Who Will Keep the Public Healthy? Educating Public Health Professionals for the 21st Century (2003) / Chapter Skim
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4. Future Role of Schools of Public Health in Educating Public Health Professionals for the 21st Century
4. Future Role of Schools of Public Health in Educating Public Health Professionals for the 21st Century
Pages 108-128
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From page 108... ...
Faculty in schools of public health come from multiple disciplines, making schools uniquely poised to embrace the transdisciplinary approach to education and research that is necessary for an ecological focus. The ecological model for public health discussed in Chapter 1 provides a focus for the following discussion, a discussion that identifies responsibilities, explores future directions, and makes recommendations for strengthening education, research, and training in schools of public health.
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From page 109... ...
The strengths and contributions of these programs cannot be overemphasized, and the committee acknowledges their importance to the development of the public health workforce. The committee believes that education in schools of public health should be directed toward masters and doctoral level students who will fulfill many professional positions within public health, toward persons destined for practice careers in positions of senior responsibility and leadership, and toward those who will become public health researchers and academic faculty.
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From page 110... ...
However, the committee recommends that schools embrace as a primary educational mission the preparation of individuals for positions of senior responsibility in public health practice, research, and teaching. It is important for schools to emphasize responsibility to prepare future public health leaders.
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From page 111... ...
Several critical gaps have been identified in the current approach to educating public health professionals. These gaps include informatics, genomics, community-based research, global health, law, and ethics.
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From page 112... ...
Recommendations for funding appear in Chapter 6. Educating Leaders in Public Health Practice Successful transition to programs with appropriate emphasis, faculty, and teaching approaches consistent with the proposed competencies will
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From page 113... ...
Problems with emphasizing the practice component in education delivered in schools of public health include lack of funding for quality practice experiences and the incentive and reward structures for academic faculty that do not reward practice scholarship. Academic institutions need to recognize faculty scholarship related to public health practice and service activities.
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From page 114... ...
Training of the workforce to conduct this research will require an equally radical new approach to the current strategy of advanced degree education at the doctoral level. The breadth of the envisioned future enterprise, and its many intersections with other scientific, biomedical, and social scientific fields, suggests that an important component of science training will be directed at those who enter public health with an advanced degree in another discipline, typically an M.D.
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From page 115... ...
Doctoral research candidates should have exposure to core public health disciplines as well as areas identified as critical gaps in earlier discussion in this chapter, and researchers must be trained to understand communities and to engage in transdisciplinary research (see the section on transdisciplinary research)
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From page 116... ...
Furthermore, to the extent that speechlanguage pathologists are exposed to public health competencies, they will bring to the front line of health care organizations (including, in some cases, the patient's home) and community schools an additional source of public health education.
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From page 117... ...
However, the academic community and, in particular, schools of public health will likely continue to carry the major responsibility for public health research. The most striking change in public health research in the coming decades is the transition from research dominated by single disciplines, or a small number, to transdisciplinary research.
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From page 118... ...
In transdisciplinary research broadly consituted teams of researchers work across disciplines in the development of the nature of the public health problem to be resolved. For example, the "team" might now include an economist, health psychologist, and chemical engineer to compare alternative strategies for reducing bladder cancer risk including development of a pitch substitute, economic incentives to eliminate pitch, or methods to cajole all exposed subjects to come early and often for screening.
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From page 119... ...
Recognition of causal factors contributes to improvements in public health only insofar as feasible, socially palatable, and economically viable intervention strategies can be established. As such, rigorous testing and evaluation of interventions will increasingly dominate the landscape of public health research and will most likely become a dominant theme distinguishing public health from other aspects of biomedical research.
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From page 120... ...
To foster the envisioned transdiciplinary research, schools of public health may need to establish new relationships with other health science schools, community organizations, health agencies, and groups within their region. Schools of public health have a primary responsibility for educating faculty, researchers, and senior-level practice professionals.
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From page 121... ...
These same elements must also be enriched in research and service missions of schools of public health. Academic public health leaders whether they reside in schools of public health, public health programs, medical schools or elsewhere are often turned to for information needed in the formulation of policy.
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From page 122... ...
Following that model, public health experts can make themselves available partners in defining educational goals for public health units or courses, in developing classroom or other teaching resources, and in looking for opportunities to allow students from multiple disciplines to work with public health students in models consistent with a 21st century view of improving the public's health. Therefore, the committee recommends that schools of public health actively seek opportunities for collaboration in education, research, and faculty development with other academic schools and departments, to increase the number of graduates in health and related disciplines who have had an introduction to public health content and interdisciplinary practice, and to foster research across disciplines.
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From page 123... ...
Recent technological developments have made the expertise of school faculty potentially more accessible to many public health agencies and organizations that are not located near schools of public health. Unfortunately, not all health departments have the necessary technological capabilities to take advantage of distant training opportunities.
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From page 124... ...
Finally, it is recognized that basic public health training related directly to practice is often better provided by the local and state health departments than by schools of public health. However, schools of public health have a critical role in assisting health agencies in the development of training materials, providing expertise in the delivery, presentation, and evaluation of the materials, and in the assessment of student learning.
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From page 125... ...
Therefore, the committee recommends that schools of public health fulfill their responsibility for assuring access to life long learning opportunities for several disparate groups including: · public health professionals; · other members of the public health workforce; and · other health professionals who participate in public health activities. COMMUNITY COLLABORATION The previous sections have focused on the responsibility of schools of public health as they relate to practitioners, researchers, and educators within the field.
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From page 126... ...
to provide transdisciplinary approaches to active community involvement to improve population health; and · provide students with didactic and practical training in community-based public health activities, including policy development and implementation. Further, community-based organizations should have enhanced presence in schools' advisory, planning, and teaching activities.
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From page 127... ...
This knowledge is applied as consultant, professional expert or technical advisor to the university community, the public health practice community or professional practice organizations. The dimension of scholarship distinguishes practice-based service from a form of service known traditionally as the general responsibilities of citizenship.
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From page 128... ...
Recommendations for such funding are discussed in Chapter 6. The following chapter discusses the role of programs and other schools in educating public health professionals.
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