Context: There is a need to understand minority governmental public health workforce turnover to ensure the retention of public health minority workers, capitalize on diversity benefits, and enhance public health's capacity to serve diverse populations. Objective: This study assesses the moderating effect of minority health workers' race on (1) the relationship between the workforce environment, particularly employees' perceptions of their pay and supervisory support on job satisfaction, and (2) the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Design: Using the 2017 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS), a cross-sectional survey of the public health workforce, a hierarchical logistic regression modeling technique was used to assess the moderating role of race on the relationship between supervisory support, pay and job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Setting and Participants: The PH WINS survey data from state and local health department employees. Main Outcome Measure: Job satisfaction, pay, supervisory support, and turnover intention. Results: Job satisfaction was found to mediate the relationship between the work environment factors of pay satisfaction and supervisory support and turnover. Our findings also suggest that while race moderates the influence of compensation and supervisory support on job satisfaction, race has no moderating effect on the job satisfaction-turnover intentions relationship. Conclusions: A focus on boosting job satisfaction, particularly through pay equity and perceived support, may reduce turnover among minority public health personnel.

Purpose: The purpose of this case study is to describe one Southern United States of America (US), historically Black medical school's approach to adapting medical education training through learning communities (LCs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approach: The COVID-19 pandemic created a wide variety of problems for higher education. Classes moved quickly from in-person to virtual instruction with little time for training; faculty and students had to adapt to new learning platforms, learning styles, study techniques and technological challenges. Emotions ran high due to constant change, transitions and numerous unknowns. The LC structure embedded in the curriculum of this US medical school aided in the navigation of these challenges.Findings: Of the 95 MD1–MD4 respondents combined who responded to the COVID-19 LC survey, 67% rated the LC sessions good/outstanding, 20% average, 7% poor/fair and 5% N/A. When asked if LCs had helped them during the pandemic, overall, 66% said “yes” and 34% said “no.” When asked how LCs have helped during the pandemic, themes emerged related to safety, adapting to feelings of isolation/mental health/emotional support, and academic progress.Originality/value: The small LC group structure created a sense of security for receiving academic help, emotional support, a network of assistance resources and a place to process COVID-19 losses and insecurities. Receptivity to utilizing the LC structure for support may relate to the medical students' commitment to addressing health disparities, serving the underserved and embracing a medical school culture that values community.

Morehouse School of Medicine (SOM) works to achieve its vision of advancing health equity through conducting transformational, translation science (T^x). T^x describes our translational research continuum, symbolizing a method and scientific philosophy that intentionally promotes and supports convergence of interdisciplinary approaches and scientists to stimulate exponential advances for the health of diverse communities. Morehouse SOM actualizes T^x through multidisciplinary translational teams (MDTTs). We chronicle the identification of MDTTs by documenting formation, composition, functioning, successes, failures, and sustainability. Data and information were collected through key informant interviews, review of research documents, workshops, and community events. Our scan identified 16 teams that meet our Morehouse SOM definition of an MDTT. These team science workgroups cross basic science, clinical, and public health academic departments, and include community partners and student learners. We present four MDTTs, in various stages of progress, at Morehouse SOM and how they are advancing translational research.