The 2021 Public Health Learning Forum was held virtually from October 12-21, 2021. The meeting focused on Working Together, Training Together: Preparedness, Public Health and Healthcare and featured an exciting lineup of presentations from leaders in public health workforce development.
This event was an opportunity for public health, healthcare, and emergency preparedness professionals to explore the latest in workforce development, education, and promising practices in the field. Attendees could join one to two unique sessions per day over the course of the two-week event, as well as networking opportunities with fellow leaders in public health and workforce development.
Tuesday, October 12th, 12:30-1:30pm EDT
Public Health Landscape 2021: Where Are We Now?
Judy Monroe, MD, President and CEO of the CDC Foundation, explored the public
health landscape of 2021. Society’s view of what public health is and what role public health professionals should play in people’s lives has been upended by recent events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, disparities in health and healthcare that have been brought to the forefront, and the evolving climate crisis. Dr. Monroe provided her perspective on where we are and how to meet our nation’s health workforce development needs.
Monday, October 18th, 12:30-1:30pm EDTRachel Levine, MD, Assistant Secretary for Health, explored the current state of public health workforce development and identified strategies for addressing needs. COVID-19 has dominated public health for nearly two years; how can we harness lessons learned while addressing other key priorities? Dr. Levine drew upon her extensive public health and healthcare background to describe tangible actions to bolster public health workforce development across the nation. Plus, five leaders in the field discussed the keynote address in a reaction panel. Panelists included Vivian Singletary, Director of the Public Health Informatics Institute; Linae Bigfire, Accreditation Coordinator for the Winnebago Public Health Department; Gabrielle Benenson, Division Chief for the CDC’s Education and Training Services Branch; Alicia Thompson, Health & Social Services Health Director of Cochise County, Arizona; and Megan Lincoln, Public Health Analyst and Project Officer for the Regional Public Health Training Centers.
Thursday, October 21st, 12:30-1:30pm EDTA panel of health officials, moderated by Ron Bialek, MPP, President of the Public Health Foundation, explored the future of public health workforce development. Panelists included Barbara Brookmeyer, MD, MPH, Health Officer of Frederick County, Maryland; Carol Moerhle, BSN, RN, District Director for Public Health – Idaho North Central District; and Karyl Rattay, MD, MS, Director of the Delaware Division of Public Health. These panelists provided their perspectives of where public health workforce development is going, how their agencies are planning for the future, and how TRAIN can be leveraged to enhance those efforts.
Meeting Objectives
Attendees were able to:
- Identify opportunities for collaboration between preparedness, public health, and healthcare.
- Learn to leverage best practices that build health workforce capacity.
- Increase knowledge and skills in administering a learning platform focused on the health workforce.
- Explore the intersections of health workforce training, diversity, equity, and community health outcomes.
Questions or Comments?