Started in 2006, ASPHER’s European Programme on Public Health Core Competences has involved more than hundred European public health teachers, scientists and practitioners in the development of lists of competences for public health professionals. In the first round, all ASPHER member schools were invited to contribute to six workgroups, which lead to the first list of competences (1). Thereafter, European ministries of health were invited to participate, among other things in a conference at Aarhus University in April 2008, where, in the end, 27 European countries were represented, by decision makers and by teachers and scientists. At the same time the first two in a series of national practitioner-teacher workshops were performed, in Slovenia and Scotland, respectively (2). This all led to the second, enlarged list of competences (3), which was presented in October 2008 at a second European conference in Paris, as part of France’s EU Presidency that year.

Developing the 5^th Edition of ASPHER’s European List of Core Competences for the Public Health Professional

Population health and health systems change, as do public health practice, theory, terminology and scientific research methods. Thus, a list of public health competences needs to be developed continuously. This 5^th Edition of ASPHER’s European List of Core Competences for the Public Health Professional has been based on the preceding editions (4,5) by involving a number of international advisory experts – experts within some of the main themes of public health, namely, epidemiology and biostatistics; sociology; environmental health; health economics; leadership and systems thinking; public health nutrition; communicable disease prevention and control. All contributions have been formatted in balance with the full list, with the exception of the sub-discipline of communicable disease prevention and control, which has been additionally represented by an extract of the list of competences developed by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), Stockholm.

References

1. Foldspang A (Ed.). Provisional Lists of Public Health Core Competencies. European Public Health Core Competencies Programme (EPHCC) for Public Health Education. Phase 1. ASPHER Series No. 2. Brussels: ASPHER, 2007.
2. Whittaker PJ, Pegorie M, Read D, Birt C, Foldspang A. Do academic competences relate to ‘real public health practice’? A report from two exploratory workshops. Eur J Public Health 2010;20:8-9. Link
3. Foldspang A (Ed.). Provisional lists of public health core competencies. European Public Heath Core Competencies Programme (EPHCC) for Public Health Education. Phase 2. ASPHER Series No. 4. Brussels: ASPHER, 2008.
4. Birt, C, Foldspang, A. European Core Competences for Public Health Professionals (ECCPHP). ASPHER’s European Public Health Core Competences Programme. ASPHER Publication No. 5. Brussels: ASPHER, 2011. 
5. Foldspang, A . From Potential to Action. Public Health Core Competences for Essential Public Health Operations. A Manual. Vol. I, II, III. Brussels: ASPHER, 2016.