The Public Health Workforce Summit (December 2012)

The December 2012 Public Health Workforce Summit, Modernizing the Workforce for the Public's Health: Shifting the Balance, brought together over 90 participants representing over 40 organizations, including CDC Centers, Institute, and Offices, the Health Resources and Services Administration, public health practice organizations, academic associations, healthcare disciplines, nonprofit associations, and foundations.

The Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development (DSEPD; formerly the Scientific Education and Professional Development Program Office) convened the summit as part of our Public Health Workforce Development Initiative (PHWDI) (196KB) to engage partners in addressing the changes occurring in public health, the associated effects on the workforce, and subsequent effects on the population's health.

The summit was a call to action to:

• strategize and prioritize the crucial actions needed for strengthening the workforce, and
• develop components of a coordinated public health workforce strategic framework that leverages contributions from multiple partners.

The presentations and discussions at the summit offered diverse insights into the changes in public health, national priorities, and critical actions needed to move the public health workforce toward the future. Moving forward, we will incorporate summit priorities and action items contained in the summit report (641KB), the roadmap (382KB), and ongoing discussions with partners into a National Public Health Workforce Strategic Framework. This framework will allow partners to identify how their individual efforts contribute to the advancement of the workforce, as well as how collective efforts can address the priorities and action items identified at the summit.