Introductory Training

Purpose

In this section, you will learn about the fundamentals of the public health assessment (PHA) process, including its purpose and steps, by completing the following courses and guidance materials.

Desert with a power plant at a distance in the background.

Online Public Health Assessment Training (PHAT) Modules

PHAT is a series of online and interactive modules that teach you about the fundamentals of the PHA process. Each module has been approved for continuing education credits.

Use Table 1 to guide your learning

If you are a new health assessor, use Table 1 as a guide when taking these PHAT modules and webinars together and refer to the competencies for additional training videos, guidance documents, and tools.

Online Public Health Assessment Training Webinars

The PHA webinars are based on the PHAT modules. They highlight the experiences of ATSDR subject matter experts while conducting their health assessment work at hazardous waste sites. Each webinar is accredited for continuing education, allowing you to earn credits.

  • Introduction to ATSDR and the PHA Process - This webinar explains what ATSDR is and provides an overview of the PHA process. You will learn about the components of the PHA, how to work with partners and stakeholders, and how to gather and document site information and data.
  • Engaging the Community - In this webinar, you will learn the role of community engagement in the PHA process. You will also learn how to effectively engage with the community during public health responses to environmental contamination.
  • Exposure Pathway Evaluation - This webinar will teach you the role of evaluating past, current, and future exposure pathways. You will learn what exposure means. You will also learn how the exposure pathways are categorized based on the presence or absence of the five elements of an exposure pathway.
  • Selection of Sampling Data - In this webinar you will learn how the selection of sampling data is critical to understanding the level of exposure in potential and completed exposure pathways. You will also learn what qualifies as appropriate sampling data, how to identify factors that affect data quality, and how to address data gaps.
  • Data Screening Analysis - This webinar will teach you the screening analysis process and how it is used in sorting through sampling data to identify potential contaminants of concern that need further evaluation.
  • Exposure Units and Estimating Exposure Point Concentrations (EPC) - This webinar will teach you how to define exposure units and how they fit into the PHA process. It will also teach you how to estimate EPCs and the difference between discrete and non-discrete sampling for this type of calculation.

Public Health Assessment Guidance Manual (PHAGM)

In PHAGM, you learn about the methods and resources that you can use to evaluate exposures associated with environmental contamination.

For an introduction to the sections in PHAGM, view this 1-hr webinar.

Public Health Assessment Site Tool (PHAST)

PHAST is a web-based application to assist you in evaluating environmental data and performing complex dose calculations.

PHAST contains:

  • Calculators for drinking water, soil/sediment, air, and food,
  • A module that allows users to screen contaminants using ATSDR comparison values,
  • A database with health guideline information, such as minimal risk levels, reference doses, and reference concentration,
  • A resource page that includes training videos, guidance documents, and tools that health assessors can use as they go through the PHA process, and
  • A PHAST user's guide describing all aspects of how to use PHAST.

To gain access to PHAST, send a request to phast@cdc.gov.

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Content Source:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry