As part of ongoing efforts to support public health professionals and organizations in integrating the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) into workforce development activities, the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) has recently made several new resources available on the Public Health Foundation (PHF) website.

 

Working in collaboration with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), and Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), three webinars were developed to introduce the 2014 version of the Core Competencies. Held in December 2014 and January 2015, these webinars were archived, and the archived recordings and presentation slides are available online. All three webinars offer an overview of this latest version of the Core Competencies. The webinar co-hosted with NACCHO includes examples of how two local health departments have used the Core Competencies and the webinar with ASPPH features how two schools of public health have integrated the Core Competencies into curriculum development and workforce training. View the archived webinars co-hosted with ASTHO, NACCHO, or ASPPH to learn more.

 

Another video on the Core Competencies featuring PHF President Ron Bialek, MPP, and David Knapp, of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, has also been added to the PHF website. In this Q&A style video, Mr. Bialek provides a brief overview of the Core Competencies, emphasizing the importance of these competencies for public health and discussing how they have been used in developing training for and assessing performance within the public health workforce. Watch the video for the full dialogue.

 

In addition, examples of how the Core Competencies are being used by public health professionals and organizations continue to be added to the existing collection. The newest example is from the Montana Public Health and Human Services’ Public Health and Safety Division (PHSD) and illustrates how the Core Competencies can play a role in workforce assessments. In this example, a competency assessment based on a modified version of the Core Competencies was conducted to determine training priorities for the PHSD’s workforce, and ultimately, a training agenda. Further details can be found in the final report from the PHSD.

 

The Council on Linkages continues to seek examples of how health departments, academic institutions, and other organizations are integrating the Core Competencies into their work. If you or your organization has used the Core Competencies to develop job descriptions, workforce development plans, or other resources, and would like to see your examples featured on the PHF website, please submit them to Janelle Nichols at jnichols@phf.org.