Center of Excellence in Workforce Research and Policy Year 4

The University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Workforce Research and Policy (UK COE WRP) housed at the UK College of Public Health was formed in 2008 to explore issues in workforce research with a focus on translating those findings to practice and policy makers. Little is known about the workers who comprise the workforce, how many workers populate it, what disciplines are represented, where workers deliver the essential services, or how effective they are at doing so. Perhaps even less is known about the demographic makeup of the workforce. Therefore, over the last year our efforts focused on creating a case definition for our work and identifying and evaluating data sources with potential use for public health workforce enumeration. We also worked extensively to harmonize data both through collaborations on new surveys and by merging data from existing data for research use. The ability to answer critical questions regarding the public health workforce and make those findings known to the practice community and policy makers is necessary to facilitate evidence based decisions. The public health field faces challenges brought forth by changes in our nation’s health system and economy and requires timely answers to critical questions.