MPH PRACTICUM COMMITMENT FORM

Baylor University MPH Program in Community Health

Instructions to Student: Send a copy of the MPH Practicum Supervisor Guide, and complete as much of this form
as possible, prior to meeting with the potential practicum supervisor. During the meeting, discuss practicum
requirements/possibilities and update this form. Then meet with the Practicum Coordinator to discuss practicum
plans. Finalize the form and provide electronic copies to the Practicum Coordinator and Supervisor.
PRACTICUM STUDENT

Student Name: Cait Kelley Semester/year of practicum (e.g., Sum20): Sum21

Phone number (include area code): 4693874722 Date to begin practicum (e.g., 6-1-11):7-1-2021

Email: caitlin_kelley2@baylor.edu Date to end practicum (e.g., 8-14-11): 8-22-2021

Mailing Address (street/box, city, state, zip): 400 Ivy Ave. apt 139 Waco,TX 76706

PRACTICUM ORGANIZATION/PROGRAM
Organization: Prosper Waco Website URL: prosperwaco.org

Address (street address, city, state, zip): Primary health-related service/mission:

5002 Lakeland Circle, Ste. B The mission of the Prosper Waco initiative is to build
Waco, Texas 76710 an environment in which all members of our Waco
community are able to measurably improve their
Mailing Address (if different from street address): education, health, and financial security.

PRACTICUM SUPERVISOR

Name: Jeremy Rhodes, PhD Degrees/Certifications: Doctorate and Master’s degree in

sociology from Baylor University

Title: Director of Research and Community Primary responsibilities/expertise: Develops a framework for
Impact assessing progress toward community goals. Translating and
narrating research findings.

Program/Department/Division: Research Years of work experience:

Phone: 254-741-0081 Years of experience in public health/community health:

Fax: Email: jeremy@prosperwaco.org

Mailing Address (if different from organization):

 UNIVERSITY SUPERVISOR*

Name: Phone:
Dr. Emmanuel Akowuah 245-710-4611
Organization: Email:
Baylor University, Department of Public Health Emmanuel_Akowuah@baylor.edu

Mailing Address: Weblink: faculty page

One Bear Place, 97343 https://www.baylor.edu/chhs/index.php?id=970486

*Faculty member who will supervise the student’s practicum work as instructor of record for PUBH 5V94

BAYLOR PRACTICUM COORDINATOR

Name: Dr. Beth Lanning Phone: (254) 710-4027

Title: Director, MPH in Community Health Email: Beth_Lanning@baylor.edu

Address: Department of Public Health, One Bear Place #97343, Waco, TX, 76798-7343
 Practicum Proposal

Proposed Host Organization

The mission of the Prosper Waco initiative is to build an environment in which all
members of our Waco community are able to measurably improve their education, health, and
financial security. The program I am going to be a part of is called Futures Worth Protecting:
Building Community Capacity to Promote Adolescent Reproductive Health.

Practicum Supervisor
My practicum supervisor is Tiffiney Gray, who has managed multiple community-
engaged research (CEnR) projects at the Medical College of Wisconsin to include Community
Health Improvement for Milwaukee’s Children (CHIMC), Earlier Is Better (EIB), and
Milwaukee Prevention of Opioid Misuse through Peer Training (Milwaukee PROMPT), with
funding support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin
Foundation, Pfizer Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She is the Senior
Specialist for Health Initiatives for the Waco Foundation.

Rationale
As a community health concentration major, I aim to address specific health issues facing
certain populations. My career goals are to expand sexual health education across Waco,TX, as
well as all of Texas. This practicum allows me to begin the building blocks of shifting the idea of
the teen pregnancy burden from the individual to the entire community.

Competency Matrix

PRACTICUM COMPETENCY MATRIX

Specific products in ePortfolio that Competency: MPH/CH

demonstrate application or practice
Reproductive Health Education &
Communications Materials for Teens
a. MPH 18 Select communications
strategies for different audiences
and sectors
b. MPH 19 Communicate audience-
appropriate public health content,
both in writing and through oral
presentation
c. MPH 8 Apply awareness of cultural
values and practices to the design or
implementation of public health
policies or programs
d. CH 8 Develop a research plan for
health education/promotion.
 Assessment of Sex Education Curriculum a. MPH 7 Assess population needs,
Use in Waco-McLennan County (and assets, and capacities that affect
surrounding) ISDs communities’ health
b. MPH 12 Discuss multiple
dimensions of the policy-making
process, including the roles of
ethics and evidence
c. MPH 15 Evaluate policies for their
impact on public health and health
equity
d. CH 4 Integrate methods for
involving priority populations,
partners, and other stakeholders into
the planning process.

Explanation of Competency Matrix/Planned Products

The first deliverable related to reproductive health education and communication

materials will address competencies MPH 8, 18, 19, and CH 8. I will be creating an awareness
campaign called Myth-busters which will focus on redressing inaccurate beliefs about sex and
reproduction health. As a part of this campaign, slide decks, health issue briefs, and Instagram
posts will be produced for the use of Prosper Waco. I will select communication strategies for
different audiences and sectors and create specialized messages to better serve the community.
The various methods I am using to deliver the education materials will allow me to effectively
communicate, through oral and written mediums, reproductive health information to the
community. My past experience with students from local high schools give me an awareness of
cultural values and practices that can be utilized in the design or implementation of public health
policies or programs to better serve the different cultures within our community. I will also
develop a research plan for the promotion of health education.

My second deliverable, conducting a sex education landscape assessment, will address

competencies MPH 7,12,15, CH 4. The assessment will help us determine deficiencies in sex
education across the county and the specific needs of local schools to improve health education.
In order to accomplish this, I will first assess the populations needs, assets, and capacities that
may affect public health. After this assessment, we will discuss the multiple dimensions of the
policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence. Then, I will evaluate policies
for their impact on public health and health equity. The final step will be integrating the methods
for involving priority populations, partners, and other stakeholders into the planning process.
Further, an assessment of sex education curriculum in Waco-McLennan county and other
surrounding ISDs will be used to develop a plan to improve sex education in the area schools.
The information obtained through the assessment will be used to develop an action guide with
effective strategies to engage in local advocacy for sex education.
 My career plan is to continue into health policy, with a focus in sexual health. These
targeted competencies demonstrate my ability to assess health curriculums effectively as well
publicize and engage the community in addressing sexual health issues. The products I will
complete in this practicum will give me concrete examples of my ability to execute my selected
competencies.

Professional Strengths and Expected Growth

My current strengths are as follows:

1. A deep understanding about the topic of Adolescent Sexual Health.
2. A passion for this topic, and a dedication to create real change.
3. Flexibility with the evolving climate surrounding adolescent sexual health.
Areas I wish to grow in are as follows:
1. Inter-professional communication and networking
2. Systems thinking approach