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Greetings!

Below is a Council on Linkages Update for September 2026. Please feel free to share these opportunities in your organization’s newsletter or other communications.

Mark Your Calendars for the Council on Linkages’ October 22nd Meeting

Join the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) for its next meeting on October 22, 2026 from 2-4pm EDT. Hear from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Infrastructure Center about current public health workforce priorities, and learn the latest on the Academic Health Department Learning Community, Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals, and workforce development updates from the Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations and Association of Public Health Laboratories. The meeting agenda, materials, and additional information will be made available on the meeting webpage as the date approaches.

Register Today! 2026 Public Health Learning Forum

November 16-19, 2026

Have you registered for the 2026 Public Health Learning Forum? Join public health professionals from across the country for four days of practical learning, innovative ideas, and strategies to strengthen workforce development, quality improvement, and performance management. 

Experience timely sessions like Stronger Together: Mobilizing Academic-Practice Collaboration to Improve Public Health, highlighting how the Tennessee Department of Health built successful academic health department partnerships with 12 university partners to strengthen student practice experiences, workforce readiness, and academic-practice collaboration, and offering strategies that can be adapted in a variety of settings. 

The Public Health Learning Forum is offered virtually and at no cost. All who are interested are welcome. Check out the program and register today. 

Explore New Resources in the Retention and Recruitment Toolkit

New resources are now available in the Retention and Recruitment Toolkit. This action-oriented toolkit highlights strategies within the sphere of influence of public health professionals, focusing on areas with significant potential for improvement. The toolkit is updated as resources are developed or shared; the most recent update included the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ new Relationship Building for Public Health Professionals guide, the National Hispanic Health Foundation’s Hiring and Retention Toolkit, and the Trailhead Institute’s Resources to Support Sustainability in Public Health. View the new additions and email Mayela Arana with your examples, tools, or resources to share. 

Connect with the Council on Linkages at the APHA 2026 Annual Meeting 

November 1-4, 2026 

The 2026 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo will be held November 1-4, 2026 in San Antonio, TX. Join the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) and the Public Health Foundation on Sunday, November 1, 2026 from 2:30-4pm CST for Academic Health Department Partnerships: Building on Gains from the Public Health Infrastructure Grant Program (Session 2017.0) and for the Academic and Practice Linkages in Public Health Caucus session, Dear Academia, We Need to Talk: A Candid Conversation with Public Health Practice (Session 4060.0), on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 from 10:30am-12pm CST. Visit the meeting webpage to learn more and register for the APHA 2026 Annual Meeting.