Send us Fan Mail Host Mighty Fine and guest Paige Colburn-Hargis explore how to make the case for dedicating community health benefit resources to a drowning prevention and water safety program. Together, they discuss strategies for demonstrating community need, aligning injury and violence prevention efforts with hospital priorities, and securing support from hospital leadership. Host: Mighty Fine, MPH, CHES Mighty Fine is the Associate Executive Director of the American Public Health Association (APHA), where he provides leadership across initiatives that advance public health science, policy and systems change. In this role, he helps shape APHA’s strategic direction while leading efforts to design, implement, and evaluate programs that strengthen public health practice and improve health outcomes. He also provides technical assistance, consultation, and evidence-to-practice translation to local, state, and national partners. As a trained social epidemiologist, Mighty brings a population health perspective to some of the most pressing issues in public health, with particular attention to how social, structural, and environmental conditions shape health outcomes and inequities. His expertise spans injury and violence prevention, family health, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, social policy, and chronic disease prevention. Through his work, he is committed not only to preventing disease and injury, but also to shaping community conditions that promote collective well-being. Mighty’s leadership extends beyond program strategy and implementation as he represents APHA across a variety of initiatives that inform public health policy, strengthen practice, and elevate the field nationally. He brings a practice-informed perspective to these efforts, drawing on his experience as both a social epidemiologist and health educator to help shape the future of public health. He is also committed to highlighting public health as a meaningful career pathway, particularly for emerging professionals seeking to make an impact through community-centered public health practice. Through university guest lectures, national conference presentations, and other professional engagements, he continues to share knowledge, foster learning, and contribute to the development of the field. Having lived and worked in rural and urban environments, Mighty credits this empirical insight with anchoring his understanding of systematic levers of oppression. Thus, a core part of his work has focused on addressing the structures that serve as pillars of disadvantage. He has built expertise in the social determinants of health and brings a social justice perspective to the assessment and prevention of public health issues. Mighty holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Rutgers University and a Master of Public Health from Yale University, with concentrations in Social and Behavioral Sciences and Chronic Disease Epidemiology. He is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), credentialed by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. In his free time, Mighty enjoys traveling, spending time with loved ones and attending concerts. Guest Information: Paige Colburn-Hargis Paige Colburn-Hargis Injury Prevention Program Coordinator, Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla Paige Colburn-Hargis serves as the Injury Prevention Community Outreach Coordinator for Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, a Level I Trauma Center. She brings more than a decade of experience leading injury prevention initiatives across hospital, community, and national platforms. Paige is past chair of the Injury Prevention Committee for the Trauma Center Association of America and is an appointed member of the Aging and Independence Services Advisory Council for San Diego County. She has led regional coalitions, developed nationally recognized fall-prevention initiatives and projects, and created impactful public health campaigns, including the My Grey Matterz helmet safety initiative. She also coordinates the San Diego County Lifeguard Advisory Committee, a multi-agency coalition focused on improving prehospital care, enhancing interagency collaboration, and strengthening injury prevention efforts along San Diego’s coastline. Most recently, she was appointed as a Sector Leader to the Binge and Underage Drinking (BUDI) Alcohol Policy Panel Advisory Board, further supporting her commitment to equity-driven, community-based prevention strategies. Paige’s passion for injury prevention is deeply rooted in lived experience: as the parent of a child who sustained a severe TBI while skateboarding without a helmet, she has a profound appreciation for the importance of trauma-informed care, community education, and prevention-focused systems. This personal journey continues to shape her work and advocacy across the trauma care continuum. She is the recipient of the 2023 Women of Impact Award for her leadership in e-bike and micromobility safety education and recently received a Proclamation in honor of National Bike Safety Month from the County of San Diego. She remains a dedicated advocate for systems collaboration, policy change, and trauma prevention nationwide.
