As highlighted in this
Call to Action, strategic cross-cutting skills such as systems thinking, change management, persuasive communication, and diversity and inclusion are a critical complement to discipline-specific expertise in the current public health environment. Such skills are embedded in the
Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies), a consensus set of skills for the broad practice of public health, and provide a foundation on which discipline-specific skills can be built.
First released by the Council on Linkages in 2001 and regularly revised since, the Core Competencies reflect foundational skills desirable for professionals engaging in the practice, education, and research of public health. Health departments, academic institutions, and other public health organizations are increasingly taking action to build these skills within the public health workforce.
The
Call to Action confirms and reinforces the importance of the cross-cutting skills identified in the Core Competencies, the work of the
22 national public health practice and academic organizations comprising the Council on Linkages, and the more than 1,000 comments received from the public health community that shaped the 2014 version of the Core Competencies. As noted in the
Call to Action, the strategic skills listed within the
Call to Action “are consistent with the consensus set of Core Competencies … and identify training priorities within these competencies where training is needed.” Making such training opportunities accessible to the public health workforce continues to be a priority for the
Public Health Foundation (PHF) through the
TRAIN Learning Network and its
provision of on-site training. The Core Competencies are
built into TRAIN, enabling learners to identify courses that build skills in these areas, and a
number of on-site services are available to help organizations strengthen their competency-based workforce development efforts.
As the
Call to Action states, individuals “at all levels must seek to cultivate the skills that enable better communication, management, and collaboration” to support population health. These skills are key to moving beyond disciplinary and organizational silos to a more integrated system as public health continues to evolve, and PHF is ready to help public health professionals and organizations on this journey. To learn more, explore
PHF’s online resources and tools, visit the
TRAIN Learning Network, or discover
PHF’s on-site services. Questions or requests related to the Core Competencies may be sent to Kathleen Amos at
kamos@phf.org.