Tips for Seeking Funding for Public Health Systems Research (PDF) - A panel of funders shared these tips about the best ways to approach funding organizations, during the Fifth Annual National PHSR Leadership Forum, held in December 2005.
PHSR Database in HSRR (Health Services and Sciences Research Resources) - Click Browse, or Search "PHSR" to find relevant resources - This PHSR database makes it easy for researchers to find datasets, instruments/indices, and software to assist in conducting PHSR. The University of Kentucky College of Public Health developed this searchable PHSR database in conjunction with the National Library of Medicine and sponsorship from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Records describe data available from public health organizations and programs such as the National Association of County and City Health Officials Profile of Local Health Departments and National Public Health Performance Standards Program dataset.
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Research Agendas
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Workforce and Career Development Workforce Research Guidance and Recommendations (PDF) - The final report summarizes recommendations for OWCD concerning public health workforce and career development research.
Summary of Research Needs (PDF) - The Council compiled this series of PHSR questions from existing research agendas and arranged them by the following topics: organization and structure; finance; workforce; and technology, data, and methods.
Developing the Public Health Systems Research Agenda: CDC Experience (PDF) - This article describes the processes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used in developing their Public Health Systems Research Agenda. It includes an outline of the research priorities identified.
Developing the Public Health Workforce Research Agenda (PDF) - This poster presentation depicts the development of priority research questions relating to the CDC’s Research Agenda for the Public Health Workforce.
Rural Public Health Research Agenda (PDF) - This report from the Rural Public Health Research Agenda Meeting includes background information, a description of the agenda setting process, and a list of research questions.
Research Agenda on Credentialing and Accreditation (PDF) - The National Association of County and City Health Officials developed this list of research questions related to their 2004 “Resolution on Workforce Certification and Credentialing,” and “Resolution on Voluntary Accreditation of Local Public Health Agencies.”
Research Questions on Public Health Recruitment and Retention (PDF) - Council members formulated this list of questions in January 2005.
Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals: Current Challenges and Future Directions (PDF) - This Council document includes a series of research questions on the use and impact of competencies.
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Council Projects
PHSR Funders Meeting
In September 2005 the Council convened a "closed door" meeting with representatives from organizations and agencies that fund and sponsor public health systems research. The report (PDF) from the meeting describes progress in PHSR and a vision for the field. It also discusses strategies to advance PHSR in the areas of fostering partnerships and collaboration, making the case for investment in PHSR, and supporting researchers and data collection. (Read the meeting summary - PDF.)
PHSR Leadership Forums
The Council convened the First National PHSR Forum at the 2001 American Public Health Association annual meeting. General consensus from researchers and practitioners at the meeting identified a number of necessary components to improve the evidence base of public health, specifically in the areas of infrastructure and preparedness, including the following:
- development of a national PHSR agenda based on prioritized research needs;
- establishment of an on-going research Forum where public health systems researchers can come together and share methods, findings, and questions;
- pilot testing of 3-4 Centers of Excellence in PHSR in order to develop and translate research into action;
- establishment of a leadership collaborative where public health research supporters can come together to ensure that adequate funding is available for PHSR; and
- creation of doctoral level PHSR fellowships to help "grow" the pool of researchers in this field.
(Read the draft proceedings (PDF) of the meeting or a one-page summary (PDF) with recommendations and next steps.)
Subsequent meetings have worked towards those goals and provided an opportunity for individuals who conduct, use, and fund public health infrastructure research to discuss ways of advancing the field.
The 2003 Forum (PDF) provided an opportunity for participants to discuss research priorities and rate which areas of research are most critical in response to the Research Agenda Comment Worksheet (PDF).
The report from the 2004 Forum (PDF) provides an overview of PHSR accomplishments from 2001 through 2004 and a list of next steps for advancing and securing funding for continued research efforts.
The 2005 Forum (PDF)resulted in a series of tips for seeking funding for PHSR, based on the advice of a panel of funders.
In 2006, the Forum (PDF) celebrated the accomplishments of the previous five years.
Public Health Practice Research Agenda Framework
In 1998, the Council began developing a plan that could lead to a national public health practice research agenda. Subsequently, an ad hoc subcommittee of the Council developed a framework using both Healthy People 2010 objectives and the 10 Essential Public Health Services to identify, articulate, and prioritize public health research needs. For a discussion of the framework, please see the article "Developing a Public Health Research and Applications Agenda: Tools for the 21st Century" (PDF) in the Spring 1999 issue of The Link. For a more detailed description of this project please see the concept paper, Developing An Agenda For Public Health Practice Research (PDF). Unfortunately, the Council did not receive funding to conduct a pilot test on this framework.
