Thinking Beyond the Silos

Regional Public Health Training Centers: An Essential Partner in Workforce Development.

SPECIALTY GRAND CHALLENGE article Front. Public Health, 18 July 2013Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2013.00020

Assessing public health training in Southeast Asia and the United Kingdom: A comparison of competency development for delivering the Essential Public Health Functions.

Strategies for Enhancing Governmental Public Health Workforce Well-being and Retention.

he aim. The aim of this study is to substantiate the necessity and relevance of developing professional standards for public health professionals/specialists in the healthcare system as an effective tool to enhance sanitary and epidemiological safety in the context of EU harmonization and preparedness for emergency situations in Ukraine. Materials and methods. The study employed methods of systemic, comparative, and legal-logical analysis of the regulatory framework in the field of public health in Ukraine, WHO, and the EU. Review. The national system for regulating professional training in public health, particularly for specialists with higher non-medical education, is currently in the process of development and institutionalization. Conclusions. The development and implementation of professional standards for public health professionals with higher non-medical education in preventive healthcare is a strategically important step for Ukraine. It will ensure: enhanced workforce capacity through a systematic definition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes (K/S/A), facilitating the formation of integrated qualifications and interdisciplinary competencies; harmonization with European and international standards via the integration of WHO–ASPHER approaches, the European Qualifications Framework, and Directive 2005/36/EC, promoting qualification comparability, labor mobility, and improved healthcare service quality; strengthening of patient safety culture by incorporating safety culture assessment algorithms into professional standards, reinforcing preventive measures, ethical accountability, transparent incident reporting, and teamwork; implementation of readiness indices and performance monitoring using PHEP indicators, providing a quantitative basis for assessing institutional and workforce preparednes and enabling annual monitoring and continuous improvement; support for continuous professional development through competency frameworks and readiness indicators, serving as the foundation for CPD programs to maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills in emergency response, increasing the resilience of the healthcare system in wartime and post-war conditions. Overall, the scientifically grounded development of a modern professional standard in the field of public health will enhance the adaptability of the national healthcare system to crises, improve sanitary and epidemiological safety, and promote the integration of Ukrainian professionals into the European and global public health workforce.

In an era of diminished resources, public health agencies are being asked to do more with less. Evidence suggests that while revenues at the state and local levels have been flat or increased slightly since 2010, a large number of governmental public health agencies in the United States have been forced to cut programs and/or staff to compensate for the relative paucity of funds at their disposal. At the same time, these agencies have been challenged to effectively deploy diminished resources to develop and implement multi-level interventions in their communities and to address the many determinants of complex chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and heart disease. Infectious diseases like influenza still pose significant threats to public health, placing an additional strain on departmental resources. One way many health departments are addressing the challenge posed by diminished resources is through collaborating with other partners in the public health system to protect community health.

Building Public Health Workforce Capacity: Longer-Term Effectiveness of a Capacity Building Intervention to Improve Community-Based Public Health Prevention Work

Every day in communities across the nation, our public health system and public health workforce are striving to help everyone get and stay healthy.Our public health workforce has worked overtime during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect our communities, and while we are grateful for the temporary emergency funding provided by Congress to help state and local health departments, we know that we must ensure our public health system and workforce

This work describes the public health workforce and training needs of rural local public health agencies (LPHAs) in comparison with suburban and metropolitan LPHA jurisdictions. A survey was sent to 1,100 LPHAs nationwide. The rural urban commuting area codes (RUCAs) defined LPHAs as rural or urban, and the Standard Occupational Classification system enumerated the workforce. Most occupational classifications had significantly fewer staff in rural LPHAs. Public health nurses ranked as the most needed staff and serve in various important capacities in rural LPHAs. In terms of training, job-specific or programmatic continuing education was identified as the most important training need. Developing leadership and public health workforce capacity within rural public health is an essential agenda item for rural America. Decision makers may need to consider different organizational structures while balancing the need for local input and control. Regionalization and collaborative approaches to difficult workforce issues may present potential solutions to workforce challenges.

Characterizing the Competencies for Public Health Graduates in Australasia: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study

In Australia, consistent with the global picture, the development of a multidisciplinary public health workforce and its education have evolved, mainly because of government reforms driven by comprehensive social initiatives. Recent polycrises – natural and man-made disasters and crises – shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of the Australian public health effort and its workforce education. Internationally accepted and recently redeveloped multidisciplinary competencies are available, however Australian public health education is not routinely accredited, and much of the public health workforce lacks appropriate education and training. Public health qualifications are not routinely required for the public health workforce so, for graduates, appropriate work is hard to find. Academic public health staff are driven by metrics, that do not measure education quality or appropriateness of the content. In the current era of polycrises as well as rapidly evolving scientific knowledge, public health education providers must work in tandem with governments to prepare a workforce ready to deliver essential public health functions with the flexibility to adapt to emerging health challenges, pointing to how education must be developed to ensure an appropriately educated, trained, future-proofed workforce in both the art and science of public health.

