Professionals from across the country pilot Public Health and Social Services Evaluation Certificate program
June 29, 2021 | Lisa A. Frazier | training, evaluation
Between May 10 and June 18, the Center for HOPES piloted a non-degree certificate program designed for public health and social service professionals and researchers. The self-paced, virtual course aimed to address fear or resistance to program evaluation and to empower the public health and social services work force to use data to assess programmatic needs.
Through a series of asynchronous modules and activities, supplemented by synchronous office hours and group discussions, participants learned about best practices in program evaluation and refined their skill in thinking critically about the connections between investments, practice, and outcomes.
About the cohort
The inaugural cohort for the program included 27 students from diverse professional backgrounds, including community health workers, social workers, program managers, epidemiologists, clinicians, and health services policy analysts.
Community Engagement Specialist and Evaluator Anne Trinh recruited participants from the registration list for the Advancing Equity webinar series and the Center’s network of local partners. In addition to Ohio-based public, non-profit, and private organizations, the cohort also included participants from Washington state and Illinois, the Yale School of Medicine, and the US Departments of Transportation and Justice.
Feedback from participants
“Overall feedback has been really positive,” says Ms. Trinh. “But students also gave us input on things that we can change, like providing CEUs, having more discussion and evening office hours, and providing opportunities to learn from peers. We will be working on these updates soon.”
We reached out to two members of the pilot class to share their additional thoughts about their experience. Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.
Alix Warren 
she/her
Program Analyst, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (Washington State)
What made you interested in enrolling in this program?
I was new to my role and looking for an extracurricular to improve my evaluation skills. I have worked in public health for most of my career, but never had a position where I focused explicitly on evaluation, so I was hoping to improve (or at least validate!) the approach I was taking with my project at work. The Introductory Certificate in Public Health and Social Services Evaluation seemed like a great way to refine the work I was already doing.
How will you use what you learned in your work and career?
The most valuable thing I’ll take away from this course is that there are many evaluation theories and tools that can be customized to fit any project. I took detailed notes and saved the resources provided so that I can refer back to them over time – and I know they will be of use in any evaluation project I take on in the future.
How were you able to connect with other members of the cohort?
I was able to participate in a few group meetings and it was great to learn more about my classmates’ projects and backgrounds. If I were to take another course, I would be more intentional about networking with my peers!
How did you balance the work of the program with your professional/work responsibilities?
The course was the perfect complement to my current work responsibilities, so I thought of it as a small extension to my workday. I typically did the coursework on Sunday evenings to get me in the right headspace for the work week. On Monday mornings, I was ready to hit the ground running.
Why and to whom would you recommend this certificate program?
I would recommend this course to anyone interested in public health evaluation, regardless of educational attainment. It can be a foundational course for anyone new to the topic. Or, for those who have been doing evaluation for some time, it can be a helpful refresher. In addition to the readings and presentations, the instructors were available for office hours, which would be a great opportunity to discuss evaluation challenges with experts in the field.
Ashley Montana 
she/her
Community Engagement Manager, Franklinton Development Association
What made you interested in enrolling in this program?
I was interested in taking the class because I have worked with the social determinants of health in the past through grants, and I have an interest in public health. I am considering pursuing a Master of Social Work or Public Health, and this was a good thing to get me back into the mindset of a student. In my day job, I look at program results for our community money management program and I was curious how this course would change my data collection and program evaluation practices.
What was the biggest thing you learned?
I knew about logic models through a grant that I worked on through CelebrateOne in 2018, but this program helped me understand them better. I hadn’t heard of the logic model framework before the grant and had some issues understanding the concept, but this class gave me a better idea. I was surprised at the process of creating one from start to finish. It was also helpful to read and hear from other programs that gave real world examples.
How will you use what you learned in your work and career?
The most valuable thing I learned from this program is understanding from start to finish how evaluative thinking works and how it’s applied to community programs. As we read about logic models and evaluation planning, I realized that grants I have worked on have used this process to evaluate results.
I’ve also been able to use it as a framework for a problem we were discussing as an organization — about how to measure gentrification. We talk about gentrification a lot in our studies, but not actually the ways to measure displacement. I wish I had heard about these concepts while in college! I think most undergrads would benefit from this course.
How did you balance the work of the program with your professional/work responsibilities?
It was a challenge at times, and I think that mainly comes with being out of school for 5 years. I enjoyed breaking up my workday by working on this program and the ways in which it related to other responsibilities I have at my job.
Why and to whom would you recommend this certificate program?
I would recommend this program to those who work in program management and social services that want to have a better understanding of evaluating their programs. I would also recommend this to someone that has an interest in public health and how to include that into their existing career through the social determinants of health. My job at a non-profit is not completely connected to public health, but it is still an interest of mind, and I found the program beneficial to my career. I would also recommend this program to people who work in grant writing because more grants require measurable outputs and outcomes throughout the life of the program funded, and this program will help people better understand that.
Expanding the Program
The spring 2021 cohort piloted the Introductory level modules of this program. The Center plans to pilot the Intermediate modules at the end of 2021 and the Advanced modules at the beginning of 2022. In May 2022, they will launch all three sets and establish a year-round course calendar.
Learn more about the program syllabus and instructor here.
Contact Anne Trinh with specific questions.
Stay updated on future programming by checking our website, following @CenterforHOPES on Twitter, subscribing to our quarterly newsletter.