BACKGROUND:
A resilient global public health workforce depends not only on technical expertise but on the quality of teaching that prepares future practitioners. Despite widespread recognition of competency-based education, little is known about how public health doctoral programs prepare graduates for academic teaching roles or how institutions assess instructional readiness. This study addresses this gap by examining institutional approaches to pedagogical preparation within doctoral public health education and introducing a globally informed survey designed to benchmark teaching preparedness.

METHODS:
A mixed-methods pilot survey was conducted among Council on Education for Public Health, accredited institutions using a newly developed survey grounded in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and the European Standards and Guidelines for internal quality assurance. Survey development incorporated global expert consultation representing all World Health Organization regions, cognitive interviewing, and iterative refinement to ensure cross-cultural applicability. Descriptive and comparative analyses examined institutional practices related to doctoral pedagogical training, teaching roles, and assessment of instructional readiness.

RESULTS:
Pilot findings demonstrate wide variability and predominately informal approaches to doctoral pedagogical preparation. Fewer than half of institutions offering doctoral degrees reported providing structured pedagogical training, and formal assessment of doctoral teaching readiness was rare. Where training existed, it focused on applied instructional tasks rather than comprehensive pedagogical frameworks. Institutional expectations for teaching frequently outpaced the availability of structured preparation and evaluation mechanisms, reflecting broader resource and governance constraints.

CONCLUSIONS:
Doctoral pedagogical preparation represents a critical and underleveraged strategy for strengthening public health workforce capacity. By launching a globally applicable survey, this work initiates a coordinated effort to generate comparable data across regions, support equitable workforce development and inform accreditation and policy reforms. Strengthening how future faculty are prepared to teach is essential for advancing health equity, inclusion, and sustainability without borders.