New horizons in community engagement: Virtual community engagement studios amplifying community voices about health research in New Mexico.

There is increasing recognition of the crucial need for robust community engagement in health research and clinical trials. Despite this awareness, challenges persist in bridging the gap between researchers and communities. Much of the current discourse focuses on addressing issues such as cultural humility and equitable partnerships.

Eat Well El Paso!: Lessons Learned From a Community-Level Restaurant Initiative to Increase Availability of Healthy Options While Celebrating Local Cuisine.

Purpose: Restaurants have the potential to improve nutrition and positively shape social norms. We describe lessons learned and recommended strategies from Eat Well El Paso! (EWEP), a local restaurant initiative.

Design: Descriptive case study.

Culture and sexuality-related communication as sociocultural precursors of HPV vaccination among mother-daughter dyads of Mexican descent.

U.S. Latinas are the second most affected ethnic group by cervical cancer morbidity and mortality.

Our Homes, Our Health: Strategies, Insight, and Resources to Support Smoke-Free Multiunit Housing.

Tobacco use remains the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. Almost 500,000 people die every year in the United States because of tobacco use; approximately one in eight of those deaths are attributable to secondhand smoke exposure. Significant disparities exist in terms of which groups bear the greatest burden of tobacco-related illness and mortality.

A Comparison of Sexual Relationships among Hispanic men by Sexual Orientation: Implications for HIV/STI Prevention.

Background: Hispanic men experience high rates of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when compared to non-Hispanic whites. Many factors contribute to HIV/STI risk among Hispanic men. Some researchers have suggested that primary relationships may be a source of HIV/STIs because some men engage in sexual relationships outside of the primary relationship.

Depression, Self-Esteem, and Childhood Abuse Among Hispanic Men Residing in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region.

Hispanics experience health disparities in mental health and HIV infection when compared to non-Hispanic Whites, which may be related to childhood abuse. The purpose of our cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between childhood abuse and depressive symptoms in a sample of Hispanic men (N = 103) living in a metropolitan U.S.

Promoting Health Through Policy and Systems Change: Public Health Students and Mentors on the Value of Policy Advocacy Experience in Academic Internships.

Emerging professionals and new Certified Health Education Specialists often lack academic training in and actual experience in National Commission for Health Education Credentialing Area of Responsibility VII: Communicate, Promote, and Advocate for Health, Health Education/Promotion, and the Profession. For undergraduate and graduate students who have an opportunity to complete an internship or practicum experience, gaining experience in Competencies 7.2: Engage in advocacy for health and health education/promotion and 7.

Increasing Our Advocacy Capacity Through HIV Community Mobilization: Perspectives From Emerging and Mid-Career Professionals.

In this commentary, six public health practitioners and researchers discuss how their participation in the El Paso HIV Community Mobilization effort has contributed to their professional development and increased their collective capacity to advocate for practice and policy improvements that contribute to health equity in general and within the context of HIV prevention. Like previous commentaries in this department that have highlighted the value of the Certified Health Education Specialist credential ( http://www.nchec.

Depression and Co-Occurring Health Determinants of Hispanic Men with HIV Infection in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region: A Pilot Study.

HIV infection among Hispanic men is a public health concern. Certain factors have been identified that may contribute to the high rates of HIV infection among Hispanic men such as migration, acculturation, poverty, and depression. Hispanic men with HIV infection are at risk for additional co-occurring health issues.

Health Risk and Protective Factors Among Hispanic Women Living in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region.

As the Hispanic population continues to flourish in areas such the U.S.-Mexico border region, more attention needs to be focused on health factors among Hispanics.

Perspectives From the Field: Certified Health Education Specialists on the Value of Health Education Credentialing.

In this commentary, four Certified Health Education Specialists (CHESs) share their reasons for obtaining national certification as health education specialists, the value of national credentialing to their employers, and the career development benefits of National Commission for Health Education Credentialing certification. CHESs play a vital role in diverse research and practice settings and increasingly contribute to changes in practice and policy that promote health equity. National Commission for Health Education Credentialing certification enhances our individual capacity as public health educators and also enhances our profession through systematic verification of responsibilities, competencies, and subcompetencies.

Professional development through policy advocacy: communicating and advocating for health and health equity.

Communicating and advocating for evidence-based public health policy is a key component of health promotion practice, but public health professionals often lack experience in policy advocacy. This article provides perspectives from public health professionals who participated in successful public health policy advocacy efforts in their community. Their experiences using evidence-based research to advocate for policies that promote health equity contributed significantly to their career development, and also contributed to community capacity to reduce tobacco-related disparities.

Health, hope, and human development: building capacity in public housing communities on the U.S.-Mexico border.

In this paper we highlight results from our recent survey of public housing residents living in the U.S.-Mexico border region.

Experience preferred: insights from our newest public health professionals on how internships/practicums promote career development.

Universities offering undergraduate degrees in health promotion or health education and/or graduate degrees in public health typically require an internship, practicum, or fieldwork experience. This type of mentored experience is an important aspect of career development for the next generation of public health professionals and benefits not only the students but also the profession and the communities in which they work. This article provides perspectives from four public health professionals who have recently graduated from designated minority-serving institutions and highlights the ways in which internship, practicum, or fieldwork experiences have contributed to their career development.

Career development through local chapter involvement: perspectives from chapter members.

The importance of career development in professional organizations has been noted in the literature. Personal and professional benefits of membership regardless of discipline can be found across the career spectrum from student to executive. The benefits of professional membership with respect to career development in local chapter organizations have seldom been studied.

Translational health research: perspectives from health education specialists.

The phrase "from bench to bedside to curbside" is a common definition of translational research among health disparities researchers. Health Education Specialists can make important contributions to the field of clinical translational medicine, particularly in light of U.S.

Professional development through planning for and/or participating in an accreditation/approval review.

The quality of delivery of health education services is connected to landmark events in the history of health education. Quality assurance is one type of professional development in which practicing health education specialists engage. This article presents the steps of an accreditation/approval process, brief overviews of the major accreditation/approval systems, and the opportunities within the accreditation/approval process for professional development.

Benefits of professional organization membership and participation in national conferences: considerations for students and new professionals.

The focus of this manuscript is on the next generation of health education professionals and is written by those who are part of that next generation. This manuscript serves as a good reminder to all health educators regarding the importance of professional association membership and attending professional conferences. The co-editors hope that established health education professionals-whether serving as faculty members teaching in professional preparation programs or those practitioners mentoring the next generation-will share this article with students and/ or colleagues regarding the benefits of attending professional conferences and joining professional organizations.