Creating an Integrated Public Health and Community Design Workforce: An Interactive Discussion

The beginnings of a new collaborative workforce development initiative are being undertaken. This conference session will briefly describe the current demands and future needs that indicate workforces in public health and community design as needing new and expanded types and means of training and cross-training. The addressing of emerging challenges to community health and quality of life is vital in the face of the obesity epidemic and the aging of the population. The majority of the session will be used to gather input from participants as to such questions as:

• What knowledge, skills, and abilities do new professionals in these related fields (including bachelors-level and graduate-trained professionals) need when they first emerge from school?
• Which sub-specialties in community design have the most need for public health issue integration?
• Which sub-specialties in public health are most in need of the knowledge, tools, and authorities found in the community design professions?
• What are the specialty or topic areas in which professionals from both fields are most in need of additional training or continuing education, and what mechanisms would be most efficient and effective at rapidly and consistently filling these knowledge gaps and limiting the chances of similar gaps arising in the future?