Health in All Education: A Transdisciplinary Learning Outcomes Framework

Area of Science:

• Public Health Education
• Transdisciplinary Learning
• Workforce Development

Background:

• Historical and current population health issues demand a skilled workforce capable of addressing complex community health problems and preventing health inequities.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Academic Partnerships to Improve Health program, in collaboration with the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research, launched the Health In All Education initiative.
• This initiative aimed to identify and integrate population health education across various academic disciplines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To underscore the significance of embedding population health principles into higher education's transdisciplinary practices.
• To present examples of CDC collaborations with diverse fields such as economics, environmental engineering, health informatics, law, policy, social work, and general education.
• To explore avenues for fostering transdisciplinary learning essential for collaborative, interprofessional population health practice.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Health in All Education Learning Outcomes Framework.
• Identification of shared population health concepts through discipline-representative consensus.
• Analysis based on established public health curricula, competency, and learning outcome models.

Main Results:

• The Health in All Education Learning Outcomes Framework was introduced, outlining universally applicable population health concepts.
• Key domains identified for transdisciplinary application include determinants of health, evidence-based approaches, and population health focus.
• Other critical domains encompass interprofessional practice, community collaboration, environmental and occupational health, global health, cultural competence, health systems, finance, and health law/policy.

Conclusions:

• A consensus-driven framework for population health education has been established, promoting transdisciplinary integration.
• The identified learning outcomes provide a foundation for preparing a competent and collaborative population health workforce.
• This initiative supports the development of innovative solutions to complex health issues and the prevention of health disparities.