Public Health Workforce Research Center
The public health workforce is America’s first line of defense against disease outbreaks and other health threats. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical need to invest in a strong and diverse workforce. With recent increases in funding—from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, American Rescue Plan, and other sources—CDC is expanding efforts to address workforce development needs.
Our approach is data-driven and rooted in high-quality science. As a part of this approach, CDC and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) jointly funded a Public Health Workforce Research Center through HRSA’s Health Workforce Research Center Cooperative Agreement Program HRSA-22-054. The goal of the Public Health Workforce Research Center is to support and share rigorous, state-of-the-art, applied research that helps decision-makers at the federal, state, and local levels understand health workforce needs.
The cooperative agreement was awarded to the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in September 2022. As the funded Public Health Workforce Research Center, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health is leading a consortium consisting of academic member institutions and practice-oriented partner organizations:
| Members | Partners |
|---|---|
| University of Minnesota | Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) |
| Columbia University | Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) |
| East Tennessee State University | Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) |
| Indiana University | De Beaumont Foundation |
| Johns Hopkins University | MissionSquare Research Institute |
| University of Minnesota | National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) |
| University of Washington | Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) |
This unique collaboration will look at what drives public health workforce turnover, ways to recruit and retain staff, and how to fill workforce gaps. To learn more about the work the Public Health Workforce Research Center is accomplishing through the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and the consortium, visit the Consortium for Workforce Research in Public Health (CWORPH) web page. To learn more about all of the funded HRSA Health Workforce Research Centers, visit the Find a Health Workforce Research Center web page.