5 Resources Advancing Public Health

The field of public health is broader than just infectious disease. With researchers and epidemiologists working to study and remedy a wide variety of social and medical ills, there are many organizations that have come together in order to support this work, spreading knowledge and impacting public policy. In no particular order, this list looks at groups addressing the conditions that impact the health of everyone.

The #1 entry is Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for Healthy Energy. This multidisciplinary non-profit research institute works to study the ways energy production and use impact public health and the environment. It conducts original research, translates existing information for nontechnical audiences, and disseminates scientific knowledge and analysis to inform policy at the local, state, and federal levels. The organization's headquarters are in Oakland, California.

PSE's Environmental Health Program maintains the Repository for Oil and Gas Energy Research, also known as ROGER. This database of peer-reviewed publications assesses air, water, human health, environment, and climate impacts of shale and tight gas development.

Up next, at #2, we have Public Health Advocacy Institute of Western Australia. Established in 2008 by Professor Mike Daube within Curtin University, it aims to raise the profile and understanding of public health, develop local networks, and function as an umbrella organization capable of influencing policy and political agendas.

The Institute works on a number of priority areas, including but not limited to Aboriginal health, gambling, obesity, and alcohol. Since 2011, PHAIWA has run the Children's Environment and Health Report Card Project, which looks at how policy and programs developed by local governments are increasing and promoting children's medical care.

Coming in at #3, we have Pharmacists Public Health Initiatives, an outreach of the ACA Foundation. It works to promote consumer public health information, and has developed many educational national campaigns pertaining to pharmaceutical information on topics such as safety caps and cholesterol. Among PPHI's successes are the creation of the Great American Smoke Out and National Condom Week.

The organization's education center is a source of information and professional development opportunities for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, marketers, and students. It provides access to various webinars as well as home studies and certificate programs covering topics important to career development.

For #4, we present the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public and healthcare professionals about the burden, causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases across the lifespan. Areas of focus include HPV, tetanus, chickenpox, measles, and coronaviruses.

The Foundation offers a comprehensive collection of clinical education and professional development programs focused on preventing and treating infectious diseases, available in both in-person and online formats for medical professionals in healthcare settings. N.F.I.D. also provides various resources for vaccines recommended for adults, adolescents, and children, including links to updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention immunization schedules and information about how vaccines work.

Our final entry, #5, is the de Beaumont Foundation. Its mission is to create and invest in solutions that improve the health of communities across the United States. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, it believes that every person should have the opportunity to achieve their best health, regardless of where they reside.

The Foundation focuses on improving health at the community level by investing in tools, partnerships, policies, and the medical workforce. Its Research to Action program is an initiative designed to help state and local health agencies improve recruitment and retention, and stimulate creativity and innovation among their employees.