When we planned for this issue of the DJPH back in 2025,we thought that public health would be under fire, and a lot of programs—both federal and state wide—would be diminished, or even shuttered by this time. And there have been a lot of public health upsets recently.
But public health fought back (albeit with limited resources).
The articles submitted for this issue echo the uplifting of public health success stories. Our guest editor, Jennifer Horney, PhD, has helped us curate an issue of feel-good public health work in Delaware, with submissions ranging from the newest nurse fellowship cohort in robotics to the 20 year celebration of the Delaware Healthy Mother & Infant Consortium.
Public health is always engaging, interesting, and challenging. We look forward to your comments on this and every issue.
Table of Contents
3 | In This Issue: The Future of Academics and Research – Public Health Success Stories
Omar A. Khan, M.D., M.H.S. & Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
4 | From the Guest Editor
Jennifer A. Horney, Ph.D., M.P.H., C.P.H.
5 | Letter to the Editor: Epigenetics, Nutrition, and Cancer
Celia M. Ross, Ph.D., M.S.
Part I. Community Partnerships
6 | Advancing Cardiovascular Health in Delaware Through Community Partnerships
Athena Klapak
7 | Community Health Workers in Delaware: Advancing Health Equity Through Workforce Development and Policy
Erin Ridout, M.S.W., M.P.H.
8 | Public Health Success Stories: Bringing Public Health and Well-Being to Delaware’s Early Care and Education (ECE) System
Laura Lessard, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Kristy Sheffler, Ph.D., M.A.; & Heidi Beck, M.S.
10 | 20 Years of the Delaware Healthy Mother & Infant Consortium: Embracing the Celebration, Heeding the Call to Action
Priscilla Mpasi, M.D., F.A.A.P.; Tiffany Chalk; & Leah A. Jones, M.P.A.
12 | Moving Medicaid Forward for Delaware’s Mothers and Babies
Alethea A. Miller, D.N.P., M.S.N., R.N., C.L.C.
15 | Highlights from the Nation’s Health
16 | Promoting Healthier Communities Through the Delaware State Health Improvement Plan
Alexandra Wynn, Ph.D.; Jamie Kananen, M.P.H.; Athena Bruess, B.S.; Yendelela Cuffee, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Katlyn Culhane-Suluai, M.P.S.; Esther Hofknecht, M.S.M.-H.C.A., L.E.N.D.-c; & Jennifer Horney, Ph.D., M.P.H., C.P.H.
22 | The Value of Social Determinants of Health Needs Assessments in Primary Care
Nina Anderson, D.N.P.; Chloe Lassiter, B.S.; & James Gill, M.D., M.P.H.
24 | Long-Term Investments, Cross-Sector Partnerships and Tailored Support Fuel Collaborative Efforts to Create Healthy and Thriving Delaware Communities
Kate Dupont Philips, M.P.H.; Monica Burnett Castellano, M.S.P.H.; Linda Tholstrup, M.S., M.C.H.E.S.; Bill Swiatek, M.A., A.I.C.P.; Sarah Lester; & Lauren J. Footman, M.S.O.D., Ed.D.
30 | Health Literacy Emerging as a Priority in Delaware’s Community Health Needs Assessments
Emma Braun & Amanda Proch
32 | Fogarty International – Global Health Matters
Part II. Nursing Fellowship
56 | AI for Good: Utilizing Machine Learning Tools to Navigate Late Onset Neonatal Sepsis
Jordan Wyatt, B.S.N., R.N.; Hannah Rackie, B.S.N., R.N., C-E.F.M.; & Paige Merring, D.N.P., R.N., C.C.R.N., N.E.A.-B.C.
58 | Interprofessional Collaboration in the Obstetrical Emergency Department: Enhances Nursing Job Satisfaction While Improving Care of the Laboring Patient
Alexi C. Cornelius, B.S.N., R.N., R.N.C.-O.B.; Patricia C. Powlow, Ph.D., A.C.N.P.-B.C.; & Morgan Tallo, B.S.N., R.N., C.C.R.N.
60 | From the Bedside to the Books: How Creating Innovative Educational Research Pathways Helps to Retain Clinical Nurses
Samantha J. Clark, B.S.N., R.N.; Briana Abernathy, B.S.N., R.N., C.E.N.; & Susan D. Smith, Ph.D., R.N.
62 | Virtual Nurse-Led Patient Education: A Public Health Opportunity
Guadalupe A. Ramirez Espinosa, B.S.N., R.N.-B.C. & Julie I. McCulloh Nair, Ph.D., R.N., P.H.N.A.-B.C., C.C.R.E.
Part III. Research
66 | Challenges Impacting Delaware Dental Professionals’ Capacity to Care for Patients with Disabilities
Bhavini Shah & Victor Perez, Ph.D.
70 | Knowledge Graph-Driven AI in Biohealth: From Biomedical Discovery to Health Risk Prediction
Chuming Chen, Ph.D.; Manju Anandakrishnan, Ph.D.; & Cathy H. Wu, Ph.D.
77 | Index of Advertisers
78 | Submission Guidelines