The Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health was awarded a four-year $3.6 million grant to help improve the nation’s public health.

The grant was awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration as a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to a press release, the grant will be used to establish a Consortium of Public Health Training Centers, called Western Region Public Health Training Centers, in the Health Resources and Services Administration’s ninth district. This district serves Arizona, Nevada, California, Hawaii and U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands.

In order to qualify for the grant, a college must be an accredited college of public health in the region and submit a proposal. Other schools in the region that were previously awarded the grant include the colleges of public health at University of California, Berkley; University of California, Los Angeles; and San Diego State University.

Staff will assist numerous groups throughout the different states with the establishment of their own Public Health Training Centers to strengthen the technical, scientific, managerial and leadership competence of both the current and future public health workforce.

Douglas Taren, the associate dean of academic affairs for the College of Public Health and the project director for the new centers, said representatives from the College of Public Health will assess the needs of individual centers and train their staff members accordingly.

The College of Public Health has strong experience in online education, Taren said, in addition to working closely with Medicare and Medicaid.

The Public Health Training Centers are partnerships between accredited schools of public health, related academic institutions and public health agencies and organizations. These training centers are developed with the intention of creating a center that will best serve the needs of the community in which it is located.

Taren said he believes the UA was chosen largely because of its focus on rural health care.

“The UA’s College of Public Health has a strong focus on rural health care,” Taren said, pointing to the UA Arizona Center for Rural Health which strives to provide education and technical assistance to rural hospitals and health care providers.

In addition to specialization in rural health care, the UA also has another focus, Taren said, which is in nutrition, physical activity and obesity.
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