Pre-conference Work Shops - March 12, 2012

STD 101 in a Box Work Shop

March 12, 2012 - 8:30 am - 1 pm

Target Audience:  This pre-conference workshop is for attendees of the National STD Conference who are interested in STDs, but have limited clinical or programmatic experience.  Participants may consist of community based organization employees, new DIS, program administrators, students, researchers, etc.  HIV CBOs are of special interest.

If interested, please sign up by March 11, 2012.  To sign up, contact Blanche C. Collins, bccollins@cdc.gov, 404-639-2092.

Goal of this session:  To provide a basic understanding of STDs, their clinical issues, national trends, commonality with other diseases, prevention messages, and the STD public health system. This session will provide attendees with the necessary base knowledge to interactively participate in the conference and promote their engagement in STD prevention after the conference.

Learning objectives – By the end of the session, the participant will be able to:

• List common STDs
• Identify areas in the US with high STD morbidity; identify populations with increased STD morbidity
• Describe the importance of screening and early detection of STDs
• Describe the connection between STDs and other conditions such as HIV, TB, and substance abuse
• Describe current STD behavioral interventions
• Describe the STD public health system at state and local levels

Questions: Contact Blanche C. Collins, bccollins@cdc.gov, 404-639-2092.

STD Program Management Course Capstone

March 12, 2012 – 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Target Audience: (By invitation only) This session is intended for those who have participated in past offerings of the STD Program Management Course.

Session Description: The session will be co-facilitated by Dr. Peter Kerndt and Chang Lee. The session will provide STD Program Management course alumni with an opportunity to integrate and apply the skills and knowledge presented during the STD Program Management course through examining and problem-solving real-life program management case scenarios led by course faculty.  In addition the Capstone will be a forum for program managers to meet and network with their peers from around the country.

Registration Link: STD Program Management Capstone Registration

Contact person: Sue Przekwas, Training Director, Mid-America Prevention Training Center, Sue.Przekwas@state.co.us

Expedited Partner Therapy- Strategies to Address Common Barriers to Implementation

March 12, 2012 - 2 pm - 4 pm

Target Audience:  This pre-conference work shop is open to all conference attendees who are interested in sharing their experiences in implementing EPT, and learning strategies to overcome legal and policy barriers to EPT implementation and uptake from other states. 

Sign up is not required, however we would appreciate those planning to attend to contact Alexis Kaigler at akaigler@cdc.gov.

Goal of this session:  This is an interactive session designed for all of those interested in EPT- whether you are in the initial phases of addressing legal and policy issues or currently implementing EPT.

This session will feature presentations highlighting policy aspects of EPT and include facilitated roundtable discussions where participants can share and learn about best practices in adopting laws to support EPT, addressing policies barriers such as reimbursement, and strategies to increase uptake.  Participants will also learn about the various tools that are available to assist with addressing these issues, and are encouraged to bring any EPT materials they have developed to display during the session. 

Mental Health and STD Prevention Work Shop

March 12, 2012 - Session one: 2 pm - 3 pm,  Session two: 3 pm - 4 pm

This preconference work shop is open to all conference participants at no extra charge and includes two consecutive, one hour training sessions. Those interested may choose to attend one or both sessions.

Background and Purpose:  The two sessions comprising this pre-conference workshop are meant to provide for training and candid discussion among CDC staff, partners, and other interested public health professionals in advance of the meeting on a topic about to which CDC has previously devoted relatively little attention.  In addition, this preconference session could help to form partnerships and build a base of interested field staff and partners for potential future collaboration.

Registration is not required.

Session one, “Mental Health,” will be a one hour training session, and will take place from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.  This session, utilizing an interactive lecture and question and answer format, will be geared toward CDC STD field staff, state and local public health officials, and other partner organization professionals who have not had prior mental health training. The session will be led by Dr. Marc Safran, a board certified psychiatrist and U.S. Public Health Service physician who has led CDC efforts to incorporate mental health into other aspects of public health. The educational objectives of this session are that by the conclusion of this session, participants will have a basic understanding of what mental health is, what mental illness is, how mental illness is defined, and some of the ways in which mental illness is treated.  

Session two, “Mental Health and STD Prevention,” will be a one hour training session, and will take place from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The audience will be heterogeneous with respect to expertise in mental health, with some attendees having expertise in the field and others having no prior expertise.   The session will begin with a very brief presentation by Dr. Safran on why mental health is relevant to STD prevention. The bulk of the session will be devoted to a discussion of past efforts and potential future public health collaboration regarding mental health and STD.  This session will be geared toward CDC STD field staff, state and local public health officials, other partner organization professionals, other public health professionals, and others interested in trying to address mental health issues related to STDs.  This session is meant to facilitate discussion of potential ways in which CDC and its partners might best address mental health aspects of public health, given a climate of limited public health resources.  Discussions initiated in this preconference session might continue informally among participants during the conference.  

Questions:  Contact Marc Safran, MD, MPA, MSafran@cdc.gov