title: Cultural competency training for public health students: integrating self, social, and global awareness into a master of public health curriculum.
abstract: Cultural competency training in public health, medicine, social work, nursing, dental medicine, and other health professions has been a topic of increasing interest and significance. Despite the now burgeoning literature that describes specific knowledge, attitudes, and skills that promote cultural "competence," fully defining this complex, multidimensional term and implementing activities to enhance it remain a challenge. We describe our experiences in introducing a mandatory, full-day workshop to incoming Master of Public Health students, called "Self, Social, and Global Awareness: Personal Capacity Building for Professional Education and Practice." The purpose of the program is to provide a meaningful, structured environment to explore issues of culture, power, privilege, and social justice, emphasizing the centrality of these issues in effective public health education and practice.
authors.affiliation: At the time this article was written, Linda F. Cushman was with the Office of Field Practice and Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY. Marlyn Delva was with the Office of Student Affairs and Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Ana Jimenez-Bautista was with the Office of Field Practice, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Jim Glover was with the Office of Educational Programs, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Melissa D. Begg was with the Dean's Office and Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Joyce Moon-Howard was with the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Cheryl L. Franks is in the Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Department, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York.
authors.forename: Linda F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Cushman
authors.forename: Marlyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delva
authors.forename: Cheryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Franks
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jimenez-Bautista
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moon-Howard
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.forename: Melissa D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Begg
mesh_terms: D054521:Cultural Competency; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003479:Curriculum; D004500:Education, Graduate; D040381:Education, Public Health Professional; D005178:Faculty; D006801:Humans; D011209:Power, Psychological; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012935:Social Justice; D013192:Staff Development