| Since 1992, the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council) has been providing leaders in the academic and practice communities with the opportunity to come together to discuss critical issues and advance innovative initiatives to strengthen public health. The Council has made great strides, particularly in the areas of academic/practice linkages, workforce competencies, public health systems research, and worker recruitment and retention. In addition, this coalition of 17 national organizations has increased the public health field's focus on promoting a robust infrastructure and evidence-based practice by:
The activities of the Council, which is staffed by the Public Health Foundation, are generously supported through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The Council has accomplished much since its formation in 1992. It continues to engage in activities aimed at furthering academic/practice collaboration to assure a well-trained, competent workforce and a strong, evidence-based public health infrastructure. The following paragraphs reflect the Council's many achievements and the tasks that lie ahead for the field. |
Learn more about the Council's history, mission, and members |
Academic/Practice Linkages
One of the Council's primary objectives is to bring together the academic and practice communities to assure that public health education is relevant to practice and to encourage lifelong learning among public health workers. To help foster collaboration, the Council has presented annually the Linkages Awards to recognize exemplary partnerships. The Council has also compiled a database of more than 200 examples of academic/practice linkages and disseminated tools to help establish and strengthen such partnerships. The Council has promoted the development of academic health departments and influenced the revision of accreditation criteria for public health schools and graduate programs to incorporate practica and other linkage activities.
More to be done:
- Continued identification and dissemination of academic/practice partnerships through various activities
- Provision of technical assistance and identification/development of additional tools
- Convening/advising role in the development of potential systems to certify public health workers and/or accredit health departments
Workforce Competencies
In 2001, the Council adopted the original set of Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals—a consensus set of skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for the broad practice of public health. In drafting the original core competencies set, the Council received feedback from over 1,000 public health professionals. The Council also crosswalked the core competencies with the Essential Public Health Services to ensure that the competencies help build the skills needed for assuring the delivery of those services.
In June 2009, Tier 2 Core Competencies were adopted. More recently, Tier 1 and Tier 3 (as well as minor changes to Tier 2) Core Competencies were adopted by the Council on May 3, 2010.
The competencies are being used by public health practice and academic organizations for a variety of purposes, including:
- Developing curriculum and course content; evaluating education and training programs; crafting job descriptions and evaluating staff; assessing gaps in knowledge and skills of individual employees and of entire organization
- Serving as a starting point for developing discipline-specific competencies
The widespread use of the competencies is evidenced by a 2006 survey, in which 91% of the academic institutions who responded to the survey indicated that they integrated the Core Competencies into their curricula. Since developing the Core Competencies, the Council has provided technical assistance to help academic and practice groups use the Core Competencies. The Council has also compiled tools to facilitate their use.
More to be done:
- Research/demonstration project to assess the effectiveness of competencies-based training and integration of competencies into workforce development efforts
- Creation of additional tools to help academic institutions and agencies integrate competencies
- Documentation of how various competencies sets relate and can be used together
Public Health Systems Research (PHSR)
PHSR examines critical questions related to the workforce, financing, organization, and management of public health systems in order to build the evidence base to guide decision makers in improving public health practice. The Council has engaged in a variety of activities to generate greater attention to studying public health infrastructure, including:
- Convening annual PHSR Leadership Forums at American Public Health Association Annual Meetings to bring together individuals who conduct, fund, and use research;
- Helping to establish the PHSR Interest Group at AcademyHealth; and
- Disseminating research agendas and creating a series of brief agendas to highlight high-priority research questions.
These efforts have resulted in increased funding for, and publication of, PHSR studies.
More to be done:
- Prioritization of research agendas
- Development of a toolkit to help researchers seek funding for PHSR
- Creation of a "knowledge network" to connect researchers to practitioners in need of evidence to drive practice, and to each other
Recruitment and Retention
In response to concern over emerging public health worker shortages caused by projected high rates of retirement and other factors, the Council has strived to focus the field on evidence-based strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of public health workers, students, and faculty. The Council's Pipeline Workgroup is presently creating a survey for the governmental public health workforce. The aim of the survey is to learn more about the ways individuals enter the governmental public health workforce, and why they stay in and leave this workforce.
A January 2005 Council forum provided an opportunity for representatives from government and the teaching and medical professions to share their experiences with alleviating worker shortages. After hearing those presentations, Council members generated a list of potential strategies to better recruit and retain workers and students, and to better equip the current workforce and new workers. The Council has identified and disseminated information about existing research and example programs that fit in with these strategies.
More to be done:
- Creation of a toolkit to help public health academic and practice organizations improve recruitment and retention
- Development of a training program to help new workers (perhaps with limited public health experience) quickly prepare for their positions
- Promotion/facilitation of research and strategic planning in this area
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