Background International collaborations are valuable yet often undervalued assets that enhance the quality of public health education and bolster the development of the public health workforce. Objectives The Humphrey Fellowship Program, part of the Fulbright Exchange Program, facilitates mid-career professionals’ visits to US-based host universities for an academic year. Fellows engage in a semi-structured fellowship period to achieve self-defined goals, emphasizing professional development, expanded experience, and intercultural exchange. This study advocates for the program’s contribution to enhancing public health education. Results Currently, two universities host fellows in public health. Over decades, fellows have engaged with faculty and professionals, participated in classes and meetings, visited institutions for development purposes, and completed US-based affiliations, contributing significantly to their own and the public health workforce’s advancement. This interaction-based learning approach aids in navigating social and ethical challenges by fostering a deeper understanding of public and global health issues across countries. Conclusions The Humphrey Fellowship Program in public health stands as a commendable model. Similar initiatives could be beneficially replicated in the European region, leveraging local and global successes to strengthen ties with public health education institutions, student communities, and beyond. Key messages • Programs that facilitate international interactions can enhance public health professionals’ understanding of global perspectives. • The Humphrey Fellowship Program in the US stands as a commendable practice for mid-career public health professionals, contributing significant value to the education at host universities.

Public Health Laboratories are critical to the US Public Health system, providing surveillance and response to promote better population health outcomes. There has been a long-standing shortage of public health laboratorians and current demographic data indicate this trend will continue. Undergraduate public health laboratory education would prepare competent entry level professionals to enter into the public health workforce. To address this need, in 2006, the University of Vermont9s Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) degree program developed a track for students interested in pursuing careers in public health laboratory settings. Students enrolled in the Public Health Laboratory Science (PHLS) concentration complete a modified MLS curriculum with coursework in biostatistics, clinical microbiology, food microbiology, epidemiology and molecular biology. PHLS students apply their learning through a project based, hands-on practicum in a public health laboratory at one of our affiliate sites throughout the Northeast. Projects span a wide array of topics from the development of molecular assays to public health laboratory education related to the identification and prevention of infectious microorganisms. The curriculum meets the requirements for the MLS major with a concentration in PHLS emphasizing microbiology. Students who also complete a clinical microbiology practicum are eligible for the ASCP technologist in microbiology certification exam. Approximately 10% of our MLS students complete the MLS PHLS concentration. Alumni surveys indicate graduates were very satisfied with the program and all are either employed in the field of public health or continuing their education.

The public health (PH) workforce shortage poses a significant threat to the US population. Despite an increase in PH programs attracting students, there is a need to enhance diversity within local and state PH departments. While internships are recognized as valuable entry points into the PH field, research on the effectiveness of such pathway programs for recruiting diverse candidates is limited. Sponsored by the Connecticut (CT) Department of Public Health and supported by the CDC Crisis Response Cooperative Agreement: COVID-19 Public Health Workforce Supplemental Funding, the CT Public Health Fellowship Program (PHFP) aims to generate interest in PH careers by placing students in high-quality fellowship positions in CT. Third- or fourth-year undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in PH programs receive administrative support, one-on-one coaching, orientation, and a $3500 stipend to facilitate their internships. From January 2023 to May 2024, 97 out of 205 applicants were admitted to the PHFP. Acceptance was on a rolling basis, accommodating academic schedules, personal limitations such as work/family obligation or transportation access, and host agency capacities. We analyzed program data from PHFP applications. Chi-square tests and t-tests were conducted to assess differences between PHFP fellows and non-fellows. The results were not statistically significant. Additionally, fellows were compared to a representative sample of PH students from the US, New England, and CT. The PHFP has a strong potential to help replenish and diversify the PH workforce and enhance health equity. Future research should examine the long-term impacts of such PH experiential learning initiatives on a large scale.

The complex nature of contemporary public health issues requires a multidisciplinary public health workforce, including professionals from various backgrounds who have been sensitized to the public health approach. In many countries, the field has traditionally been led by medical doctors who undergo further training in preventive branches of medicine such as epidemiology, hygiene, social medicine, biostatistics, or more recently, Global and One Health. Other countries have separate public health education programs independent of medical studies, offering various graduate and postgraduate courses. Over the years, efforts have been made to define the essential skills of public health professionals, led by organizations like the World Health Organization and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER). These competencies continue to expand, necessitating more investment in public health infrastructure and training. The current lack of recognition, competitiveness, and appeal of a career in public health is leading to a restriction of the necessary build-up of qualified professionals. Many countries anticipate a shortage of public health workers due to an aging workforce, increased demand, and difficulties in attracting and training new professionals (3). The COVID-19 pandemic and severe climate events highlight the crucial role of the public health workforce in effective disaster management and preparedness, prompting decision-makers to take notice. It is the responsibility of the public health community to lead this effort and shape the future of the profession. Lessons from the last decades transfer to us several key points underlining the need for improved communication skills as well as the need for enhanced public health brokering roles for decision-makers and the general public.