Beyond competencies: A new public health certificate in chronic disease

Multiple leadership organizations in public health have examined challenges to the capacity of the American public health workforce, but few of these have considered the workforce's capacity to prevent and control chronic diseases. The Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, is establishing a new academic, distance learning certificate focused on chronic diseases. This 15 semester hour certificate will enhance the capacity of professionals in state and local governmental to design, implement and evaluate chronic disease programs. This initiative is cosponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. Preparation for launching the certificate includes a survey of the public health and chronic disease workforce, which contains questions on the respondents' chronic disease focus, functions within their program, and training priorities and delivery preferences. This survey emphasizes individual reports (not management assessments), captures specific data on chronic disease workforce needs, and directly informs curriculum design. The certificate curriculum uses a distance learning approach to provide education for public health professionals working in U.S. state, territorial and local health departments in chronic disease. It includes courses in statistics, epidemiology, foundations of public health, social and behavioral science, and public health research methods, all in a chronic diseases context. Evaluation includes not only assessment of student learning during the academic year but also periodic review of successful community-based interventions that have resulted from this capacity building effort.