The Office of Community Engagement is introducing a new Canvas course designed and developed to help UNMC faculty, staff and students build stronger, more authentic relationships with community partners.
Community Bridges introduces the concepts, fundamentals and practices of community engagement in an academic health context. The course explores the importance of building trust, developing authentic community partnerships and communicating effectively when working with community partners.
Participants also will have access to essential community engagement resources, such as those published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The course includes instruction provided by local community member and trainer Gibril Mansaray, and Heidi Keeler, PhD, assistant vice chancellor, UNMC Office of Community Engagement, who bring personal and professional perspectives to the importance of connecting academic health institutions with the communities they serve.
“Where would the world be without bridges? Not only connecting us across land, but connecting communities and cultures,” Mansaray said. “How can our communities be better if we don’t engage each other in authentic ways?”
Mansaray said his fascination with the relationship between individuals and society led to an interest in understanding how communities and social environments shape people’s experiences.
Dr. Keeler’s path to community and population health began as she started recognizing similarities and trends among the patients she cared for.
“I started to notice patterns about people, what challenges they face outside of the hospital, and how these challenges impacted their experiences in the hospital,” Dr. Keeler said.
Those experiences led her to pursue graduate education focused on population and community health and to explore how health systems can better respond to health needs resulting from the different environments, cultures and circumstances that shape people’s lives.
Community Bridges is intended to provide a foundation for anyone at UNMC who wants to better understand and practice community engagement, its creators say.
“This course reviews the basic concepts of community engagement,” Dr. Keeler said. “As you grow as a clinician and you grow in your profession, we want to make sure that you’re prepared and that you can apply these basics while working with various communities.” The course is free and available to all UNMC faculty, staff and students. Upon completion, participants will receive a digital badge that can be added to an email signature, LinkedIn profile or other professional platforms.
Register for Community Bridges
UNMC faculty, staff and students interested in strengthening their community engagement skills can register for the Community Bridges Canvas course by filling out this form.
For questions about the course, contact the Office of Community Engagement via this email.