Ecosystemic Theory, Practice, and Policy: Training Recommendations for Environmental Public Health.

Area of Science:

• Environmental health science
• Public health education
• Workforce development

Background:

• Public health workforce readiness is assessed using training competencies.
• The Council on Education in Public Health competencies aim to bridge education and practice.
• Environmental health is notably absent from accreditation criteria, weakening public health programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the disconnect between environmental health and public health education.
• To propose a framework for integrating environmental health into public health curricula.
• To highlight the impact of the environmental health competency gap on public health practice.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on environmental health and public health education.
• Analysis of the Council on Education in Public Health accreditation criteria.
• Development of theoretical, practical, and policy-based perspectives.

Main Results:

• The absence of environmental health competencies creates a gap in essential public health workforce skills.
• This gap hinders the protection of communities from environmental threats.
• The current structure devalues public health and limits population health potential.

Conclusions:

• Integrating environmental health is crucial for a robust public health infrastructure.
• A collaborative approach involving practitioners, educators, and the public is needed.
• Transforming silos into learning ecosystems will ensure future population health security.