Public health futures in a changing world

European public health has not had a good COVID. Across Europe the public health response to a pandemic has been largely unsuccessful. This is despite an enormous amount of very hard work in public health units all across the EU. This reflects a weakness within the profession, which has been manifested in the curious phenomenon of dual strands of public health advice, official and unofficial, in several EU countries. Politicians were placed in an impossible position by this. This needs to be openly and constructively faced. By and large, public health has had limited impact on the design and implementation of a core public health policy.

So. The world of public health changes, but many key pieces remain the same. A key part is to hold to that which we value, and to build on that, and extend out from that, to meet new and pressing needs. A focus on where we are, and where we want to go might be helpful for clarification. The relevant word is ‘futures’, and not ‘future’. We expect an even more diverse public health, with the public health workforce delivering in new and more traditional arenas. Read more here.

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