Public Health Workforce

This guide brings together all the Resources, Organizations, Funding, Events, and News we've discovered related to Public Health.

Here are some top picks to get you started:

Frequently Requested Information

• Interested in Public Health for a particular profession?
  Please see Public Health by Profession

• Looking for Public Health resources by state?
  Alabama (1) Alaska (4) Arizona (2) Arkansas (1) California (11) Colorado (2) Connecticut (5) Delaware (1) District of Columbia (1) Florida (5) Georgia (6) Idaho (1) Illinois (2) Indiana (1) Iowa (5) Kansas (2) Louisiana (2) Maryland (6) Massachusetts (5) Michigan (3) Minnesota (8) Missouri (4) Montana (2) Nebraska (2) New Hampshire (4) New Jersey (2) New Mexico (3) New York (11) North Carolina (7) North Dakota (3) Ohio (3) Oklahoma (1) Oregon (5) Pennsylvania (5) Rhode Island (1) South Dakota (1) Texas (7) Utah (1) Vermont (4) Virginia (2) Washington (4) West Virginia (2) Wisconsin (9) Wyoming (1) National (217) State-by-State (6)

• Browse some of the most common topics related to Public Health:
  Education and Training (101) Supply and Demand (58) Policy (47) Primary Care (33) Recruitment and Retention (30) Diversity (27) Residency Programs (22) Health Reform (19) Best Practices and Model Programs (18) Behavioral Health (17) Health Care Access (17) Trends and Emerging Issues (17) Continuing Education (16) Workforce Pipeline (16) Interprofessional Training and Education (13)

Overview

Public health addresses community-level disease prevention and health promotion. The public health workforce plays a role in educating the public, enforcing health and safety laws and regulations, addressing community-level hazards, and investigating health problems. The public health workforce is also being called upon to address new challenges related to bioterrorism, emergent diseases, and other man-made and natural disasters. According to the 2008 Center for Studying Health System Change report, Public Health Workforce Shortages Imperil Nation's Health, there is a growing shortage of public health workers to fill these traditional and emerging public health roles. Some of the challenges identified in the report include a lack of formal public health training among public health workers, a lack of enthusiasm for public health, and inadequate budgets to recruit and retain public health workers. The 2011 Association of State and Territorial Health Officials report, Profile of State Public Health, outlines additional challenges of high vacancy and turnover rates, budget shortfalls, and an aging public health workforce.

• ASTHO Profile of State Public Health: Volume Two, 9/2011
• Public Health Workforce Shortages Imperil Nation's Health, 4/2008

Page last updated April 24, 2012