Council on Linkages Meeting Summary
April 2017 |
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Council on Linkages Members Share Organizational Alignment with Strategic Directions
The Council on Linkages adopted the Strategic Directions, 2016-2020 during its August 2016 meeting to guide its activities and ensure that the work in which it engages continues to meet ongoing and emerging needs within the public health community. Council on Linkages member organizations are encouraged to adopt key concepts within the Strategic Directions, taking ownership of strategies and tactics and continuing to strengthen the overall impact of the Council on Linkages. During this first meeting of the 25th anniversary year of the Council on Linkages, two member organizations helped to move Council on Linkages discussion in this direction by sharing priorities for their organizations and how these align with the Strategic Directions. The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) discussed state licensure for preventive medicine physicians, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) discussed the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey. Highlighting individual member organizations' contributions toward the Strategic Directions and sharing Council on Linkages successes and achievements will continue to be a focus for the Council on Linkages throughout the year. |
Core Competencies Review Cycle Discussed as Tool and Resource Development Continues
The three-year anniversary of the current version of the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) is approaching in June. With requests to consider lengthening the review and revision cycle to minimize disruption and allow time for organizations and individuals to integrate the latest Core Competencies into their work before revisions are made, along with the widespread use of the Core Competencies, the Council on Linkages discussed the current three-year review cycle and determined that the Core Competencies would not be opened for review at this time. This decision allows for additional work to be done to develop tools and resources to support use of the Core Competencies, including developing a new tool for helping to determine essential Core Competencies for job descriptions and enhancing collections of job descriptions and workforce development plans that incorporate the Core Competencies. Examples of such job descriptions and workforce development plans, as well as other examples of how public health professionals and organizations are using the Core Competencies, are always welcome by email to Janelle Nichols at [email protected]. In addition, the Council on Linkages will explore opportunities to further support alignment between the Core Competencies and the variety of discipline-specific competencies sets that contribute to workforce development within public health. |
AHD Learning Community Activities Ramp Up
With a membership of approximately 700, the Academic Health Department (AHD) Learning Community continues to hold meetings, develop AHD resources, and foster AHD partnerships. Recent meetings have focused on sharing examples of AHD partnerships in Massachusetts and Virginia, and meetings planned for May and July 26th will highlight AHD partnerships in Illinois and Tennessee. The AHD Research Agenda, which aims to support and encourage collaborative research on the structure, functions, and impacts of AHD partnerships, was released in October 2016, and the Learning Community has recently released the first column in a new quarterly Ask the AHD Expert series featuring questions from Learning Community members and providing guidance related to AHD partnerships. Participation in the AHD Mentorship Program is growing, with thirteen existing mentor/mentee matches, and additional matches continuing to be created. Collections of AHD resources compiled by the Learning Community also continue to grow, including the list of AHD partnerships and the collection of partnership agreements. Planned future activities include additional meetings, drafting a staged model of AHD development, and documenting stories of successful AHD partnerships. Expressions of interest in participating in the mentorship program or contributions for AHD resources are welcome by email to Janelle Nichols at [email protected]. |
In Other Business...
- The Council on Linkages welcomed Penrose Jackson, of The University of Vermont Medical Center, as the representative for the Association for Community Health Improvement; Wendy Braund, MD, MPH, MSEd, FACPM, of the Wyoming Department of Health, as the new representative for ASTHO; and Michael Fagen, PhD, MPH, of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, as the new representative for the Society for Public Health Education.
- The Council on Linkages voted to grant the Council on Education for Public Health formal membership.
- Updated information about use of the Core Competencies was shared, including data from the 2016 National Profile of Local Health Departments study conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials reporting a 73% increase in use of the Core Competencies among local health departments since the study was last completed in 2013 - with usage growing from 26% to 45%. This study highlights increases in use of the Core Competencies for assessing training needs, developing training plans, writing position descriptions, and conducting performance evaluations, with use for training plans and position descriptions doubling between 2013 and 2016. The Core Competencies have also been accessed more than 121,000 times, and resources and tools have been accessed more than 232,000 times, through the Council on Linkages website since the release of the 2014 version of the Core Competencies.
- The Public Health Foundation is hosting a virtual town hall meeting on Thursday, May 11th from 2-3:30pm EDT that will offer an opportunity to learn more about the field of legal epidemiology and help shape a set of competencies to support this emerging field. Additional information about the webinar is expected to be available through the Council on Linkages Update later this month.
- As follow-up to discussion led by ACPM about state licensure for preventive medicine physicians, Council on Linkages staff will work with ACPM to draft a consensus statement for consideration for adoption by the Council on Linkages related to the need for and role of preventive medicine physicians.
- The National Board of Public Health Examiners joined the Council on Linkages to discuss the Certified in Public Health (CPH) certification program and changes to the CPH exam. A follow-up webinar is being planned as an opportunity for additional discussion and for participants to share feedback that can be used to inform revision of the exam.
- The next meeting of the Council on Linkages will be held on Monday, July 17th from 1-3pm ET and is likely to occur by conference call. Future meetings are scheduled for October 2nd and December 12th.
Additional information about the meeting, including the agenda and other meeting materials, is available on the meeting webpage. |
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Activities of the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice are supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Questions and comments may be emailed to Academic/Practice Linkages Assistant Director Kathleen Amos at [email protected].
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