Public Health Certification

In 2003, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended voluntary certification of graduates achieving the Master of Public Health degree. The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), the American Public Health Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research joined together to establish the National Board of Public Health Examiners (5). This new body will certify graduates of accredited schools and programs of public health who successfully pass their examination. If this certification becomes common, the debate will move to other questions such as (a) can those who lack a degree from a school of public health be certified through the same examination, or a similar one; (b) how will this general certificate relate to specialized areas of public health practice which are also learned elsewhere; and (c) how will we assess the public health competence of public health workers who do not have a professional education?