Evaluating an Academic Health Department During a Pandemic: Lessons Learned

Academic Health Departments (AHDs) are the mutually beneficial relationship between the study and practice of public health. Few studies have evaluated both the necessary infrastructure and how to best implement an AHD.

This study evaluated the St. Louis AHD in its first 3 years of development, using both the using the Coalition Effectiveness Inventory (CEI: infrastructure) and Collaboration Factors Inventory (CFI: implementation).

This was a prospective cross-sectional study evaluating the formal initiation of an AHD between two local health departments and an accredited school of public health. Surveys were electronically distributed to staff, faculty and students at each of the three sites. The main outcome measures included Level of Engagement, CFI and CEI.

There was significantly more collaboration after implementation of the AHD (30% vs. 16%; P = 0.01). The 63 participants who completed the CEI Time 1 (M = 2.01) were compared to the 53 participants who completed the CEI Time 2 (M = 2.15) and there was no significant difference in composite CEI scores, t (113.988) = -1.10, p = 0.28. One CEI subscale, broad-based-involvement, was found to be significantly higher in Time 2, t(113.654) = -2.22, p = 0.05. The 63 participants who completed the CFI Time 1 (M = 3.57) were compared to the 53 participants who completed the CFI Time 2 (M = 3.27). There was a significant decrease in the composite CFI score, t (113.766) = 2.79, p = 0.05.

AHD development is strengthened through leadership and formalized organizational infrastructure.