title: Assessing the status of partnerships between academic institutions and public health agencies.
abstract: We identified, described, and defined models of academic institution-public health agency partnerships in Florida. The study involved a mixed-method research design using data collected from a survey of 67 county health department (CHD) administrators and directors in Florida, in-depth interviews of key informants, and reviews of relevant Florida statutes and other archival data providing context for the partnerships. Fifty-one of the CHDs (76%) participated in the survey. Most reported formal agreements involving 50 different academic institutions. The partnerships were perceived to enhance the local public health system's capacity. Recommendations focus on the need for a multitiered system for recognition of the partnerships and expansion of federal support for partnership beyond existing approaches.
authors.affiliation: Duval County Health Department, Institute for Health, Policy and Evaluation Research, Jacksonville, Fla 32211, USA. william_livingood@doh.state.fl.us
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Livingood
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goldhagen
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gornto
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hou
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019985:Benchmarking; D003625:Data Collection; D035082:Federal Government; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D011635:Public Health Administration; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D012574:Schools