Public Health Education: Changing Times

Abstract

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advised that keeping the public healthy required not only a well-educated and prepared public health workforce but also an educated citizenry, thus leading to its recommendation that “…all undergraduates should have access to education in public health” (Institute of Medicine (2003) Who will keep the public healthy? Educating public health professionals for the twenty-first century. National Academy Press, Washington, p. 144). To respond to this call, a wide breadth of knowledge, adaptable skills, principled values, and a sense of social responsibility is required to prepare the public health workforce and citizenry to effectively respond to the public health challenges of today’s society. This chapter describes several responses to this call prepared by academic institutions and public health professional associations. One approach involves preparing a population of undergraduate learners who possess “life tools” based in a liberal education viewpoint that enables them to improve the health of their society as educated citizens. Several national pathways to public health education are discussed including the Education for Health Framework; Educated Citizen and Public Health; public health majors, minors, certificates, and articulation agreements; and the role for community colleges in answering the IOM’s call to action. In addition, national public health education initiatives developed by the American Public Health Association, Association of Schools of Public Health, and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research are described. Lastly, this chapter examines the importance of public health literacy not only for the undergraduate students but also its role in developing an educated citizenry.