The literature review partnership between Saint Louis University's College for Public Health and Social Justice and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health (CPHSJ-DPH) started in late 2020 with the goal of a CPHSJ team reviewing and presenting to the County literature and policies/guidelines on topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic locally, nationally, and globally. This unique initiative provided a needed resource for the County. The student team, guided by faculty and staff, currently reviews literature on topics of interest from the county and presents findings every two weeks or more frequently as needed. Previous studies have found academic-agency partnerships in public health helpful to fill gaps in health departments’ capacity while benefiting academic institutions by providing educational services for students. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic there is limited literature on academic-agency partnerships, which is a concern as academic institutions can be vital assets to lessen the burden on health departments who are overwhelmed in the current pandemic state. This paper fills gaps in understanding about the effectiveness of academic-health department partnerships through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CPHSJ-DPH partnership was created to fill the gaps seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through participant surveys the partnership has been evaluated to better understand benefits of the program, how to improve the current partnership, and how to apply similar approaches to future partnerships.

Megan would like to thank Dr. Lauren Arnold for her continuous support throughout Megan’s time at Saint Louis University.