. 
• Apply lessons from Montana’s experience to their own workforce planning efforts. 

Join us for a dynamic conversation that highlights what’s possible when vision meets action—and collaboration leads the way.

Presenters: 

• Sarah Compton, Public Health Program Officer, Montana Public Health Institute & Montana 21C 
• Megean Gillespie, MBA, Local & Tribal Support Specialist, Public Health System Improvement Office, Public Health and Safety Division (PHSD), Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (MT DPHHS)
• Jacqueline Isaly, Bureau Chief, Family and Community Health Bureau, Early Childhood & Family Support Division, MT DPHHS & Montana 21C 
• Anna Kiley, MEd, Operations Manager, Montana Public Health Training Center, Training Coordinator, Montana Clinical and Translational Research Center, University of Montana, School of Public and Community Health Sciences 
• Kaela Schommer, M.Ed., Instructional Coordinator & TRAIN Montana Admin, Public Health System Improvement Office, PHSD, MT DPHHS

Explore Resources from Our Speakers:

• Montana Public Health Training Center (MPHTC) Jobs Board
• Public Health in the Schools Initiative
• Montana Public Health Institute (MTPHI)
• Montana DPHHS Public Health System Improvement Office
• TRAIN Montana
• Montana 21C
• 2025 Montana Public Health Workforce Assessment
• FPHS Assessment – Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services