Public health education standards and health systems frameworks: The missing link?

Public health is comprised of professional from various walks of life. Unlike traditional professions such as medicine, public health professionals have varied education fields. The common thread that binds this diverse group is the desire to promote and protect health, and prevent illness. Public health education has vastly evolved in the latter quarter of 20th and the 21st centuries. Many universities offer a Masters in Public Health (MPH), doctorate degree (PhD, DrPH, Ed.D, etc), even undergraduate degrees (BS) in public health. While accrediting bodies such as Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) in the US, and Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) have made a consistent effort to improve the quality of public health education by developing standards and accrediting guidelines, there is still a need for linkage between education and employment. Of particular importance is the field of health systems where there is a greater need for the linkage. This presentation discusses the health systems frameworks and how public health education standards can be linked to the frameworks in order to enable better training and employment of professionals specializing in public health systems. We will discuss the six building blocks of a health system framework as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), the ten Essential Public Health Services (EPHS) as defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and their connection to public health education standards.