Public Health Education Specialist

Overview

As the Specialist you will support the day-to-day operations of the American Kidney Fund’s public education programs and initiatives. Our kidney disease education programs and resources seek to educate, empower, and support those affected by kidney disease by addressing the learning needs and interests of our public, patient, and caregiver audiences.

• Research and conceptualize evidence-based health education materials for the American Kidney Fund (AKF), applying best practices in health communication and tailoring the material to meet the needs of the target audience (kidney disease patients, transplant patients, caregivers & families, and health professionals).
• Conduct ongoing needs assessments of our public, patient, and caregiver audiences to inform the Education team’s approach for reaching and educating our audience.
• Support the development of AKF’s Step Forward courses for people in the kidney community by researching relevant topics, coordinating with the vendor, and collaborating with subject matter experts, patients and the curriculum development team to review materials.
• Collaborate with the Marketing & Communication Team and Development Team to ensure timely completion of cross-departmental projects, including online educational events and Step Forward courses.
• Assist with the planning and execution of online educational webinars and events, including two virtual conferences, by coordinating meetings, tracking session deliverables, and managing sessions as needed.
• Contribute to the development of educational content and materials such as: toolkits, planners, fact sheets, infographics, videos, or other educational products to meet identified needs.
• Incorporate principles of health literacy, plain language, cultural competency, behavior change, and accessibility into all content.
• Edit, review, and fact check outreach and educational materials and communications developed for AKF websites, social media, newsletters, emails, videos, factsheets, webinars, infographics, toolkits, blog posts, etc.
• In collaboration with the Education team, ensure AKF education content is reflective of most current industry guidelines and notify team when updates may be needed.
• Support the maintenance of the Education team’s functions/operating plan (e.g., project tracker, budget tracker, metrics tracker, team presentation slides).
• Assist team with program evaluations, needs assessments, environmental scans, and in-depth interviews.
• Support the curriculum development team with the coordination of outside vendors and project contractors to design graphics, develop content, manage material fulfillment within established time frames and budget parameters.
• Serve as a resource to respond to inquiries pertaining to kidney disease that AKF receives through the Education inbox, website contact form, or social media.
• Contribute to the development of abstracts, posters, oral presentations, and exhibit materials for scientific and public health conferences.
• Represents AKF at professional conferences via exhibit staffing and/or research poster presentation as assigned. Some travel required up to 10%.
• Perform additional related duties, as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in health-related field required:
  Health Education, Health Communications, Health Promotion, Community Health, Biology, Behavioral Sciences or related discipline.
• Minimum of 2-3 years of work experience in supporting public health campaigns in the non-profit sector or other professional environment.
• Strong research, writing, and project management skills required.
• Must be well-organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple responsibilities with competing demands.
• Experience with online educational events a plus.
• Knowledge of health literacy principles, plain language standards, and behavior change theory.
• Understanding of cultural competency and how to apply the concept to high-quality health education.
• Experience with kidney disease and an understanding of kidney disease patients’ needs preferred.
• Experience communicating with various levels of professionals through both verbal and written correspondence.
• Certifications in CPH,…