We're Hiring | Meet Melissa Stafford Jones, PHI's New CEO & President | Webinar: Healing Intergenerational Trauma Among AAAI Communities

Meet Melissa Stafford Jones, PHI's New CEO & President

Welcome Melissa Stafford Jones, MPH, the Public Health Institute’s next CEO and president. After an extensive and competitive national search, PHI’s Board felt that Stafford Jones’s lifelong commitment to advancing health and healthcare for all, her collaborative leadership style, and her deep experience with forecasting and implementing high-level policy and care initiatives made her best positioned to lead PHI into its next phase of transformative public health. With more than 30 years of experience in health and policy matters at the local, state, and national levels, PHI’s Board of Directors is confident that Stafford Jones will guide PHI to even deeper, more sustainable impacts. Read the full announcement →

How Coalitions & Community Partners Play Critical Roles in Addressing Substance Use

PHI's California Overdose Prevention Network (COPN) brings together coalitions, organizations and individuals working at the forefront of the overdose epidemic—helping to prevent new addictions, manage pain safely, treat addiction, and stop overdose deaths. Today, COPN has grown to include 41 coalitions which serve 45 counties across the state and reach 85% of Californians, representing the largest overdose prevention network in California and the nation. One highlight: Thanks in part to technical assistance and support from COPN, the Safe Rx Mendocino Coalition helped implement a policy that requires all first responders in the country to always carry naloxone—a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids. Read the impact story to learn more about COPN →

Webinar Series: Intergenerational Trauma Among Asian American & Asian Immigrant Communities

Join PHI’s Lotus Project for a new webinar series exploring the profound impacts of intergenerational trauma on Asian American & Asian immigrant (AAAI) communities. Tune in on Tuesday, December 12 at 1-2:30pm PT for the first session, which will discuss how trauma may be “passed down” through generations and how it shapes the mental health, physical health and identity of Asian Americans and immigrants today. Presenters will share how systemic racism, immigration challenges and cultural expectations contribute to intergenerational trauma, and will provide insight into how individuals and communities can work towards healing.  Register for the webinar →

More Upcoming Events, Trainings & Webinars

Creating MAT Proficient Recovery Homes: TODAY: Tuesday, December 5 | 11am-12pm PT. Just because a recovery home accepts a person on medication for addiction treatment (MAT), it does not mean it proficiently supports them. This webinar, hosted by PHI's Alcohol Research Group as part of the Infrastructure for Studying Treatment & Addiction Recovery Residences (I-STARR) project, reviews how recovery residences can implement organizational changes to better support residents on MAT. RSVP →

Reducing Death from Substance Use Disorders with PHI’s Bridge’s Vision: Monday, December 11 | 9-9:30am PT. PHI’s Bridge has led the largest expansion of emergency department (ED) medication for addiction treatment (MAT) in history—helping to save thousands of lives. Tune in to learn about their remarkable impacts thus far, and their goal to cut overdose deaths in half by 2030. Hear from leaders in the field who are working to transform the substance use disorder treatment landscape in California and across the country. Register →

Racism, Housing & Asthma: A Conversation: Monday, December 11 | 9:30-11am PT. Join PHI’s Regional Asthma Management and Prevention program and the National Center for Healthy Housing for conversation on the connections between structural racism, housing and asthma. Hear insights and strategies for action, from three of the country’s leading practitioners and researchers on these issues: Tyra Bryant-Stephens, MD; Neeta Thakur, MD, MPH; and Adali Martinez, MD, MPH. Tune in →

Empowering Communities in Overdose Prevention: Wednesday, December 13 | 11:30am-12:30pm PT. PHI’s National Overdose Prevention Network shares highlights from their 2023 webinar learning series—from strategies to engage faith-based partners in harm reduction, to what you need to know about Xylzaine. This webinar is sponsored by the National Overdose Prevention Network, a program of PHI Center for Health Leadership & Impact and produced by Dialogue4Health. Register →

