Title: The health agency training program: continuing education courses in biostatistics and epidemiology
Abstract: The authors describe the development and evaluation of a continuing edu- cation program in biostatistics and epidemiology.Short courses were pre- sented to public health and mental health professionals using teaching strategies that included lecture, discussion, practice-oriented examples, and interactive problem-solving.A total of 1723 health professionals attended one or more of the 120 courses presented from 1992 to 1996 in seven US states.Most course participants were female; the highest education level for 40% was a bachelor's degree, while 42% had advanced degrees.Approximately 66% of participants signed up for continuing education credits.The program represents a successful partnership between an academic institution and health agencies in a seven-state region.