Abstract
There are widely divergent views as to what constitutes “public health” and “public health research”. But regardless of these views, readers of this journal would likely agree that public health matters; we assert that so does the educational programming that prepares its workforce. Our voiced perspectives as authors are influenced by our respective training, occupations, and academic locales, and we believe that undergraduate public and population health education (UGPPHE) across many disciplines is crucial to strengthening public health in Canada. Existing literature and discourse related to UGPPHE in Canada tends to be concentrated around its ancillary positioning within clinical health disciplines such as medicine, nursing, and dentistry, rather than on the evolution of undergraduate degree programs. While UGPPHE programming has the important function of preparing undergraduates to enter into practice as public health professionals, it has added virtue in its capacity to improve public health literacy and produce a more robust body of informed and engaged citizens. The intent of this commentary is to draw increased attention towards the other disciplines less well known for bringing awareness to UGPPHE in Canada and to commence what will hopefully be a cascade of dialogue from stakeholders across the nation.
Résumé
Les opinions sur ce que représentent la « santé publique » et la « recherche en santé publique » sont très divergentes. Mais quelles que soient ces opinions, les lecteurs de cette revue conviendront sans doute que la santé publique importe; nous affirmons que les programmes d’enseignement qui préparent la main-d’œuvre en santé publique importent aussi. Les points de vue que nous exprimons en tant qu’auteurs sont influencés par notre formation, notre profession et le lieu géographique de nos établissements d’enseignement respectifs, et nous croyons que l’enseignement de premier cycle en santé publique et des populations (EPCSPP) dans plusieurs disciplines est essentiel au renforcement de la santé publique au Canada. La littérature et le discours actuels sur l’EPCSPP au Canada ont tendance à s’articuler autour de sa complémentarité avec les disciplines cliniques de la santé, comme la médecine, les sciences infirmières et la dentisterie, et non de l’évolution des programmes de premier cycle. Les programmes d’EPCSPP ont l’importante fonction de préparer les étudiants à devenir des professionnels de la santé publique, mais ils ont le mérite supplémentaire d’améliorer la compétence informationnelle en santé publique et de produire un corps plus robuste de citoyens informés et engagés. Dans notre commentaire, nous voulons attirer l’attention sur d’autres disciplines moins connues pour sensibiliser le public à l’EPCSPP au Canada, et amorcer ce qui deviendra, du moins l’espérons-nous, une cascade de dialogue entre les acteurs de tout le pays.
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Walker, A., Doyle-Baker, P. Promoting and strengthening public health through undergraduate education. Can J Public Health 110, 327–330 (2019). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-019-00217-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-019-00217-0