Building Evaluation Capacity for State HDSP Programs
- Jan Jernigan, Program Manager, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Northrop Grumman (moderator)
- Tom Chapel, Senior Health Scientist, Office of Strategy and Innovation, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, CDC
Panel:
- Patricia Hart, Evaluation Constultant, Hart Consulting
- Carrie Tutor, Epidemiologist, Oklahoma State Department of Health Chronic Disease Service
- Jean Gearing, Director, Office of Evaluation, Assessment and Planning, Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Branch, Georgia Department of Human Resources
Session Objective
To help states understand the components of evaluation capacity and give them easy ways to think about and increase states’ capacity and ability to effectively use program evaluation given budget considerations.
Supporting Skills and Knowledge
- Identify the components of evaluation capacity and how they mutually support each other
- Describe some innovative approaches of states to increasing capacity to conduct program evaluations within the state health department.
- Maximize state health department involvement in evaluation activities.
- Make sound decisions on how to scale back on evaluation activity when resources become scarce.
Activity
Mr. Chapel will discuss with panel members options, benefits and barriers for building evaluation capacity in their state health department.
Session Summary
Mr. Chapel will present an overview of how to think about evaluation capacity, some ways to think about building each dimension of capacity, including how to think about scaling back evaluations when resources are scarce. State presenters will talk about their own experiences with evaluation, evaluation capacity, and matching evaluation approaches to resources. Portions of the session will be interactive, with participants sharing options for stretching evaluation funds.
Session Materials
