CEPH Foundational Competencies & Track Competencies
Foundational Competencies
Evidence-Based Approaches to Public Health
1. Apply epidemiological methods to settings and situations in public health practice
2. Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
3. Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming, and software, as appropriate
4. Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy, or practice Planning & Management to Promote Health
Public Health & Health Care Systems
5. Compare the organization, structure, and function of health care, public health, and regulatory systems across national and international settings
6. Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities, and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community, and systemic levels
7. Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health
8. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique of public health policies or programs
9. Design a population-based policy, program, project, or intervention
10. Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management
11. Select methods to evaluate public health programs
Policy in Public Health
12. Discuss the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
13. Propose strategies to identify relevant communities and individuals and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes
14. Advocate for political, social, or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
15. Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
Leadership
16. Apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue
17. Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges
Communication
18. Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
19. Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation to a non-academic, non-peer audience with attention to factors such as literacy and health literacy
20. Describe the importance of cultural humility in communicating public health content
Interprofessional and/or Intersectoral Practice
21. Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health
Systems Thinking
22. Apply a systems thinking tool to visually represent a public health issue in a format other than standard narrative
Generalist Track Competencies
Generalist Track Unique Competencies
5170-1. Analyze how geography and health are related using geographic information systems (GIS)
5170-M. Apply geographic information systems (GIS) to a particular public health problem
5190-1. Identify mitigation strategies for regional, national, and global diseases
5190-2. Assess the ways in which disparities affect the health of a population
5350-1. Assess the ways in which laws, policies, or programs affect health disparities
5350-2. Critically assess research, policies, or programs on topic related to health inequity
5350-3. Identify and analyze systemic drivers of poor health and inequity
5550-1. Analyze public health strategies for improving mental health on the basis of equity, quality, and evidence of effectiveness
5550-2. Design policy recommendations on prevention of mental health challenges or promote mental health
5700-1. Apply a life-course and socioeconomical framework to evaluate strategies to improve adolescent and young adult health
5700-2. Develop evidence-based recommendations to improve outcomes within a particular area of adolescent and young adult health
5750-1. Analyze data related to intimate partner violence and produce a visualization of the data
5750-2. Critically evaluate literature on a specific aspect of intimate partner violence
5750-3. Develop clear oral and written communications on a specific aspect of intimate partner violence
5800-1. Apply knowledge and awareness of community needs to develop recommendations for effective community-level public health interventions or local policy changes
6040-1. Develop explanatory theories to answer research questions based on analysis of qualitative data
6040-2. Analyze qualitative data such as interview transcripts and observational fieldnotes using coding and memoing
6040-M. Collect rich, detailed qualitative data through effective interviewing and observation techniques
6050-M. Critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiological studies
6070-1. Design written and oral advocacy products to promote specific public health policies
6070-2. Evaluate public health policies on the bases of health equity, impact, feasibility, cost, and political acceptability
6070-3. Use evidence to develop policy solutions to solve systemic drivers of poor health and inequity
6080-1. Critically evaluate effective health-related behavior change strategies
6100-1. Create a deterministic model of the transmission and control of an infectious disease, including the model equations, the formula for reproduction ratio, and derivation step
6100-M. Describe the use of agent-based models to evaluate public health interventions for the control of infectious diseases
6150-1. Synthesize literature within a specific area of injury & violence to assess its consequences to individuals, families, and communities
6150-2. Evaluate interventions, programs, or policies to prevent injury and violence in a specific area, with specific attention to initiatives tailored to the subgroups most at risk
