As the Academic Health Department (AHD) Learning Community continues to grow, it is preparing to undertake new activities aimed at increasing interaction and connections among community members. Initial efforts will focus on establishing an AHD mentorship program and an AHD Learning Community listserv – activities identified as high priorities through a needs assessment conducted earlier this year and discussion at the Learning Community’s most recent meeting on June 27, 2014.
 
The AHD mentorship program will facilitate the development of ongoing relationships between members of the AHD Learning Community, pairing up individuals seeking guidance in an area of AHD development or operation with those having experience in that area. Learning Community member Bryn Manzella, MPH of Jefferson County Department of Health in Alabama has volunteered to lead this program, and planning for the program is underway. A full update will be provided at the upcoming Learning Community meeting on August 6, 2014.

 

In addition to building individual relationships, an AHD Learning Community listserv is being set up to enable communication and discussion among Learning Community members generally. This listserv will allow not only for information about Learning Community activities to be disseminated, but also for members to ask AHD-related questions and share AHD news with one another, and is expected to be operational later this summer.

 

For the near future, development of AHD Learning Community resources will focus on expanding the collection of AHD partnership agreements and beginning to document case stories of successful AHD experiences. Both of these resources can provide useful examples for those seeking to learn more about AHDs. Learning Community meetings will also continue, moving to a virtual meeting format beginning with the August meeting. Future virtual meetings are being scheduled for October 2014 and early 2015 as well.

 

The AHD Learning Community is always interested in learning more about the needs and interests of members, and suggestions for activities, resources, and topics to explore are welcome. The needs assessment remains open, and additional responses are encouraged. Contribute to the ongoing development of the Learning Community by completing the needs assessment, leaving your questions or suggestions in the Comments section below, or sending your ideas to [email protected].

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