The Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) held its fourth and final meeting of 2017 on December 12th. More than 60 Council on Linkages members and friends participated in this virtual meeting, discussing current Council on Linkages initiatives and plans for the future.

The Role of the Council on Linkages in Advocating for the Public Health Workforce

The Council on Linkages has a long history of advocating for the public health workforce, as highlighted during this meeting by former Council on Linkages member Hugh Tilson, MD, DrPH, MPH, as well as many opportunities to continue to do so moving forward. Dr. Tilson, who has been engaged with the Council on Linkages for more than 20 years, spoke to the Council on Linkages’ 25 years of convening diverse national organizations to improve public health training, research, and practice; developing consensus around a set of core skills and competencies desirable for the practice and teaching of public health, the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies); creating the field of public health systems and services research; influencing both public health practice and academic accreditation; and more, as illustrations of the Council on Linkages advocating for the public health workforce. He also presented challenges and opportunities that the Council on Linkages can look forward to as it continues championing the public health workforce, including collaborating across sectors, supporting movement toward Public Health 3.0, continuing to increase the visibility and use of the Core Competencies, fostering academic health departments (AHDs), and achieving ongoing surveillance of the public health workforce, among others. For more information about the Council on Linkages’ history and opportunities for the future, please view the meeting presentation slides, and contact Kathleen Amos at [email protected] with any questions. 

Leadership Development Opportunities Approaching Next Year

Opportunities to strengthen the public health workforce were also the focus of guest speakers Phyllis Meadows, PhD, from The Kresge Foundation and J.T. Theofilos, MBA, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who joined this meeting to share information about two programs focused on enhancing the public health workforce. The Kresge Foundation’s Emerging Leaders in Public Health initiative launched in 2014 as a way to equip local public health officers with knowledge and skills to lead in today’s changing health care environment. The application period for the third cohort of this program is expected to open in mid-2018, and additional details about the program can be found at https://kresge.org/elph. CDC’s Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) is a two-year, competitive, paid training program for early career public health professionals. PHAP associates are employed by CDC and work in state, tribal, local, and territorial public health departments; nongovernmental organizations; public health institutes and associations; academic institutions; and CDC quarantine stations. Applications are accepted from both recent graduates interested in serving as associates and organizations interested in hosting associates. For the next PHAP class, which starts in October 2018, the application period for associates will be open from January 2-8, 2018, and applications from prospective host sites will be accepted from January 2-18, 2018. Additional information about the program and how to apply is available at https://www.cdc.gov/phap. 

A Year in Review: Progress Related to the AHD Learning Community and Core Competencies

Throughout this year, progress has been made on two key initiatives of the Council on Linkages: the AHD Learning Community and the Core Competencies. The AHD Learning Community was involved in a variety of activities, including the development and enhancement of tools and resources, hosting of virtual meetings, and development and dissemination of related communications. Among other activities, four AHD Learning Community meetings were held (March, May, July, and September) and attended by more than 120 participants; a new quarterly Ask the AHD Expert series was launched, with columns published in March, June, and September, and a fourth planned for December; and a staged model of AHD development that aims to better articulate how AHD partnerships might develop was drafted and is open for feedback. Work to enhance resources and tools related to the Core Competencies also continued throughout the year, guided by the Core Competencies Workgroup, which has grown to nearly 100 members. Usage of the Core Competencies continued, with the Core Competencies and related resources and tools being accessed more than 105,000 times so far in 2017; a modified version of the Core Competencies, which aims to support organizations in using the Core Competencies, was made available; and the tool, Determining Essential Core Competencies for Public Health Jobs: A Prioritization Process, was developed. Additional details about activities related to the AHD Learning Community and Core Competencies can be found in the Council on Linkages meeting materials, as well as by visiting the AHD Learning Community and Core Competencies sections of the Council on Linkages website, and questions may be sent to Kathleen Amos at [email protected].  

In Other Business…

• The Council on Linkages voted to grant the Veterans Health Administration preliminary membership.
• Updates on the Competencies for Performance Improvement Professionals in Public Health (Performance Improvement Competencies) and Priority Competencies for Population Health Professionals were shared, including that feedback periods will soon open for both and feedback gathered will be used to further refine each competency set.
• Additional data illustrating activities related to the AHD Learning Community and Core Competencies in 2017 were shared, including:
• The AHD Learning Community currently has approximately 750 members, and the AHD Mentorship Program has matched 15 people seeking guidance with mentors.
• To date in 2017, the AHD Learning Community and its resources and tools have been accessed more than 6,000 times, bringing online usage of these resources to more than 42,000 visits since the Learning Community’s launch in 2011.
• Seven AHD partnerships were added to the list of AHD partnerships on the Council website, and three partnership agreements were added to the collection of AHD partnership agreements.
• An article describing the development of the AHD Research Agenda was published in the September 2017 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
• The Core Competencies have been accessed online more than 151,000 times since the current version was released in 2014, and related resources and tools have been accessed more than 292,000 times. The most popular resources and tools include competency assessments and collections of job descriptions, examples of how organizations use the Core Competencies, and workforce development plans.
• Updated data released by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and National Association of County and City Health Officials indicate that the Core Competencies are used in approximately 80% of state health departments and 45% of local health departments.
• Twelve new job descriptions and a new workforce development plan that incorporate the Core Competencies were added to the existing online collections. Additional examples are encouraged and may be sent to Kathleen Amos at [email protected].
• Council on Linkages staff answered 65 technical assistance requests related to the Council on Linkages and its activities, serving individuals in 22 states, Guam, and Uganda.
• As Council on Linkages leadership and staff continue work to highlight the collective value of the Council on Linkages, data and examples that help illustrate the reach of the Council on Linkages, use of its products, or activities of Council on Linkages member organizations that relate to the Council on Linkages’ work are appreciated and may be sent to Kathleen Amos at [email protected].
• Patrick Lenihan, PhD, Council on Linkages representative for the National Network of Public Health Institutes, led a discussion on new approaches to practice-based research.
• Future meetings of the Council on Linkages will occur virtually, but have not yet been scheduled for 2018.

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