Description

Discovering the issues that impact health behavior requires a comprehensive, ever evolving approach that goes far beyond the individual behavioral concept. Evidence based public health practice, an honored professional methodology, has been elevated to an imperative given the age of conspiracy theories, social media’s reach, and the ease of messaging by outliers. This presentation will take an unimpeded look at emerging disinformation and misinformation issues surrounding specific populations regarding such topics as vaccine hesitancy and anti-establishment ideas. Such concerns have flourished with the rise of COVID-19 and global mandates for vaccine use and the organized efforts to subvert public health. Using data-driven, evidence-based techniques, ideas to counter these fringe positions will be discussed providing public health and healthcare professionals, government planners, and students an opportunity to confront these ideas by understanding how they form and are delivered.

Expiration Date: 03/27/2026

What You Will Learn

Upon successful completion of this activity, you will be able to:

Understand evidenced-based solutions and their role in promoting disease prevention and health promotion.
Identify the current models and theories surrounding legitimate, evidence-based findings, and material from questionable sources used in counter arguments.
Understand the need for evidence-based practice, especially in a world of conspiracy theories that have no foundation, but are viewed as legitimate by some

Faculty Bio

Dr. Bruce Ragon

After acquiring his Ph.D. in Health Education at Penn State University in 1991, Dr. Ragon went to Indiana University, where in his third year, he received the Student Choice Award for Outstanding Faculty. Dr. Ragon was a professor of health education at UNCW for four years, during which time he was instrumental in bringing the American School Health Association’s Summer Institute to UNC Wilmington. In 1999 he was named Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Service and Extended Education and was later named Assistant to the Provost. After a short tenure as a consultant, Dr Ragon returned to the classroom as Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator at Albany State University. At Albany State, Dr Ragon wrote the health education curriculum for the African country of Namibia. Wanting to get closer to family, Dr. Ragon took a teaching position with a poor, rural school in North Carolina where in his first year he was named “Teacher of the Year.” However, after serving only one year, Dr. Ragon was offered and accepted the position as Director of Health Education at Virginia Tech University. The department designs, develops, and implements programs to help students address various health education issues, especially students working to overcome the tragedy of 4/16. Within 5 months, Virginia Tech Health Education received one of the largest contributions ever made to Student Affairs at the university. Dr Ragon became a part-time faculty member at Walden in 2007 and teaches at the School of Health Sciences with students working on their Ph.D. and M.P.H. in Public Health. He left administration at Virginia Tech to pursue other educational opportunities. Dr. Ragon has been with Walden for over 10 years and is a full-time professor in the Master of Public Health program. He recently was awarded the Faculty Excellence Award for the College of Health Sciences at Walden University.

Accreditation

Accreditation Statement

Walden University is a designated provider (ID# 123343) of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

Walden University is an approved provider of CPH recertification credits by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.

Awards

CPH Certificate for CE Hours

NCHEC Certificate for CE Hours

$0.00

Add to favorites

All Level
1 CE
Estimated 1-Hour Workload
Accessible for 180 days but no later than the expiration date

WALH1018 - From Fringe to Forefront: The Continued Attack on the Public Health of Marginalized Groups