Academic and Practice Partnerships
The ASPPH Center for Public Health Workforce Development partners with leading public health organizations to enhance the quality, reach, and impact of our workforce development efforts.
Academic-practice partnerships bridge the gap between classrooms and real-world application, ensuring that public health professionals are prepared to meet the complex, evolving needs of communities.
These partnerships foster mutual learning and collaboration, allowing academic institutions to design curricula that are informed by current practice challenges and frontline experiences, while public health agencies benefit from the latest research, innovation, and a pipeline of well-prepared graduates. By aligning education and practice, partnerships help create a workforce that is better equipped with the skills, competencies, and cultural responsiveness needed to advance health equity, protect population health, and implement evidence-based interventions.
In partnership with the National Network of Public Health Institutes, the Center worked with state and local health departments to develop, Shared Vision & Unified Strategy: Enhancing Public Health Infrastructure through Bi-Directional Relationships in Practice and Academia
With funding from CDC and in partnership with ASPPH members and their state and local health department partners, the Center is developing frameworks and models for bi-directional relationships in academia and practice that can be implemented and expanded.
COMING 2026
Tribal Health Partnerships
The ASPPH Center for Public Health Workforce Development is actively partnering with Tribal-Serving Organizations and Tribal Health Departments to enhance public health capacity, promote data sovereignty, and support Indigenous-led health initiatives. With funding from the CDC National Partners Cooperative Agreement, the Center supports capacity-building assistance tailored to Tribal Health Departments. Through these efforts, the Center is committed to fostering equitable partnerships that respect Tribal sovereignty, enhance public health infrastructure, and support the development of a skilled and diverse public health workforce within Tribal communities.
Find an Academic Partner
In collaboration with the National Network of Public Health Institutes, ASPPH is offering a search tool for practice partners to identify and contact academic public health partners. The search tool is periodically updated with contact information of school and program of public health faculty and staff who oversee practice offices, career services, continuing education, and library services.
Practice Offices
connect students and faculty with real-world public health practice opportunities, including internships, field placements, and community-based projects that support workforce development and applied learning.
Career Services
provides career support through job search assistance, resume reviews, interview preparation, and employer connections to help students and graduates pursue public health careers.
Continuing Education
delivers non-degree training opportunities, including workshops, webinars, and certificate programs, to support lifelong learning and workforce development in public health professionals.
Library Services
offers access to public health literature, research databases, and expert support for evidence-based research, data management, and academic success.
Academic and Practice Linkages in Public Health Caucus
ASPPH sponsors the Academic and Practice Linkages in Public Health (APLPH) Caucus in partnership with the Public Health Accreditation Board and the Public Health Foundation. The caucus provides a valuable venue for public health academicians and public health practice partners, including representatives of federal, tribal, state, territorial and local governmental public health agencies, to share innovations, promote quality programs and services, and share research that helps to strengthen the evidence base on issues related to public health practice and education.
Caucus members meet annually at the APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition, and additional opportunities for collaboration, including reviewing abstract submissions and networking opportunities, are available throughout the year. All APHA members are encouraged to join the Academic and Practice Linkages in Public Health Caucus and to attend and/or present at Caucus sessions at the APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition.
Call for Abstracts and Reviewers for the 2026 Academic and Practice Linkages in Public Health Caucus Now Open Through March 31, 2026!
ASPPH invites its valued members and their partner networks to submit abstracts to the Academic and Practice Linkages in Public Health (APLPH) Caucus. Abstracts are due March 31, 2026. Session topics include:
- Collaborative Capacity Building: Shared Public Health Resources and Solutions
Highlights co-created tools, shared infrastructure, and partnership-based approaches to “doing more with less” - Innovating the Future Public Health Ecosystem: Transformative Academic-Practice Partnerships
Captures the forward looking, systems-oriented collaboration required to build the next generation workforce, research infrastructure, and practice environment - Leading Public Health Through Change: Academic-Practice Strategies for Resilience
Centers on leadership models, change management, and crisis navigation where both academic and practice sectors support each other - Linking Knowledge to Action: Public Health Responsiveness in Real Time
Emphasizes how academic and practice partners work together to respond to emerging public health issues and evolving community needs. - Strengthening Public Health Narrative and Trust: Evidence-Based Messaging Across Sectors
Focuses on jointly countering politicization, protecting scientific integrity, and improving communication with communities and policymakers - Sustaining the Public Health Workforce: Wellbeing, Knowledge Transfer, and Retention
Elevates joint academic-practice approaches to burnout, morale, and preservation of institutional knowledge amid workforce shifts
If you are interested in reviewing abstracts for the Academic and Practice Linkages in Public Health Caucus, please complete a Reviewer Submission Form by March 31, 2026. Expertise related to at least one of the 2026 Academic and Practice Linkages in Public Health Caucus topics is required.
The 2026 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo will be held November 1-4 in San Antonio, TX. We look forward to seeing you there!
