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Council on Linkages Meeting Summary
January 2016 |
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Council Strategic Directions to be Refreshed Over Coming Months
Activities of the Council on Linkages are guided by its Strategic Directions to ensure that the work in which the Council on Linkages engages continues to meet ongoing and emerging needs within the public health community. Over the past five years, the Council on Linkages has made progress related to activities within each of the objective areas outlined in its Strategic Directions, 2011-2015 and is now planning for a refresh of the Strategic Directions for 2016-2020. Council on Linkages Chair C. William Keck, MD, MPH, and Council on Linkages staff have completed an initial review of the Strategic Directions, 2011-2015 and suggested potential revisions to help start the discussion about the development of the Strategic Directions, 2016-2020. Over the coming months, Council on Linkages member organizations will be asked to provide their thoughts about the Strategic Directions and that input will be used to develop the Strategic Directions, 2016-2020. The development of the Strategic Directions, 2016-2020 is expected to be completed by the end of June 2016. Questions about this process may be directed to Kathleen Amos at kamos@phf.org. |
AHD Learning Community Focuses on Initiatives Related to AHD Research and Mentorship
Now in its fifth year of operation, the Academic Health Department (AHD) Learning Community reaches approximately 550 practitioners, educators, and researchers from across the country, and efforts continue to support these members in developing, maintaining, and expanding AHDs. The newest initiative of the AHD Learning Community, begun in the fall of 2015, is the development of an AHD Research Agenda. Led by Learning Community member Paul Campbell Erwin, MD, DrPH, of the University of Tennessee Department of Public Health, this effort aims to articulate research questions for exploring the nature and impact of AHD partnerships. An initial draft of the research agenda is expected to be completed by the end of January, at which time it will be shared with the Learning Community for feedback and refined based on the comments received. In addition, the Learning Community recently held a virtual meeting focused on examples of AHD partnerships, and the AHD Mentorship Program continues to develop, with Learning Community members volunteering to serve as mentors, mentor/mentee matches being created, and mentorship occurring. Led by Learning Community member Bryn Manzella, MPH, of the Jefferson County Department of Health (AL), this mentorship program helps to foster AHDs by building ongoing relationships between individuals involved in AHD efforts, connecting individuals seeking guidance in an area of AHD development or operation with those having experience in that area. New mentors and mentees are welcome at any time. To participate, please contact Janelle Nichols at jnichols@phf.org. |
Use of the Core Competencies and Related Tools and Resources Remains Strong
The Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies), a foundational set of skills for the broad practice of public health, are widely used in workforce development efforts, and the Core Competencies Workgroup is currently engaged in developing resources and tools to better support public health professionals and organizations in using the Core Competencies. Resources and tools produced are made freely available through the Council on Linkages website, with the most recent tool completed, a crosswalk of the 2014 Core Competencies and the Essential Public Health Services, released in October 2015. Work continues to enhance collections of job descriptions, workforce development plans, and other examples of how organizations have used the Core Competencies. Additional resources and tools include competency assessments, archived webinars, videos highlighting the Core Competencies and the eight Core Competencies domains, Frequently Asked Questions, and a crosswalk of the 2014 and 2010 Core Competencies, among other items. Usage of these resources is highlighted by the frequency with which they are accessed online. Since the June 2014 release of the current version of the Core Competencies, the Core Competencies have been accessed nearly 71,000 times, and Core Competencies resources and tools have been accessed more than 130,000 times. For more information about any of these resources and tools, or to contribute by sharing a Core Competencies-based job description or workforce development plan or other example of Core Competencies use, please contact Janelle Nichols at jnichols@phf.org. |
Council on Linkages Expertise Utilized in Development of Discipline-Specific Competencies
As the Core Competencies has been a major initiative of the Council on Linkages for over two decades, Council on Linkages staff have developed expertise in this area and have assisted numerous organizations in developing and refining discipline-specific competencies that are aligned with the Core Competencies. Currently, Council on Linkages staff are assisting in developing, refining, and implementing competencies for public health laboratorians, public health professionals working with people with disabilities, and community health workers. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has requested Council on Linkages involvement in the development of two new sets of competencies, the Competencies for Performance Improvement Professionals and Population Health Competencies for Hospitals and Health Systems. During this meeting, Pat Drehobl, RN, MPH, Associate Director for Program Development, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development (DSEPD), Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS); Eric Kasowski, DVM, MD, MPH, FACPM, Chief, Public Health Workforce Branch, DSEPD, CSELS; and Bobbie Erlwein, MPH, Acting Branch Chief, Health Department and Systems Development Branch, Division of Public Health Performance Improvement, Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support, CDC, discussed the importance of these activities to the field of public health and CDC's priorities for supporting these efforts. Additional information will be shared with the Council on Linkages over the coming months as these initiatives continue to develop. |
In Other Business...
- The Council on Linkages welcomed Lynn Goldman, MD, MS, MPH, of The George Washington University, as the new representative for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), and Pat Drehobl, RN, MPH, as CDC's new representative.
- The Council on Linkages voted to grant the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) preliminary membership.
- The Quad Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations is undergoing a transition in structure and has changed its name to the Quad Council Coalition of Public Health Nursing Organizations. Membership is expanding beyond the four original organizations, with the National Association of School Nurses being the first new organization to join.
- The Council on Linkages serves as the data source for Healthy People 2020 Public Health Infrastructure Objective 3 (PHI-3), which relates to use of the Core Competencies in academic curricula, and is preparing for providing data on this objective. The data collection instrument that will be used for this effort has been finalized, and activities to engage the relevant academic institutions are underway.
- Data collected through the Council on Linkages' Public Health Workers Survey continue to be shared with the public health community, with an article using these data published by the American Journal of Public Health in December 2015, and another article accepted for publication by the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. A full report of the survey findings is also being prepared for release through the Council on Linkages website, with a draft expected to be available early this year.
- The Council on Linkages participated in a successful session at the 2015 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting focused on workforce development efforts at the national level. The Core Competencies and the importance of collaboration between academia and public health practice featured prominently in this session, and highlights of the discussion are captured in a recent post on the PHF Pulse blog.
- The ASPPH-sponsored Academic Public Health Caucus is accepting abstracts for the 2016 APHA Annual Meeting through February 22, 2016. Topic areas listed within the call for abstracts include "Building the Evidence Base for Academic Health Department Partnerships."
- CEPH is currently in the process of revising the accreditation criteria for graduate-level public health programs. Comments on a draft of proposed criteria revisions were accepted through January 8, 2016, and CEPH will use the input received to refine the draft. An additional opportunity to submit comments is expected to open in February 2016.
- CDC's Public Health Associate Program is currently accepting applications from organizations interested in serving as host sites. Applications are due January 22, 2016.
- 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. |
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Activities of the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice are supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Questions and comments may be emailed to Academic/Practice Linkages Assistant Director Kathleen Amos at kamos@phf.org.
To ensure delivery of this email to your inbox, please add councilonlinkages@phf.org to your address book. |
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