Public Health Competencies: A Decade of Progress

This presentation is part of a panel discussion and focuses on more than a decade of progress in U.S.A. and Canada in defining core competencies for public health professionals. The session reviews efforts by the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Practice's Core Competencies for Public Health Practice, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the United Kingdom's Health Services system to define and validate competency requirements for public health practice. Similarities and differences in methods and products are discussed. Results of dissemination and adoption of these respective competency frameworks is summarized. Examples of additional competency definition activities for public health professionals are reviewed including applied epidemiology, informatics, public health law, and public health preparedness and response. Other factors influencing adoption and use of competency frameworks are discussed including Healthy People Objectives (USA) and accreditation standards for public health agencies (PHAB) and schools and programs of public health (CEPH).