Competencies
All students are assessed on a total of 40 competencies throughout their course of study and must be competent in these areas to graduate. Thirty-four competencies are predetermined by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), and our Program requires an additional five competencies for each concentration, as well as one for professional writing. One specific deliverable or series of deliverables is used as the main point of assessment for each Foundational and Concentration competency.
Students are expected to track their progress in each competency area as they complete the relevant coursework, as demonstration of each is required for graduation. As a part of this, students synthesize core, concentration, and writing competencies in applied projects, such as the Applied Learning Experience (APEx) and the Integrative Learning Experience (ILE).
Core Knowledge Competencies
Profession and Science of Public Health (6)
1.1 Explain public health history, philosophy, and values
1.2 Identify the core functions of public health and the 10 Essential Services
1.3 Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health
1.4 List major causes and trends of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. or other community relevant to the school or program
1.5 Discuss the science of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention in population health, including health promotion, screening, etc.
1.6 Explain the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge
Factors Related to Human Health (6)
2.1 Explain effects of environmental factors on a population’s health
2.2 Explain biological and genetic factors that affect a population’s health
2.3 Explain behavioral and psychological factors that affect a population’s health
2.4 Explain the social, political, and economic determinants of health and how they contribute to population health and health inequities
2.5 Explain how globalization affects global burdens of disease
2.6 Explain an ecological perspective on the connections among human health, animal health, and ecosystem health (e.g., One Health)
Foundational Competencies
Evidence-Based Approaches to Public Health (4)
3.1 Apply epidemiological methods to settings and situations in public health practice
3.2 Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
3.3 Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming, and software, as appropriate
3.4 Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy, or practice
Public Health & Health Care Systems (2)
4.1 Compare the organization, structure, and function of health care, public health, and regulatory systems across national and international settings
4.2 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
Planning & Management to Promote Health (5)
5.1 Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health
5.2 Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique of public health policies or programs
5.3 Design a population-based policy, program, project, or intervention
5.4 Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management
5.5 Select methods to evaluate public health programs
Policy in Public Health (4)
6.1 Discuss the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
6.2 Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes
6.3 Advocate for political, social, or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
6.4 Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
Leadership (2)
7.1 Apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue
7.2 Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges
Communication (4*)
8.1 Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
8.2 Communicate audience-appropriate (i.e., non-academic, non-peer audience) public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation
8.3 Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content
8.4* Develop high quality written products that benefit the field of public health
* This competency is an addition made by the Cornell Public Health Program to the list of CEPH-accredited competencies. It cannot suffice as one of the five foundational competencies that must be applied and documented for the Applied Practice Experience (APE), nor as one of the two foundational competencies that must be documented for the Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) — all students also demonstrate competence in 8.4, through the completion of an ILE.
Interprofessional and/or Intersectoral Practice (1)
9.1 Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health
Systems Thinking (1)
10.1 Apply a systems thinking tool to visually represent a public health issue in a format other than standard narrative
Concentration Competencies
Concentration competencies build upon and deepen foundational competencies. Students are expected to synthesize concentration competencies in culminating projects, including the Integrative Learning Experience (ILE), and weave them into the full course of study. As with the Foundational Competencies, one specific deliverable or series of deliverables will be used as the main point of assessment for each competency.
Infectious Disease Epidemiology (5)
IDE 1. Integrate the general principles of infectious disease epidemiology and biology to explain infectious disease events and programs
IDE 2. Critically assess different epidemiological and statistical methodologies and assessment techniques used in infectious disease events, research, and programs
IDE 3. Interpret how different environmental and socioeconomic systems impact infectious disease epidemiology
IDE 4. Critique methods of infectious disease prevention, detection, and control
IDE 5. Demonstrate the emergent leadership skills of a public health epidemiologist
Environment, Climate & Health (5)
ECH 1. Describe and outline pathways of influence between the environment and health outcomes
ECH 2. Critically assess strategies to planetary health issues to advance justice, particularly with marginalized and at-risk populations
ECH 3. Integrate multi-disciplinary perspectives to think critically about causes and leverage points for real-world health and environmental issues
ECH 4. Use evidence to develop and justify upstream strategies to prevent and manage deleterious interaction between environments, climate, and health
ECH 5. Propose methods to support local level process changes to build systems resilient to complex environment, climate, and health issues
Food Systems & Health (5)
FSH 1. Analyze and depict food systems from production to consumption to understand their impact on health outcomes and inequities
FSH 2. Apply interdisciplinary approaches to integrate social, political, economic, and ecological dimensions to contextualize food systems and health problems and opportunities
FSH 3. Research and evaluate food system interventions to improve nutrition, food security and public health
FSH 4. Investigate and communicate food safety risks throughout food systems
FSH 5. Analyze current public health nutrition problems and policies and compare policy alternatives
Emergency Preparedness & Management (5)
EPM 1. Critically evaluate the theory and practice of public health emergency management to the political, social, economic, and cultural contexts of public health incidents
EPM 2. Integrate principles of the Incident Command System (ICS) into an organization’s emergency planning or in the development of emergency exercises or drills
EPM 3. Develop and implement culturally competent public messaging campaigns about preparing for specific hazards
EPM 4. Develop event-specific information based on the principles of risk and/or emergency communication to inform the public, health care providers, and members of the response community
EPM 5. Develop a climate adaptation intervention or plan to promote community resilience