Many complex and systemic challenges such as racism, the opioid crisis and mental health stand at the root of community health issues. These are challenges that no individual can address alone, and no single solution or intervention will solve. Therefore, the public health workforce needs to have the knowledge and skills to respond adaptively and to engage in multi-sector collaborations and multi-level interventions. Existing public health workforce development models, however, largely address gaps in specific skills or content areas of individual learners and individual competencies.

The Public Health Learning Network (PHLN) has developed the Learning Agenda Toolkit to help the public health workforce develop a coordinated system of effective, efficient and quality learning to address complex challenges. The Creating a Learning Agenda for Systems Change: A Toolkit for Building an Adaptive Public Health Workforce includes a conceptual Learning Framework, Rapid Assessment Tool, Discussion Guide, and Learning Approach Planning Tool to help public health leaders and workforce development specialists build a robust Learning Agenda and achieve their vision of systems change. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the Learning Agenda Toolkit and how different Learning Approaches – implemented over time – can be used to build collective competency to address community challenges. The session will also include a discussion of some ways that public health leaders might use the Learning Framework and tools to better align Learning Opportunities to address their communities’ challenges.

This webinar will be co-presented by Christina Welter, DrPH, MPH and Karla Todd Barrett, MBA, MSM. Dr. Welter is a policy practitioner, visionary leader, and practice-based researcher committed to helping organizations and their partners co-create equity-focused systems change. Among many roles, she is the Director of the DrPH in Leadership at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. Ms. Todd Barrett is the Senior Program Manager and Training Specialist at the Boston University School of Public Health.  She manages overall operations and partnerships for the New England Public Health Training Center (NEPHTC), including training delivery and development, data analysis, and governance.

To download your copy of the Learning Agenda Toolkit, please go to www.publichealthlearningagenda.org.