Public-academic partnership for a workforce training for health department epidemiologists

Abstract Background Like most US health departments, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) employs epidemiologists who are embedded within departmental divisions. Most hold master's degrees in public health or related fields but vary in academic training and skills. Periodic refresher curricula can provide consistency in foundational knowledge and improve cohesion and efficiency. Objectives As part of a workforce development partnership, PDPH collaborated with Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health (DSPH) to develop and implement a workshop series on application of foundational skills and knowledge for practicing epidemiologists. Six workshops were held in-person in Mar-Apr 2025 during employees’ lunch hour, with a remote option. Each workshop included a 1-hour lecture session co-led by two DSPH faculty members, followed by a 30-minute Q&A session and introduction of a take-home lab exercise. Evaluation questions were sent via a post-series online survey. Results Approximately 30 PDPH staff members attended each session. Out of 24 evaluation respondents, 23 agreed or strongly agreed that the workshops were an efficient use of time; 23 agreed or strongly agreed they would use at least one concept from the workshops in their work. Topics identified as most useful included policy evaluation and data communication and visualization methods. Participants cited the benefit of incorporating PDPH-specific examples. Some participants commented it was preferable for labs to be completed in-person during the sessions, both due to time constraints and to encourage active participation and communication between participants. Conclusions A collaborative public-academic training initiative addressed disparate skill sets among the epidemiology workforce and provided skills that employees found applicable to their work. This can serve as a replicable, locally adaptable model for building the local public health workforce. Key messages • Public-academic partnerships can facilitate efficient workforce training for applied epidemiologists working at a local health department. • A short series of workshops held during working hours and incorporating both lecture and lab components is an effective, replicable model for implementation of this training.