Key Area 9: Academic public health
This area of practice focuses on the teaching of and research into public health audiences.
Learning experiences
By the end of phase 1 trainees should understand the important areas of uncertainty in public health and have the ability to distinguish those areas which are amenable to research, and how, within available resources. The importance of these uncertainties should be related ultimately to potential population health gain. The main outlines of the methods for effective research in public health should be understood with reference to public health problems for which the optimum solution is unclear.
By the end of phase 2 trainees will be able to distinguish evidence-based strategies from others and prioritise accordingly and will have participated in some teaching. . They will have presented in an academic setting of critical peers.
By the end of phase 3 trainees will have demonstrated their ability to teach reflectively and with enthusiasm, in class and individually, will have had experience of or observed prioritising, writing and presenting research findings. They will demonstrate an ability to write proposals, to critique research substantively and have used one or more research methodologies to support current service or academic work, disseminating findings appropriately. By the end of training trainees will be expected to have undertaken some original research in association with an academic unit and taught public health to a range of audiences.
*needs as expressed through population preference and through objective measurements
Potential vehicles for the demonstration of this competence area include:
- Written research reports including literature reviews
- Course documentation, demonstrating participation in design and/or delivery
- Conference proceedings
- Diplomas and higher degrees
- Published peer reviewed papers
- Articles in the media
- Referees reports on other people's articles submitted for publications
- Research proposals submitted (possibly in collaboration)
- Peer observation of teaching and student feedback
- Teaching or research prizes
- Book Chapters etc
Potential settings for the demonstration of this competence area:
Research methodologies can be demonstrated in service and academic settings both in original research and in support of other work.
Academic public health competence could also be gained in health protection settings.
Public health could be taught to a range of audiences including medical students, other health care professionals and local authority staff
Links to Knowledge and Skills Framework
- IK2: Information Collection and Analysis
- IK3: Knowledge and Information Resources
- G5: Services and Project Management
- G7: Capacity and Capability
Knowledge Base
- Epidemiology, statistics, economic evaluation and qualitative research methods
- Social and health psychological sciences
- Biological, social, environmental and therapeutic determinants of health and disease
- Mechanism of therapeutic interventions, including complex interventions
- Educational theory, principles of setting learning objectives, curriculum development, GMC documents, course evaluation and student assessment
- Research governance, research ethics, confidentiality and privacy of personal data