Tricia Penniecook has over 24-years experience as a physician, educator, and public health administrator. As an educator, she is committed to the development of health professionals, and aims to leverage her own experience to provide guidance and modeled behavior for those in her charge.
She has been the Vice-Dean for Education and Faculty Affairs, University of South Florida, College of Public Health for over four years. She provides strategic leadership for all academic, educational, student and faculty related matters within the College.
Since 2012, she has also been serving as a Site Visitor for the Council on Education for Public Health, and is a National Councilor since January 2020. She is also actively engaged in several initiatives at the national level with the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, including Framing the Future of Public Health Education 2030, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and Zero Tolerance to Discrimination Taskforce.
She became the first Afrolatina Dean of the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University, leading the school to be among the first to adopt the new Framework for Public Health Education, with emphasis on Health Equity, a global presence and a faith-based foundation. She also served as Vice-President of Academic Administration at Oakwood University, an HBCU in Alabama.
Tricia is leading the COPH’s Academic Master Plan process, integrating a Comprehensive Strategy to Address Systemic Racism. This is a deliberate, intentional and collaborative process in which students, alumni, staff, faculty, administrators and community partners work together in groups to set goals and recommendations for the college within the context of its values and USF strategic initiatives.
FWM: Is it the responsibility of public health academia to create, educate, and support leaders to achieve health equity?
I believe that public health academia has a responsibility of not only creating but educating and supporting leaders to achieve health equity not just because it is a passion they may have but because it is the foundation of what public health is supposed to do: insure that all of us as a society collectively contribute to everyone’s health. The role of public health academia is to make sure that those students who enter programs to learn about public health understand that their responsibility is not only to describe conditions and to propose solutions but to actually intervene, become activists to make sure that the conditions actually change. The things that we know cause health inequity are man-made conditions; health inequity is caused by man-made decisions and if that is true then Health equity should also be the result of man-made decisions. Public health academia is responsible for creating these leaders who can then transform the conditions we live in so that everyone can have equitable access to health.
FWM: Share your initiatives.
As Vice-Dean for Education and Faculty Affairs my responsibilities everything that has to do with teaching and learning. The learners (students, workforce, faculty in their development), the teachers, the curriculum, teaching methodologies and the learning spaces. The Academic Master Plan brings all of these together.
A.) I sit on site visit teams and consult schools and programs who are working on their reaccreditation by CEPH
B.) I also serve as Coach to Executive Leaders and Women of Color who hold or aspire to be in leadership positions.
C.) I’ve both hosted and have been interviewed on the USF HealthCare Superteams Podcast
FWM: You were the first Afrolatina Dean of the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University, leading the school to be among the first to adopt the new Framework for Public Health Education. Tell us about your experience.
A transformative experience in my life as a woman, public health professional and academic leader. Being the first, only and different at any job, using Shonda Rhymes’ description, is a challenge but also an opportunity. The change resulted in the following:
- Integrated public health curriculum
- Leadership opportunities for junior faculty and faculty of color
- Increased external funding for interdisciplinary research proposals
- Students gained access to school-wide college, not only those in their discipline of study
- Increased presence of the school in the national discourse of public health education
FWM: What did you learn during this experience?
- Its important to have a seat at the table. It’s even more important to remember the communities you represent, especially if you’re first, only and or different.
- Coaching is valuable, but only if you know what you need it for, and are willing to do the coaching work, along with your job.
- God, family, work. In that order.
- One of the best character traits is flexibility. Change is constant. Rigidity doesn’t serve you well.
- One of the most important values a person can have is courage. Without it, you won’t be able to do.
FWM: You are the Co-host of Pink Room Live, the webcast arm of 4RealWomen International What can we learn?
- Women have suffered violence and abuse in every sphere: home, work, entertainment.
FWM: Tell us about the COPH’s Academic Master Plan process.
An academic master plan provides a roadmap for growth, progr4ess and sustainability. It’s developed within the strategic vision of the organization and a framework that cont4extualizes it for the communities it serves. At USF, we have integrated a comprehensive strategy to address systemic racism, so we can build a public health workforce that addresses the root causes of health inequities
FWM: What is your mission moving forward?
My mission is two-fold. From the standpoint of public health academia, my mission is to create and disseminate a faculty development model based on corporate and individual coaching to attain organizational and personal goals. From a personal standpoint, my mission is to help women of color to soar as visionary, values-based leaders.
FWM: Please share your social media.
Facebook: Yanci Penniecook
Twitter: @askDrPenniecook
LinkedIn: Tricia Penniecook
Instagram: yancips
