One of the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice's (Council on Linkages) key goals includes fostering collaboration between the academic and public health practice communities to ensure that public health education is relevant to practice and encourage lifelong learning among public health workers. The Council on Linkages' past efforts to enhance academic/practice linkages have included:

• Compiling and developing tools and examples of linkages, and providing technical assistance
• Presenting Annual Linkages Awards
• Developing public health practice guidelines
• Engaging in a SACHO demonstration project
• Promoting the establishment of academic health departments
• Highlighting the benefits of distance learning 
• Advocating for the development of public health infrastructure objectives
• Seeking funding for public health graduate education
• Influencing the revision of accreditation criteria for academic institutions to incorporate practica and other linkage activities