(Dwyer et al., 2017; Kaufman et al., 2017) advanced innovative strategies for Extension to partner with academic medical centers and primary care providers. It was pointed out in these articles that Cooperative Extension has a wealth of research-based programs that can help patients implement recommendations of physicians and other healthcare practitioners. Such programs can increase self-efficacy, help people improve their self-management of chronic conditions, and enhance the daily lives of adults as they age. Another study suggested a need to grow familiarity and understanding of Cooperative Extension among practicing physicians and allied healthcare providers (Khan et al., 2020) to facilitate future clinical practice-community connections. Engagement with Clinical and Transformational Science The literature review also revealed a growing interest across Cooperative Extension in working with the institutions that receive Clinical and Translational Science Awards (Gutter et al., 2020; Savaiano et al., 2017) to assist scientists in speeding up treatment innovations to reach patients sooner. Through such engagement, Cooperative Extension can leverage existing connections with academic health centers to establish new private and public partnerships for addressing large-scale national public health issues together (Rafie et al., 2019). New revenue for Cooperative Extension also looks promising as community-based programs become eligible to receive third-party reimbursement for health education (Contreras & Anderson, 2020). But Koukel et al., (2018) suggested that professional development and training for Cooperative Extension staff on clinical and translational science might be needed before the benefit of these partnerships can be realized. Capacity Building and Professional Development Perhaps most indicative of the emergence of health as a priority for Cooperative Extension has been an increase in the use of the word “health” in the lexicon of Cooperative Extension. Many state Extension services now include health as a named priority in their strategic plans. In some states, units that were previously referred to by historic program area names are reframing their work and adopting unit names that better reflect the inclusion of health-related work. Cooperative Extension has also turned to hiring many more individuals with formal training in health-related fields, including campus-based Extension specialists with advanced degrees in public health. Additionally, a National Health Outreach Conference (NHOC) provides Cooperative Extension personnel from across the nation with an annual opportunity to engage in professional development sessions and network with others with similar interests. Braun and Rodgers (2018), however, advocate for increased participation of non-Extension speakers and audiences at NHOC. Transition from Expert to Partner Perhaps most important in efforts to achieve health equity are changes in the way that Extension interacts with community residents. The move from an expert model of program delivery to a model based on authentic community engagement is helping community members with lived experience become equal partners with agency professionals in the process of developing strategies and actions for community improvement. These participatory approaches are resulting in significant and lasting change in communities previously experiencing significant
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