50: Building Back a Stronger Public Health Workforce Post-Pandemic

One of the many lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is the needed investment in a robust public health workforce that can respond to crises when they arise. Yet, a well-funded public health workforce isn’t enough--there also needs to be a fundamental commitment to health equity. Unfortunately, years of disinvestment in governmental public health led to a system that wasn’t as prepared as it could have been for a pandemic, and COVID-19 demonstrated disproportionate impacts across racial and ethnic groups. It is critical now more than ever to have a strong public health workforce that can address evolving challenges and needs, and build confidence in public health in communities disproportionately disenfranchised and negatively impacted by COVID-19. The experts on this episode make the case for how a robust public health workforce could have changed the trajectory of our pandemic response, but also explain why we should reimagine what a strong public health workforce requires as we enter into pandemic recovery. Guests:  Joneigh S. Khaldun, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Executive, State of Michigan and Chief Deputy Director for Health, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Lauren R. Powell, MPA, PhD, Vice President, US Health Equity and Community Wellness, Takeda Resources: National Consortium for Public Health Workforce Development (de Beaumont Foundation) Profile of State and Territorial Public Health (ASTHO) Public Health Workforce Development (CDC)