To shine a light on the role the field plays in the Birmingham and Jefferson County community, the Office of Public Health Practice in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has created a series of videos to highlight current public health topics and projects. The POPulation Health Plugin series features the work local organizations are engaging in to improve population health and health care.

“The idea of doing these Plugins is to broaden the students’ minds about the issues in our community and how they are being addressed,” said Lisa McCormick, DrPH, associate dean for Public Health Practice and associate professor of environmental health science in the School of Public Health. “We want students to see how public health knowledge and skills are being used to solve complex issues in our community, and learn about organizations and agencies that are partnering to solve those issues.”

The most recent episode featured the impact the newly opened Kiwanis Vulcan Trail will have on creating a healthier Birmingham.

“This trail system is envisioned to help reduce our obesity rate and our hypertension rate,” said Libba Vaughan, executive director of the Freshwater Land Trust.