Dr. Nicole Magnuson, director of the Live Well Center for Innovation and Leadership, discusses how the academic practice partnership between San Diego County and San Diego State University strengthens their ability to serve the community; Valerie Henderson, senior analyst at ASTHO, explains how ASTHO’s STRETCH 2.0 initiative brought state and community health leaders together...
Dr. Nicole Magnuson, director of the Live Well Center for Innovation and Leadership, discusses how the academic practice partnership between San Diego County and San Diego State University strengthens their ability to serve the community; Valerie Henderson, senior analyst at ASTHO, explains how ASTHO’s STRETCH 2.0 initiative brought state and community health leaders together to create strategies for community-centered work; highlights from ASTHO’s INSPIRE: Readiness webinar on AI-Enabled Community-Inclusive Preparedness are now available; and sign up for ASTHO’s Legislative Alerts to receive notifications of any changes to legislation affecting public health.
ASTHO Blog: San Diego Academic Health Partnership Strengthens Service During COVID-19 and Beyond
ASTHO Blog Article: STRETCH Events Support Sustainable Partnerships and Community Engagement
SUMMER JOHNSON:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, June 20, 2025. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
NICOLE MAGNUSON:
As with most communities across the nation, COVID-19 was too big and complex for the county to address on its own, so it turned to universities and community-based organizations to help address the needs to get out information, to help do contact tracing and other things like that.
JOHNSON:
That's Dr. Nicole Magnuson with the Live Well Center for Innovation and Leadership. It's an academic partnership with San Diego State developed by San Diego County. She says the partnership began as a workforce development project, and what they found during the pandemic is that it was invaluable to reach the community during a critical time. Magnuson says there are a few things that make this academic partnership unique.
MAGNUSON:
Our county agency is an integrated model which incorporates health, housing, and social services. San Diego State University's College of Health and Human Services has six schools which range from nursing to social work, public health to exercise and nutrition. So, the Live Well Center for Innovation and Leadership really brings all that together.
JOHNSON:
It's also set up with a Boundary Spanning director and a dedicated staff to support the partnership.
MAGNUSON:
I think having a dedicated Boundary Spanning role in a partnership like ours is absolutely critical. As an employee of San Diego State University and a contractor with the county, I'm able to move between the two organizations in a way that helps build relationships, identify opportunities, and really leverage resources to support our priorities.
JOHNSON:
Magnuson says, for public health agencies looking to align with an academic health department, consider the leadership. The Live Well Center has two dedicated to its success, one from the agency and one from the school.
MAGNUSON:
They can align resources. They can identify and leverage opportunities within their organizations and across. They can influence the integration and prioritization of this work within and across the partners.
JOHNSON:
ASTHO has a new case study detailing San Diego's Academic Health Partnership. There's a link to that in the show notes.
ASTHO's STRETCH 2.0 initiative brought together state and community partners to discuss how working with community-based organizations can help improve health and well-being for all. Here's Valerie Henderson with ASTHO.
VALERIE HENDERSON:
Community-led organizations can mobilize local resources, like volunteers, funding, and other place-based initiatives to address specific community needs, often filling gaps that larger organizations, such as state and local departments, might overlook.
JOHNSON:
The initiative, which included engagement opportunities and practical workshops gave participants the ability to implement what they learned within their own communities.
HENDERSON:
In addition to cohort connections that were made, all seven collaboratives created a work plan that outlined the work that would continue to happen amongst the group, even after the STRETCH funding ended. This sustainability plan outlined various goals, a timeline, who the drivers were, and the level of system change in which it took place.
JOHNSON:
Henderson explains how to best assist community-centered public health work.
HENDERSON:
Listeners can support community-centered work by advocating for public health priorities, particularly those aimed at advancing health equity. The STRETCH blog offers numerous ways for teams and organizations to implement practices that make a significant and lasting impact.
JOHNSON:
You can read an ASTHO blog article about the initiative by using the link in the show notes.
Also, highlights are now available from ASTHO's INSPIRE: Readiness webinar on AI-Enabled Community-Inclusive Preparedness. Learn how AI-driven approaches can improve emergency preparedness for vulnerable communities by checking out the link in the show notes.
Finally, today, Legislative Alerts are your direct lens into everything happening in D.C. and state legislatures across the country. As soon as legislation pops up that affects public health, ASTHO's Legislative Alerts are in your inbox. Sign up today by clicking the link in the show notes.
That'll do it for today. We're back bright and early on Monday morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Summer Johnson, you're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great weekend.
Nicole Magnuson EdLD
Director, Live Well Center for Innovation and Leadership, San Diego State University
