Academic health department (AHD) partnerships play a vital role in supporting and strengthening the public health workforce. AHD partnerships are built between health departments and academic institutions and can enhance public health education and training, research, and service, strengthening the current and future capacity and workforce of the organizations involved. These mutually beneficial relationships serve to strengthen and formalize collaboration – to move the relationship between the organizations beyond working together sporadically to a more regular part of how the organizations operate.
What Makes AHD Partnerships Work?
While every AHD partnership looks a little different, check out these five practical tips for anyone looking to strengthen or expand their AHD partnerships:
1. Strong Relationships, Trust, and Mutual Respect
Both health department staff and academic partners emphasize how important it is to start with strong relationships built on trust and mutual respect. Taking time to clearly define shared goals and understand each other’s perspectives helps set the tone early on. When partnerships are grounded in relationships, not just transactions, they’re more likely to feel truly reciprocal and to last over time.
2. Dedicated Staff to Keep Things Moving
On the coordination side, we often hear a strong desire for at least one dedicated staff person (or a small team) to help manage communication and the day-to-day administrative work that comes with partnerships. Having clear points of contact makes collaboration smoother for everyone involved and is especially helpful when coordinating with students around internships, placements, and expectations.
3. Shared Goals and Clear Plans
Partnerships tend to work better when everyone agrees on where they’re headed. Defining shared goals and developing plans together help keep partners moving in the same direction. Putting some formal structure around those goals—whether through written agreements, regular meetings, or shared timelines—can also help create clarity and consistency as the partnership grows.
4. Being Mindful of Workload and Training Needs
Almost everyone in academia or practice is juggling a full plate. Being realistic about staff capacity and mindful of the training or support people may need to participate meaningfully in partnerships can go a long way. When these factors are considered upfront, partnerships are more likely to feel energizing rather than like “one more thing” added to an already busy schedule.
5. Help Navigating Bureaucracy
And finally, bureaucracy. This probably won’t come as a surprise, but navigating large systems, on both the academic and health department sides, can be complicated and time-consuming. Having staff involved who know how these systems work and are passionate about the partnership can help cut through red tape and keep progress moving forward.
Looking for More Support for Your AHD Partnership?
Through the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice, Public Health Foundation (PHF) staff have been providing technical assistance focused on AHD partnerships for more than 15 years. If you’re looking to learn more, strengthen an existing partnership, or take the next step in building one, we invite you to join the AHD Learning Community or explore PHF’s AHD Partnerships Environmental Scan Service.
AHD Learning Community
Here to help on your AHD partnership journey, the AHD Learning Community is open to all and currently includes more than 1,400 members from health departments, academic institutions, and other organizations across the country. Members can access resources and activities designed to support AHD partnerships, including real-world examples and stories, webinars, practical tools, opportunities to connect with peers, and technical assistance.
AHD Partnerships Environmental Scan Service
More in-depth technical assistance is also available through our AHD Partnerships Environmental Scan Service, designed for health departments and academic institutions seeking to more intentionally assess and advance their partnerships.
Facilitated by PHF, the environmental scanning process typically includes interviews or focus groups to help organizations identify shared opportunities, clarify priorities, align resources, and foster more sustainable collaboration. Based on the information gathered, PHF will highlight key findings and provide actionable recommendations to strengthen partnership efforts. Health departments that have participated in this process have taken concrete steps to advance their AHD partnerships—steps like hiring an AHD Coordinator and establishing a working group to develop a universal agreement template for consistent internship experiences. As with all of PHF’s services, each engagement is flexible and tailored to meet the needs and context of the organizations involved.
Connect with Us!
We’d love to connect and support you along the way to making AHD partnerships work for your organization! Leave your comments below or reach out to me directly to explore more.
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