ASPHER Core Curriculum Programme, Supporting Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals
1
Core Curriculum Programme, ASPHER, Brussels, Belgium
2
School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland
3
School of Medicine, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
4
Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
5
Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland
6
Usher Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
7
Department of Health Economics, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
8
Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
9
School of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
10
APHEA, Brussels, Belgium
11
University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
12
GNAPH, Global, United Kingdom
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1115
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The ASPHER Core Curriculum Programme (CCP) for Public Health (PH) is the first pan-European initiative to strengthen and harmonise education and training for the public health workforce across Europe. Building on ASPHER’s Core Competency Lists (2006–2018), the WHO–ASPHER Competency Framework (2020), and the applied infectious disease epidemiology competencies updated with ECDC (2022), the CCP (2022–2024) translates evolving competency expectations into a structured curriculum architecture. A consensus-built curriculum framework for PH training across education levels now exists, and it is intended to remain agile and responsive to emerging challenges and changing public health landscapes.
METHODS:
CCP development followed a structured, five-phase Delphi-like process. ASPHER member Schools of Public Health were invited to submit detailed descriptions of their curricula and modular offerings. These were collated and mapped into subject areas and domains, with iterative rounds used to establish agreement on content and structure. Expert Advisory Groups, comprising academics, practitioners, and young professionals supported thematic refinement and feasibility considerations, overseen by an Expert Consultative Group to ensure coherence and quality assurance.
RESULTS:
Sixty member schools contributed over 500 detailed module descriptions. These were synthesised into 35 Subject Areas organised within four overarching Domains: (1) Core Subject Areas in PH, (2) Subject-specific Areas, (3) a Core Cross-curricular Subject Area, and (4) Core Interdisciplinary Professional Skills in PH. Each Subject Area includes suggested curricular elements to support adaptation across programme types, contexts, and educational levels.
CONCLUSIONS:
The CCP provides a shared, flexible foundation for interdisciplinary, stakeholder-informed public health education across diverse European settings. By enabling local tailoring while maintaining a common structure, it supports relevance, comparability, and future-oriented workforce development. Ongoing work will focus on refinement, implementation supports, and evaluation to expand uptake and impact across educational and professional contexts.
The ASPHER Core Curriculum Programme (CCP) for Public Health (PH) is the first pan-European initiative to strengthen and harmonise education and training for the public health workforce across Europe. Building on ASPHER’s Core Competency Lists (2006–2018), the WHO–ASPHER Competency Framework (2020), and the applied infectious disease epidemiology competencies updated with ECDC (2022), the CCP (2022–2024) translates evolving competency expectations into a structured curriculum architecture. A consensus-built curriculum framework for PH training across education levels now exists, and it is intended to remain agile and responsive to emerging challenges and changing public health landscapes.
METHODS:
CCP development followed a structured, five-phase Delphi-like process. ASPHER member Schools of Public Health were invited to submit detailed descriptions of their curricula and modular offerings. These were collated and mapped into subject areas and domains, with iterative rounds used to establish agreement on content and structure. Expert Advisory Groups, comprising academics, practitioners, and young professionals supported thematic refinement and feasibility considerations, overseen by an Expert Consultative Group to ensure coherence and quality assurance.
RESULTS:
Sixty member schools contributed over 500 detailed module descriptions. These were synthesised into 35 Subject Areas organised within four overarching Domains: (1) Core Subject Areas in PH, (2) Subject-specific Areas, (3) a Core Cross-curricular Subject Area, and (4) Core Interdisciplinary Professional Skills in PH. Each Subject Area includes suggested curricular elements to support adaptation across programme types, contexts, and educational levels.
CONCLUSIONS:
The CCP provides a shared, flexible foundation for interdisciplinary, stakeholder-informed public health education across diverse European settings. By enabling local tailoring while maintaining a common structure, it supports relevance, comparability, and future-oriented workforce development. Ongoing work will focus on refinement, implementation supports, and evaluation to expand uptake and impact across educational and professional contexts.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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