Public Health Local and Global Perspectives

To tackle public health complexity, a capable workforce of sufficient scope and size is required. The public health workforce is multi-disciplinary and applies public health principles and methods across a range of areas including program management, policy development, research, and surveillance (Dhavan & Srinath Reddy, 2017). Public health practitioners may work in the public or private sector; within government, non-profit organisations or international agencies. Working in public health requires multisectoral collaboration, a willingness to tackle challenging issues, and a desire to improve the health of populations (Dhavan & Srinath Reddy, 2017). Consequently, public health practitioners must cultivate their knowledge and competencies in politics and advocacy (Kreuter, 2005; Moore et al. 2013). Collective effort is needed to call governments and institutions to act with urgency and prioritise public health action to address growing social and health disparities.