The Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) are a consensus set of skills identified by the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) as being desirable for the delivery of the Essential Public Health Services. Originally developed in 2001, the Council on Linkages unanimously adopted revisions to the Core Competencies in May 2010, including the creation of three tiers to encompass the varying levels of experience of public health professionals. The Core Competencies are periodically reviewed by the Council on Linkages’ Core Competencies Workgroup to ensure they continue to reflect the skills public health professionals need to protect the nation’s health.

 

The Core Competencies can serve as a starting point for public health practice and academic organizations as they create workforce development plans, identify training and workforce needs, prepare for accreditation, and more.

 

Public health professionals are using the Core Competencies in a variety of settings, including the federal government, state and local health departments, and academic institutions. The Core Competencies provide the framework for several sets of discipline-specific competencies and have been incorporated into three Healthy People 2020 objectives and the Public Health Accreditation Board Standards and Measures.

 

Tools: The Core Competencies Workgroup is developing tools to assist public health professionals in using the Core Competencies. Tools and other resources are accessible through the Core Competencies Tools webpage.

 

For more information about the Core Competencies, please contact Council on Linkages Project Manager Kathleen Amos at kamos@phf.org.