UT School of Public Health Faculty Honored with Innovative Teaching Award

The UT School of Public Health San Antonio is proud to announce that Tracey Barnett, PhD, Erika Thompson, PhD and Mirsada Serdarevic, PhD have been awarded the Innovative Teaching Award from the Association of Teachers for Maternal and Child Health. This national recognition showcases their project, "Building Data Synthesis Capacity for Public Health Professionals," which aims to equip the next generation of public health leaders with essential skills to improve maternal and child health outcomes.

The project addresses a critical challenge in public health: while large amounts of health data are available, many professionals lack the training to effectively analyze, present and use this information to make meaningful change. Barnett, Thompson and Serdarevic are developing innovative teaching resources to bridge this gap. Their project will teach students and professionals how to identify and analyze maternal and child health data with a focus on access, create user-friendly data visualizations and translate findings into actionable steps for programs, policies and community advocacy.

Their work project ensures that data is not only accessible but also used to address disparities in public health. The initiative is designed to build capacity for interpreting and applying data in ways that can directly improve the health of mothers, children and families. The teaching materials and assignments developed through this initiative will be adaptable for use in classrooms and public health training programs across the country.

Thompson and Serdarevic are faculty in the Quantitative and Qualitative Health Sciences Department at the School of Public Health. Barnett is faculty and serves as Chair of the department. Their innovative work reflects the institution’s commitment to advancing public health education and improving community health outcomes.