Recovery Housing Research: Pros & Cons of Mixed Methods Designs: Tuesday, December 19 | 11am–12pm PT. Recovery housing research can benefit from mixed methods approaches. Quantitative and qualitative methods can be combined to maximize both breadth and depth while triangulating data to improve robustness. However, successful mixed methods research requires careful consideration and planning. This webinar reviews the benefits and challenges of mixed methods approaches in the study of recovery housing. Hosted by PHI's Alcohol Research Group as part of the Infrastructure for Studying Treatment & Addiction Recovery Residences (I-STARR) project. Join →

Training Course for the CASp Examination: January 8-11, 2024 | 8am-12pm | $1,600. This four-day online training course from PHI's Pacific ADA Center will provide a comprehensive review of the relevant knowledge, skills and abilities covered on the examination to become a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) in California. A CASp is a qualified individual who is certified by the California Division of the State Architect to review buildings and facilities for compliance with state and federal construction-related accessibility codes and standards. Register now →

More from PHI

• Transforming Rural America with Regenerative Agriculture: On the latest episode of Flipping the Table, a podcast from PHI's Roots of Change, Michael Dimock speaks with Will Harris, a fourth-generation cattleman and the leader of White Oak Pastures. Will shares his journey to finding regenerative agriculture, humane animal husbandry and environmental sustainability—including the use of managed grazing to reduce carbon, recharge waterways, preserve habitats and support rural economies. Hear the podcast →
• Inspiring Future Healthcare Leaders: Meet Sophia Ledesma, an alumnus of PHI’s FACES for the Future, which helps high school students get the experience, knowledge and support they need to launch careers in health and medicine. Sofia says that FACES was one of the first programs where she saw people from her own community in the healthcare workforce. Today, she remains passionate about addressing structural health inequities and is pursuing her master’s in public health at UC Berkeley, in Health and Social Behavior. Read the full impact story →
• Webinar Recording: Strategies for Supporting Afghan Refugees: Catch up with this webinar recording from PHI’s Lotus Project and Sehat Initiative to find strategies to address the unique challenges faced by Afghan refugees; understand how to provide culturally competent mental health assessments and treatments to Afghan refugees while respecting cultural beliefs, norms, and practices; and learn how to address language barriers and cultural stigma, overpathologizing, or overmedicalizing suffering. Watch the recording →
• The Need for Centering Community in Media Coverage: In Public Health Newswire, Pamela Mejia with PHI’s Berkeley Media Studies Group discusses how media coverage on declarations of racism as a public health crisis often ignores the community’s role and advocacy efforts. “Government officials dominated news about declarations of racism as a public health crisis. It suggests that communities were less involved in calls to change than governments,” said BMSG’s Pamela Mejia, MPH, MS. Read the article →

We're Hiring

PHI is dedicated to promoting health, well-being and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. Join us:

• IT Operations Technical Lead: Oakland, CA. The IT Operations Technical Lead focuses on enhancement, optimization, security, high availability, and maintenance of enterprise services and systems in a Virtualized/Cloud/Physical IT hybrid environment.
• Care Navigator-Bilingual: San Francisco Bay Area (Remote in Area). The Care Navigator is a key role in the AC Care Alliance Advanced Illness Care Program™ (ACCA-AICP), providing front-line support for members of the community, referrals from health care systems, and ACCA congregations who are caregivers and individuals with advanced illness. 
• Cancer Registry Data Associate: Sacramento, CA (Hybrid). The Cancer Registry Data Associate (CRDA) is an entry level position that performs casefinding, data collection, follow-back activities and more.
• Executive Director: California (Remote). The Research Program Director II will serve as Executive Director and Principal Investigator responsible for the overall vision, strategic direction, executive leadership, and management for long-established priority PHI programs and initiatives including Tracking California and the Achieving Resilient Communities project.

See all current opportunities →

Support Our Work

With your help, we can continue to invest in communities to build a stronger, more resilient public health system. Donate today →

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