Mapping AI and Digital Health training: are we preparing the public health workforce?

Abstract The digital transformation of healthcare, accelerated by artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health (DH), demands new competencies from the public health (PH) workforce. International frameworks highlight the urgency of integrating digital literacy and AI awareness into training. Understanding the current European training landscape is crucial to identifying gaps and preparing professionals. This study aims to systematically map training initiatives on DH/AI for the PH workforce offered between January 2020 and March 2025 in European OECD countries (initial focus: IT, DE, FR, ES, UK) by national PH associations (EUPHA members), PH schools (ASPHER members), and international health organisations (e.g., WHO Europe, ECDC). Sources included websites, social media, and reports. Data on initiative type, provider, audience, content, and format were collected. A total of 129 training initiatives were identified, mainly from scientific societies (n = 85, 65.9%). Activities increased substantially over the period, from 13 in 2020 to a peak of 56 (43.4%) in 2024. Most initiatives were short formats like conference sessions (n = 62, 48.1%) and webinars (n = 26, 20.2%), while in-person seminars (n = 21, 16.3%) and structured training courses (n = 16, 12.4%) accounting for a smaller fraction. Topics focused on digital transformation, AI applications, ethics and data governance, often without specific attention to core PH issues or practical competency building. Notably, country differences emerged, with France underrepresented (n = 5, 3.9%), partly due to the data collection barriers encountered such as limited transparency and fragmented online resources. These findings highlight a fragmented landscape dominated by short formats rather than comprehensive training. Beyond availability, there is a pressing need to systematically integrate DH/AI competencies within PH curricula. A targeted assessment of training needs is essential to support a digitally literate PH workforce across Europe.