Presentation on Behalf of the European Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPHER) The Canadian Public Health Association Conference, Toronto Canada, May Ardita Kongjonaj MPH Undergraduate Education in Public Health in the European Region

Outline 1. Background literature 2. Case for Action 3. Study Objectives 4. Methodology 5. Results 6. Limitations 7. Conclusion 8. Recommendation 9. References

Development of Undergraduate Education in Public Health Purpose: to increase access to higher education and expand workforce in PH APHA in US calls for expansion of undergraduate education in PH EU Region – developing masters and bachelor training Low/medium income countries need undergraduate training of PH workforce Increase opportunities for jobs and advancement in the health sector

WHO - PH Education Health workforce development to produce sufficient numbers of skilled workers The quantity, administration and contents of education and training is a matter of national importance in each country Quality assurance is a collective responsibility of the academic community, health systems, regulatory authorities and governments.

ASPHER: Association of Schools of Public Health in European Region The voice of PH education in EU Region The key independent European Regional organization dedicated to strengthening the role of public health by - Promotes improving education standards and - Training of PH professionals Advocates advancing and fostering PH policies

ASPHER Members

ASPHER Strengthens PH schools and programs and improves global health by: - Fostering quality education and practice-based training for the next generation of public health workers - Promoting PH as a career option Monitoring trends relevant to PH education Facilitating collaborations across schools and programs

Case for Action The creation of Schools of Public Health in EU Region has been a major achievement in the PH education PH bachelor programs portray experiences and provide valuable recommendations, as well as pave the way for students

Study Objectives To create and disseminate knowledge about current and best practices among public health bachelor degree To ascertain collaboration initiatives on bachelor programs To generate knowledge on career progression and employability resources for graduates; and To define core competencies for bachelor graduates to foster employability and further education

Important Areas of Investigation: Academic curricula (including aims, qualifications, contents and structure) Academic support training [e.g: transferable skills] Pedagogical approach Academic training and support for UG Public Health lecturers Career progression

Methodology Study design: Cross – sectional survey in the period Feb-April 2014 Survey instrument: Web based questionnaire - delivered to each members of ASPHER by ; reminders by and phone calls Study population: The list of 101 ASPHER members and their e- mail addresses extracted from ASPHER records

Main Results 25/56 (44.6%) provide Bachelor Programs - 12/25 (48%) BSc degree 1994 – is the first year when two Public Health Bachelor programs have been established 18/25 (72%) provide the program in their national language and the same % is delivered on Campus based

Requirements for admission

The average students (%) who completed the program in last 5 years (22 schools)

Results cont’ 11/22 (50%) invite 5 or less external experts 4 schools reported to have up to 25 PhD faculty members 17/22 (30.4 %) have collaboration structures within the University

Employment after graduation

Limitations 51 % response rate Exploratory Need detailed curriculum Student follow-up after graduation

Recommendations The final and main output will be Recommended Core Curriculum in Public Health Cohesive and integrative definition of the core knowledge and competencies of Public Health practitioners trained at bachelor level Promote bachelors education programs in EU Region and internationally as per the definition of both education provides and potential employers and national health system Potential accreditation endorsed by APHEA (European Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation)

References systems/health-workforce eria_mph-programmes_nov2012.pdf

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