Building capacity for local public health: lessons from a mixed-methods evaluation of an academic-public health partnership used in response to COVID-19.

Introduction: The Massachusetts Academic Health Department Consortium (AHD) established the Academic Public Health Volunteer Corps (APHVC) to support Local Health Departments (LHDs, = 351) to meet rapidly emerging needs during the COVID-19 pandemic through engaging student volunteers. A program evaluation captured lessons learned and informed recommendations for sustainability and future replication.

Methods: The mixed-methods evaluation leveraged the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

Assessing the effect of adverse economic events on severity of hunger among food pantry clients.

This study assessed relationship between adverse economic events (AEE) and hunger level (i.e., little to no, moderate, severe).

Socio-demographic factors associated with hunger among food pantry users in Eastern Massachusetts.

To assess the determinants of hunger among food pantry users, the present study used a cross-sectional survey that included a modified Household Hunger Scale to quantify hunger. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between hunger categories and various household socio-demographic and economic characteristics, such as age, race, household size, marital status and experience of any economic hardship. The survey was administered to food pantry users from June 2018 to August 2018 at various food pantries across Eastern Massachusetts with 611 food pantry users completing the questionnaire at any of the 10 food pantry sites.

The Shifting Public Health Landscape and Virtual Learning Environment: The Effectiveness of Practice-Based Teaching Delivered In-Person, Virtual, and Hybrid.

The pandemic necessitated teaching competencies that allow public health (PH) students to be immediately workforce ready. The shift to virtual learning provided an ideal time to consider pedagogies focused on applied learning opportunities, such as practice-based teaching (PBT). This multi-year, post-test evaluation of one PBT course explored differences in students' competency achievement immediately post-course with different modalities of delivery: fall 2019 in-person ( = 16), summer 2020 virtual ( = 8), and fall 2020 hybrid ( = 15).

Understanding the impacts of COVID-19 on the determinants of food insecurity: A state-specific examination.

This paper examines risk factors influencing food insecurity during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in a state in the U.S. heavily impacted by it and offers recommendations for multi-sector intervention.