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By: UPIKE Public Relations | October 2, 2018
Melissa Frazier, MPH, MBA, public health and regional workforce analysis researcher at the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM), has been selected to participate in the National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health (NLAPH) program. Frazier is part of a team, Appalachian Community Collaboration, that includes additional representation from the Central Appalachian Consortium of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.
NLAPH is a national program focused on improving population health by working with multi-sector leadership teams and training the teams through an applied, collaborative leadership development model. The program is implemented by the Center for Health Leadership and Practice (CHLP), a center of the Public Health Institute, and will provide training and support for a period of one year.
“This program will impart population health teams with the skills to lead across sectors and collaboratively solve complex population health problems in innovative ways,” said Carmen Rita Nevarez, M.D., MPH, vice president for external relations and CHLP’s director. “These are the types of leaders who will ultimately be able to drive critical efforts, such as the adoption of evidence-based policies and practices at the community level, which can have a tangible impact on health outcomes.”
The Appalachian Community Collaboration team will work on an applied health leadership project that tackles an important population health issue with the goal of improving public health outcomes. The team assembled to undertake this issue includes Frazier, who serves as the team’s coordinator; Donna Peissner, MA, LCSW, health sciences and community research specialist at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine; Heritage College’s Sebastian Diaz, Ph.D., J.D.; and Layne Blackwell, MPH, accreditation coordinator for the Pike County Health Department.
Only eight teams from across the U.S. comprise the 2018 cohort. Frazier’s team recently presented at American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Association of American Medical Colleges conferences in Washington, D.C.
“I am honored to be the coordinator for a team chosen to participate in the leadership cohort and look forward to implementing the training as I network across the communities surrounding KYCOM,” said Frazier. “This opportunity will not only assist in advancing current team projects but will also provide important public health leadership skills, information, andconnections for KYCOM, the University of Pikeville and community stakeholders.”
NLAPH provides training and support focused on two tracks. The first is the development of leadership skills, including personal and collaborative leadership in a multi-sector environment. The second emphasizes growth from team-based collaborative work to policy and systems change. NLAPH is provided at no cost to the participants or the community due funding provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.