Summary
CATEGORY B: PROVIDING CAPACITY BUILDING ASSISTANCE TO STATE, TRIBAL, LOCAL AND TERRITORIAL APPLIED EPIDEMIOLOGISTS - APPLIED EPIDEMIOLOGY IS THE CORE OF PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE AND PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPING A PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE TO ANY DISEASE THREAT AND FOR PROMOTING HEALTH EQUITY BY UNDERSTANDING THE ROOT CAUSES OF DISEASES. IN FACT, FOUR OF THE TEN ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES AS WELL AS THE FOUNDATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES – BOTH OF WHICH DEFINE NATIONAL STANDARDS AND CAPABILITIES NEEDED TO SAFEGUARD HEALTH – ARE ROOTED IN APPLIED EPIDEMIOLOGY. IN ADDITION, THERE IS STRONG CONSENSUS AMONG EXPERTS THAT WE NEED TO MODERNIZE OUR PUBLIC HEALTH DATA SYSTEMS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TRAIN PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO OPERATE THESE SYSTEMS – INCLUDING APPLIED EPIDEMIOLOGISTS. WHILE THE STATE, TRIBAL, LOCAL AND TERRITORIAL (STLT) APPLIED EPIDEMIOLOGY WORKFORCE CONTINUES TO GROW, THERE ARE STILL SIGNIFICANT GAPS IN EPIDEMIOLOGIC CAPACITY, BOTH IN NUMBER OF STAFF AND SKILLS
