Preparing the Public Health Workforce

In concept and practice, public health casts a wide net, spanning assessment, intervention, and policy; education, prevention, and protection; public, private, and government entities. But key elements are often missing from the picture, including a clear understanding of public health and its goals by the general public, and specific public health education throughout the workforce.

Preparing the Public Health Workforce responds to these and related challenges by elegantly summarizing the state of the field in an era of dwindling budgets, competing and overlapping services, and a shaky professional infrastructure. In keeping with public health goals set out by the CDC and other leading agencies, the author makes a real-world case for standardizing training, establishing best practices in the field, and coordinating public health systems with their healthcare counterparts. Theory, case examples, tools, and callout boxes highlight knowledge, preparation, and skills professionals need in addressing chronic issues and complex emergencies. Throughout, the emphasis is on greater competency and visibility for the profession, resulting in a more informed, healthier public. Featured in the coverage:

• Issues in defining the public health workforce.
• The state of public health education.
• Practicing and teaching public health: local, national, and international cases.
• Standardizing public health practice: benefits and challenges.
• Integrating public health and healthcare.
• The future of public health as seen from academia and the frontlines.

Identifying urgent issues and providing cogent answers, Preparing the Public Health Workforce is a call to action for those involved in creating the next level of public health, including professors, practitioners, students, and administrators.

Rosemary M Caron, PhD, MPH is an Associate Professor, Director of Undergraduate Studies, and the former Director of the Master of Public Health Program in the Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Health and Human Services; Core Faculty in the New Hampshire Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities; Fellow in the Carsey Institue; and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Master's of Community Development Policy and Practice Program, Graduate School at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, United States of America. Dr. Caron is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America. Dr. Caron teaches undergraduate and graduate students in public health and healthcare management. She received the '2011 Teaching Excellence Award' from the College of Health and Human Services. Her research interests and publications reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of public health and are based on professional and academic experiences in building community capacity to address persistent public health issues; and improving and expanding public health education at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the healthcare management curriculum and related disciplines. Prior research funding addressed developing and integrating effective pedagogy of public health courses into the undergraduate curriculum at liberal arts institutions and community technical colleges. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Caron practiced public health for several years in a variety of settings as a practitioner. Specifically, she worked as the Assistant State Epidemiologist in the Bureau of Health Risk Assessment and she served as the Chief of the Bureau of Health Statistics and Data Management for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, New Hampshire, USA. At New Hampshire's largest local health department, she worked as a Chronic Disease Epidemiologist and Environmental Toxicologist. Dr. Caron is a current member of the American Public Health Association (APHA) and has regularly presented her research at the annual APHA meetings. She participates in the Public Health Education and Health Promotion and Community Health Policy Development Sections of APHA. She is a former member of the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire Public Health Association, the state affiliate of the APHA. She is a current member of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration and is the former Chair of the Public Health Faculty Network for this organization. She is also a current member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Epidemiology and the Association of Prevention, Teaching and Research. She is also a current member of the National Environmental Health Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives. She is an Associate Editor for the Association of Prevention, Teaching and Research Prevention Education Resource Center and the Public Health Education and Promotion Section of Frontiers. Dr. Caron has numerous peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters, and editorials to her credit.  She has edited several books and also serves as a peer reviewer for nationally and internationally-renowned journals and is on the Editorial Board of several prominent journals. E-mail:  Rosemary.Caron@unh.edu