Mapping Master of Public Health Competencies to the World Health Organization Public Health Framework
1
Council on Education for Public Health, Washington, DC, United States
2
World Federation of Public Health Associations Professional Education and Training Group, Geneva, Switzerland
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) MPH foundational competencies guide public health education in the United States and are periodically reviewed to ensure workforce relevance. In 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a global public health competency framework consolidating 126 national and international competency sets into six competency domains and five blocks of public health practice activities. The WHO framework is designed to apply across public health roles, practice levels, and education and training pathways. Mapping CEPH MPH competencies to this global framework provides insight into alignment, gaps, and opportunities for future competency development.
METHODS:
A structured crosswalk was developed to map CEPH MPH foundational competencies to WHO-defined public health tasks and competencies. Two reviewers with expertise in public health education, accreditation, and global competency frameworks conducted independent mapping. Results were compiled in a shared spreadsheet, and discrepancies were resolved through consensus. Inter-rater reliability statistics were not calculated due to the interpretive nature of the analysis.
RESULTS:
Reviewer agreement was high, and discrepancies were minimal. Nearly all CEPH MPH foundational competencies mapped to WHO public health tasks and competencies. Strong alignment was observed in areas such as evidence-informed practice and public health intelligence, with several competencies mapping to multiple WHO areas. Gaps were identified in emergency preparedness and response and in emerging information technology. Some areas, including organizational structure and systems, showed less consistent alignment.
CONCLUSIONS:
CEPH MPH foundational competencies align well with the WHO public health framework and alignment may be stronger when CEPH undergraduate and doctoral competencies are considered, particularly in workforce development and training. Findings highlight the importance of understanding intent when conducting competency mapping exercises. Results demonstrate strong alignment between CEPH competencies and internationally-derived public health competency frameworks and underscore the need for flexibility to address emerging competencies and local context.
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) MPH foundational competencies guide public health education in the United States and are periodically reviewed to ensure workforce relevance. In 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a global public health competency framework consolidating 126 national and international competency sets into six competency domains and five blocks of public health practice activities. The WHO framework is designed to apply across public health roles, practice levels, and education and training pathways. Mapping CEPH MPH competencies to this global framework provides insight into alignment, gaps, and opportunities for future competency development.
METHODS:
A structured crosswalk was developed to map CEPH MPH foundational competencies to WHO-defined public health tasks and competencies. Two reviewers with expertise in public health education, accreditation, and global competency frameworks conducted independent mapping. Results were compiled in a shared spreadsheet, and discrepancies were resolved through consensus. Inter-rater reliability statistics were not calculated due to the interpretive nature of the analysis.
RESULTS:
Reviewer agreement was high, and discrepancies were minimal. Nearly all CEPH MPH foundational competencies mapped to WHO public health tasks and competencies. Strong alignment was observed in areas such as evidence-informed practice and public health intelligence, with several competencies mapping to multiple WHO areas. Gaps were identified in emergency preparedness and response and in emerging information technology. Some areas, including organizational structure and systems, showed less consistent alignment.
CONCLUSIONS:
CEPH MPH foundational competencies align well with the WHO public health framework and alignment may be stronger when CEPH undergraduate and doctoral competencies are considered, particularly in workforce development and training. Findings highlight the importance of understanding intent when conducting competency mapping exercises. Results demonstrate strong alignment between CEPH competencies and internationally-derived public health competency frameworks and underscore the need for flexibility to address emerging competencies and local context.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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