PHI news
Protecting the nation’s health requires a public health workforce prepared to meet emerging and future challenges, a reality underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic. The public health workforce relies on training programs for successful public health practice. Therefore, the quality and effectiveness of these training programs are crucial. There has been a recent surge in financial support for bolstering the public health workforce; however, little attention is given to the professionals who develop public health training, including instructional designers, workforce development specialists, training developers, and others. While standards, processes, and resources for developing quality training programs exist, many professionals are unaware of them or unsure how to implement them effectively. What’s more, there is no “go-to” mechanism for individuals who develop training for the public health workforce to connect, share product experiences and best practices, develop mentoring relationships, and engage in collective problem-solving. Through this project, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) sought to understand the needs of individuals who develop training and the potentially sustainable pathways for cultivating peer connection and collective learning.
In 2023, NNPHI engaged LAR Consulting, LLC (LARC), a public health consulting firm, to conduct formative research to understand the learning needs and preferences of professionals who develop training for the public health workforce. LARC’s discovery process included two main activities: 1) environmental scan and 2) qualitative data collection. Based on the data from these activities, LARC developed personas or reliable and realistic representations of the key audience for NNPHI and CDC’s future strategies. Finally, LARC conducted sensemaking sessions with NNPHI and CDC to foster a shared understanding of the issue and generate new insight.