With the launch of the Academic Health Department (AHD) Mentorship Program, the newest initiative of the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) is now a reality! Developed within the existing AHD Learning Community in response to feedback from Learning Community members, the AHD Mentorship Program aims to foster the development, maintenance, and expansion of AHDs by building ongoing mentoring relationships between individuals involved in AHD efforts.

 

Led by AHD Learning Community member Bryn Manzella, MPH, of the Jefferson County Department of Health (AL), this mentorship program will help connect individuals seeking guidance in an area of AHD development or operation with those having experience in that area, supporting mutual learning and the sharing of expertise. More than 400 public health and healthcare professionals – with varying levels of AHD experience and expertise – participate in the AHD Learning Community. The AHD Mentorship Program offers one avenue for these individuals to learn from their colleagues and support one another in furthering AHD partnerships.

 

I invite you to visit the AHD Mentorship Program section of this website to learn more about the program and get involved! Whether you are just starting out in AHDs and can use some help or have years of AHD experience that can benefit others, there is a place for you in the mentorship program. If you are interested in being mentored, you can explore the list of current AHD mentors and their AHD experience or expertise and submit a request for mentorship using an online form. If you have experience or expertise in any of a variety of areas of AHD development, operation, or evaluation, please consider volunteering as a mentor by completing the brief AHD Mentor Form. Ms. Manzella and Council on Linkages staff will work together to match mentees with mentors and provide support for both groups to help build positive relationships.

The AHD Mentorship Program, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will continue to evolve over the coming months as the program gets underway and mentor/mentee matches are made. Watch the program webpage or sign up for the Council on Linkages Update newsletter to see how the program progresses, and please share your questions and suggestions related to the program by email to [email protected] or in the Comments below.