The exam for the CPH credential, which many employers and schools recognize as an asset, can be taken online.
Photo by Fizkes, courtesy iStockphoto
Every profession needs a means to convey expertise. For public health. One way to signal proficiency in contemporary issues in public health is with the Certified in Public Health credential.
A new book from APHA Press is designed to help professionals gain the voluntary credential and proudly display it after their name. The second edition of the “Certified in Public Health, Exam Review Guide” offers a comprehensive guide for passing the CPH exam and receiving the credential. Previous research has shown that users of the first edition had an exam pass rate of over 90%.
“Public health is the only health field that does not have a required board certification, and the CPH is a step forward in that process,” said Jaime Corvin, PhD, MSPH, CPH, associate dean of academic affairs, director of master’s degree programs and a public health professor at the University of Florida. “The credential is an important next step for students and professionals in their education and career development.”
The CPH credential, which is administered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners, demonstrates a public health professional’s knowledge and commitment to the field.
In recent years, CPH certification has grown in importance. More public health schools require it for undergraduate completion, and more employers recognize the importance of CPH certification.
“If you don’t have a CPH certification, it can raise red flags,” Corvin, a co-editor of the guide, told The Nation’s Health.
Nearly 50 public health experts were called on to co-author the book’s chapters, which focus on topics such as data analysis, informatics, community engagement, law and ethics, program planning, evaluation and leadership.
The public health field has experienced a great amount of change since APHA Press published the first edition of the guide in 2018, including work carried out throughout the COVID-19 pandemic on surveillance, data-sharing and communication.
Public health messaging in particular has taken on more importance, given the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation in recent years. The updated guide goes deep on how to communicate to the public in a responsible, friendly and timely manner.
“Competencies in health communication are meant to increase the likelihood that recipients are exposed to health-promoting messages, decode them as intended, and then choose to perform the suggested behaviors,” the chapter’s co-authors write. “At the root is remembering that communication is two-way and should begin by listening.”
Since the first edition, partisan politics, U.S. Supreme Court decisions and legal efforts to limit public health authority in many jurisdictions have upended the field. The implications of those developments are covered in the guide, which explores navigating the government policy process, educating decisionmakers on public health, funding alternatives, partnership opportunities for influencing policy initiatives, and defending existing health policies, programs and resources.
The guide’s case studies were trimmed and CPH-style practice questions were doubled for the second edition. Detailed explanations are given not only for the correct multiple-choice answers, but also the incorrect choices.
“That was really important to me to have that in there,” co-editor Karen Liller, PhD, CPH, a health professor and strategic lead for policy, practice and leadership at the University of South Florida, told The Nation’s Health. “It is very helpful teaching-wise.”
The National Board of Public Health Examiners conducts a job task survey every five to seven years to keep the CPH exam current. The survey reveals the type of knowledge public health professionals need for particular jobs and the guide is adapted to those findings.
“It showed the changing landscape of public health,” Corvin said. “That is why we added a greater focus on advocacy, leadership and communication.”
To purchase “Certified in Public Health, Exam Review Guide, 2nd Edition,” which is also available as an e-book, visit www.aphabookstore.org.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
