An unlikely partnership between a children’s book author and an emerging leadership expert led to one of the most enduring best sellers of our time, The One Minute Manager. According to Ken Blanchard, PhD, one of the book’s co-authors, “Sometimes the most interesting collaborations are when you both bring to the party very different things.”*
In the realm of public health nutrition, ideas are often plentiful, but resources, funds, and manpower are typically limited. Identifying, solidifying, and maintaining strong partnerships with organizations that bring very different things to the table require knowledge and understanding.
ASPHN offers a number of different tools to help you navigate the intricacies of collaboration and hone your skills for successful outcomes.
ASPHN Learning Opportunities
Public Health Nutrition Certificate of Training, Module 5
Module 5, Building Partnerships and Collaborations, is the last course in the Public Health Nutrition Certificate of Training (CoT) program. The CoT is an online self-study series developed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic’s Center for Lifelong Learning in conjunction with ASPHN.
Module 5 uses a case study discussed in previous modules to help you learn how to develop effective partnerships and obtain buy-in from community members for successful collaborations. For details, be sure to contact Karen Probert.
NEW ASPHN Partnership Training Program
A new ASPHN Partnership Training Program is currently under development and will be launching later this year. Created for ASPHN members and public health physical activity practitioners, the web-based training will help participants address and overcome the most pressing issues they face in building strong coalitions. At the program’s conclusion, participants will possess the partnership competencies needed to successfully lead collaborative relationships for improving nutrition and physical activity in their states and communities. To learn more, you can reach out to Shana Patterson.
Web Resources
PublicHealthNutrition.Org
Publichealthnutrition.org is a dynamic online nexus that links to hundreds of resources and programs of value to public health nutritionists. The information on the website is organized by the profession’s broad categories of practice including nutrition, advocacy, communication, research, PSE, and leadership, and sub-categorized by “indicators.” Among the many sub-categories, you’ll find Partnership Development and Coalition Building & Collaboration, which contain dozens of relevant resources.
ASPHN Collaboration Primer
The ASPHN Collaboration Primer is a guide to effective collaborations developed specifically for our members. The primer offers an overview of collaboration principles, factors that affect successful collaboration, examples of ASPHN’s experiences in this area, and resources for more information.
SeeItSayItShareIt.Org
ASPHN’s See It. Say It. Share It. web-based marketing campaign actively promotes the value of public health nutritionists. The campaign is built around five sound bites that communicate key focus areas of public health nutrition. One of those sound bites—Joining forces for healthy food sources—zeroes in on collaboration. ASPHN encourages members to use this sound bite when talking about collaborative efforts. Watch the related video or download the poster and a customizable version.
ASPHN-Led Collaborative Improvement & Innovation Networks (CoIINs)
CoIINs, or Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Networks, are teams that work together toward a common aim to add or improve policies. According to HRSA Maternal & Child Health, the CoIIN structure “provides a way for participants to self-organize, forge partnerships, and take coordinated action to address complex issues.”
ASPHN lends financial and organizational support to the efforts of two CoIINs—the Obesity Mini CoIIN and the Children’s Healthy Weight CoIIN. Teams participating in each CoIIN share their knowledge with the other teams, contributing to the overall collaborative experience.
While the five state teams for the Obesity Mini CoIIN were competitively selected earlier this year, others who are interested in improving early care and education (ECE) settings can watch the recorded webinars on asphn.org and use the resources created for the CoIIN. To learn more, you can contact Emia Oppenheim.
The Children’s Healthy Weight CoIIN will be wrapping up in August, but the teams will be sharing their successes, challenges, and key lessons learned with ASPHN’s membership soon. For more information, contact Sandy Perkins.
*Collaboration – Affect/Possibility: Ken Blanchard at TEDxSanDiego