6210-1. Develop a budget for a public health program
6210-M. Apply skills in evaluation design and implementation to evaluate public health programs
6250-1. Apply public health and design thinking to evaluate a city hazard mitigation plan
6250-2. Develop and prioritize recommendations to improve city hazard mitigation planning and climate resilience
6370-1. Develop written and oral policy communications to influence decision-makers
6420-1. Evaluate public health law and policy to determine whether specific laws and policies are based on science or misinformation
6420-2. Through written and oral communication, promote the use of scientific evidence in public health law and policy
6500-1. Evaluate health communication interventions with consideration of health communications theories or strength of evidence
6500-2. Apply a rights-based approach and critically examine one’s own power, ethics, and professional role to assess health communication for a range of communities around the globe
Generalist Track Additional Competencies
A. Critically synthesize research and practice literature for a selected public health topic [PUBH 5190, 6040, 6050, 6060, 6080, 6100, 6150, 6370]
B. Analyze the geographic and demographic distribution of diseases in the U.S. or globally [PUBH 5190, 6050, 6100]
C. Evaluate the role of government & financing in shaping policy and health outcomes [PUBH 5190, 5800]
D. Assess epidemiological study types using the hierarchy of evidence [PUBH 6050, 6060, 6080
E. Assess the reliability and validity of research methods [PUBH 6060, 6080]
F. Determine factors influencing successful policy implementation [PUBH 6060, 6370]
Global Health Track Competencies
GH1. Identify mitigation strategies for regional, national, and global diseases [PUBH 5190]
GH2. Assess the ways in which disparities affect the health of a population [PUBH 5190]
GH3. Evaluate interventions, programs, policies, or health care systems in a low- or middle-income country [PUBH 5250, 6400]
GH4. Examine global health issues through the lens of human rights principles [PUBH 5250, 6400]
GH5. Apply core global human rights principles to global health problems [PUBH 5250, 6400]
GH6. Assess the burden of disease in a country or region outside the US [PUBH 5510, 6400]
GH7. Assess different national models of health systems and their effect on health [PUBH 5510]
GH8. Articulate barriers to health and healthcare in low resource settings locally or internationally [PUBH 5510]
One Health Track Competencies
OH1. Evaluate and integrate literature from across different disciplines to develop a thorough understanding of a One Health problem or topic [VPTH 5500]
OH2. Prepare a study proposal (i.e. grant) that reflects your expertise and incorporates the tenets of One Health (i.e. the COHERE guidelines) [VPTH 5500]
OH3. Design the ideal team of individual experts to investigate a One Health issue with a transdisciplinary approach [VPTH 5500]
OH4. Critically evaluate scientific research on a food or nutrition policy [PUBH 5310, 5530]
OH5. Describe the complex factors (e.g. psychological, political, cultural, or economic) that influence what we eat [ PUBH 5310, 5530]
OH6. Apply One Health principles to a health or environmental problem
OH7. Describe how climate change directly and indirectly impacts the health of humans, animals, and the environment [PUBH 5320]
OH8. Describe climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and how this fits into a One Health Framework [PUBH 5600]
OH9. Identify the critical drivers of disease emergence and possible impacts such emergence has on human, animal and environmental health [VMED 6190]
OH10. Demonstrate the role of local, state, national and international agencies in controlling transboundary diseases of one-health importance [VMED 6190]
OH11. Understand the role of the Incident Command System structure for helping humans and animals during a disaster [VCSP 6340]
OH12. Discuss the role of a One Health team in emergency preparedness [VCSP 6340]
OH13. Evaluate the role of livestock (poultry, dairy, beef, porcine, aquaculture) in sustainable food systems [VCSN 6570]
OH14. Describe the metrics associated with animal agriculture and climate change [VCSN 6570]
Epidemiology Track Competencies
E1. Demonstrate the ability to understand advanced epidemiologic study design for longitudinal and clustered investigations, self-controlled design, quasi-experimental design, and target trials [EPID 7010, EPID 7020]
E2. Demonstrate ability to retrieve and clean data, perform exploratory and regression analyses, build models to answer epidemiologic questions, and visualize the outputs using R, RStudio, and R Markdown [EPID 7010, EPID 6000]
E3. Critically conduct evaluation of bias from measurement error and misclassification and understand the value of sensitivity analysis and quantitative bias analysis [EPID 7020]
E4. Effectively use advanced data analysis skills to conduct survival analysis, longitudinal and clustered modeling, mediation, and propensity score analysis [EPID 7020]
E5. Conduct reproducible data analysis using supervised and unsupervised machine learning methods for epidemiologic, genetic or omics data types [EPID 6000]