The long term objective of this proposal is to prepare the applicant to work effectively as an informationist in an academic public health practice setting. As part of building the skills and knowledge necessary to achieving this objective, the applicant will complete a Master of Public Health in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences (BCHS) with a special certification in evaluation. A practicum at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Public Health Practice (CPHP) will build the applicant's understanding of the work environment and information practices and needs of public health academics and the practitioners they serve in the general community. The practicum will include working with public health practitioners in Pennsylvania who receive training and consultation services from the CPHP, increasing knowledge of that work environment as well. The research component will study Pennsylvania Preparedness Leadership Institute (PPLI) participants, one of the client groups receiving training from the CPHP. It will use open-ended individual interviews to explore information practices;preferences, and unmet needs of PPLI participants. The study will also explore the contexts in which these information related thoughts and actions are situated. The subjects work in public health, emergency medical, and emergency response fields in Pennsylvania. Their agencies participate in the three Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) regions which engage in interagency all-hazard preparedness planning. The session transcripts and notes will be analyzed and coded using the qualitative analysis method of constant comparison. This coded information will be used to generate a model of the subjects'information use environments and how fulfillment of individual information needs transpires within those environments.
