TY - JOUR
T1 - Mapping competency profiles of schools of public health
T2 - implications for public health workforce education and training in Israel
AU - Neumark, Yehuda
AU - Hannink Attal, Jordan
AU - Shapiro, Naham
AU - MacLeod, Fiona
AU - Harrington, Janas
AU - Barach, Paul
AU - de Nooijer, Jascha
AU - Dopelt, Keren
AU - Duplaga, Mariusz
AU - Leighton, Lore
AU - Levine, Hagai
AU - Mor, Zohar
AU - Otok, Robert
AU - Paillard-Borg, Stephanie
AU - Tulchinsky, Ted
AU - Zelber-Sagi, Shira
AU - Malowany, Maureen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 Neumark, Hannink Attal, Shapiro, MacLeod, Harrington, Barach, de Nooijer, Dopelt, Duplaga, Leighton, Levine, Mor, Otok, Paillard-Borg, Tulchinsky, Zelber-Sagi and Malowany.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Aim: Competency frameworks are essential for analyzing capabilities of Schools of Public Health to adequately prepare public health (PH) professionals to address contemporary challenges. This study maps the competency profiles of PH training programs in Israel using a novel curriculum mapping tool. Methods: This study assessed all five Israeli Health Education Institutions (HEIs) offering MPH or Bachelors in Public Health (BPH) degrees across 57 competencies in six domains to determine the extent to which competencies were addressed in the curriculum. The competencies list was based on the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) List of Core Competences for the Public Health Professional, adapted for Israeli HEIs. Results: The core curricula in the four MPH programs addressed 45–84% of all competencies. The BPH program addressed 79% of competencies. In MPH programs, the core curricula addressed most or all competencies in the Methods and the Socioeconomic Determinants of Health domains. Competencies in the domains of Environmental Determinants of Health, Health Policy, Economics & Organization, and Health Promotion and Prevention were less comprehensively addressed in most core curricula. Students’ opportunities to broaden their exposure to competencies outside the core curricula were context dependent. Discussion: The curriculum competencies mapping tool that was developed served to assess both strengths and shortcomings in PH education in Israel. The findings demonstrate a highly variable array of PH curriculum models in Israeli HEIs, as well as overall shortcomings in the Environmental, Health Policy Economics and Organization, and Health Promotion and Prevention domains. This analysis has already led to reassessment of the curriculum, and will continue to guide the next steps to increase the harmonization of PH training curricula and to better meet PH challenges in Israel.
AB - Aim: Competency frameworks are essential for analyzing capabilities of Schools of Public Health to adequately prepare public health (PH) professionals to address contemporary challenges. This study maps the competency profiles of PH training programs in Israel using a novel curriculum mapping tool. Methods: This study assessed all five Israeli Health Education Institutions (HEIs) offering MPH or Bachelors in Public Health (BPH) degrees across 57 competencies in six domains to determine the extent to which competencies were addressed in the curriculum. The competencies list was based on the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) List of Core Competences for the Public Health Professional, adapted for Israeli HEIs. Results: The core curricula in the four MPH programs addressed 45–84% of all competencies. The BPH program addressed 79% of competencies. In MPH programs, the core curricula addressed most or all competencies in the Methods and the Socioeconomic Determinants of Health domains. Competencies in the domains of Environmental Determinants of Health, Health Policy, Economics & Organization, and Health Promotion and Prevention were less comprehensively addressed in most core curricula. Students’ opportunities to broaden their exposure to competencies outside the core curricula were context dependent. Discussion: The curriculum competencies mapping tool that was developed served to assess both strengths and shortcomings in PH education in Israel. The findings demonstrate a highly variable array of PH curriculum models in Israeli HEIs, as well as overall shortcomings in the Environmental, Health Policy Economics and Organization, and Health Promotion and Prevention domains. This analysis has already led to reassessment of the curriculum, and will continue to guide the next steps to increase the harmonization of PH training curricula and to better meet PH challenges in Israel.
KW - ASPHER
KW - competencies
KW - curriculum mapping
KW - Israel
KW - public health education
KW - schools of public health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85203421249&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1416497
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1416497
M3 - Article
C2 - 39253279
AN - SCOPUS:85203421249
SN - 2296-2565
VL - 12
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
JF - Frontiers in Public Health
M1 - 1416497
ER -