Council on Linkages Members Report on Core Competencies Dissemination Activities 

The 2014 version of the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) was adopted by the Council on Linkages on June 26, 2014. Since that date, Council on Linkages member organizations, members of the Core Competencies Workgroup, and other public health professionals and organizations have assisted with disseminating this revised version of the Core Competencies to the broad public health community. Dissemination efforts have included email announcements, newsletter articles, presentations at meetings and conferences, webinars, and updates to the TRAIN learning management network, among other activities. During the meeting, Council on Linkages members shared their organizations' dissemination activities, reporting on a range of efforts. Dissemination activities of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) and the Public Health Foundation were also discussed. 

AHD Learning Community Developing an AHD Mentorship Program  

In Other Business... 

• The Council on Linkages welcomed Barbara Gottlieb, MD, of the Brookside Community Health Center (MA) and Harvard School of Public Health as the new representative for Community-Campus Partnerships for Health. 
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Associate Program is accepting applications for associates and host sites. Associate applications are due January 16, 2015, and host site applications are due January 23, 2015. 
• Work is ongoing to update existing tools and develop new tools to help support use of the Core Competencies. Tools currently available include a crosswalk of the 2014 and 2010 versions of the Core Competencies, competency self-assessments, job descriptions and workforce development plans that incorporate the Core Competencies, and a collection of examples of Core Competencies use. A competency checklist for course providers and a set of frequently asked questions about the Core Competencies are being developed. The Core Competencies Workgroup will meet on Thursday, January 22, 2015 to discuss continued tool development. Submissions of tools that can be shared with the public health community are welcome by email to Kathleen Amos at [email protected].
• The AHD Learning Community continues to meet regularly, holding meetings in June 2014 to discuss the results of a Learning Community needs assessment, August 2014 to plan for the AHD Mentorship Program, and October 2014 to hear results of a recent survey exploring characteristics of AHDs.
• The next AHD Learning Community meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3, 2015 from 2-3pm EST and will focus on national health department accreditation. Guest speaker Jessica Kronstadt, MPP, Director of Research and Evaluation for PHAB, will join the meeting to discuss opportunities for collaboration between health departments and academic institutions in support of health department accreditation.
• As work on the Public Health Workers Survey report continues, data from the survey is being shared through presentations, including two at the 2014 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting. In addition, several journal articles that use the survey data are being drafted.
• The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health's Framing the Future Task Force is seeking comments on two draft reports: the Population Health across All Professions Expert Panel report (survey) and the Workforce Development Expert Panel report (survey). Comments are welcome through January 26, 2015.
• The National Library of Medicine is continuously working to enhance the collection of workforce development resources provided through the PHPartners website. Suggestions for the workforce development section of the website can be sent to Lisa Lang, MPP, at [email protected].
• The next meeting of the Council on Linkages will likely occur by conference call or webinar, but has not yet been scheduled.

Additional information about the meeting, including the agenda and other meeting materials, is available on the meeting webpage.