Educating and training the public health workforce

We do not know the number of institutions where public health and its closely related topics are taught and trained. According to current estimates,1 there are about 400 schools of public health worldwide, plus an unknown number of units or departments specifically devoted to hygiene, epidemiology, social medicine, etc.This number is rising and, interestingly, a large part of the increase is taking place in low- and middle-income countries. Hopefully, this reflects the improved visibility of public health, and the credentialing of its workforce, now considered the central player in the governance of health systems.The context of this growing power is well known. The worldwide ageing of the population and the correlated epidemiological transition towards chronic and degenerative diseases, …