Open research questions in Public Health Policies and Education
450 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 3,499 Public Health Policies and Education papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
The existing literature highlights the importance of cross-sector collaboration in improving perinatal health outcomes, but there is a lack of studies investigating the relationship between highly collaborative local health jurisdictions and county-level perinatal health outcomes. The study aims to fill this gap by examining the association between residence in a highly collaborative local health jurisdiction and the probability of poor perinatal health outcomes.
Investigating the Relationship Between Highly Collaborative Local Health Jurisdictions and County-Level Perinatal Health Outcomes · 2026 · DOIFurther research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which collaboration between local health departments and social service organizations affects perinatal health outcomes, - Research should investigate the impact of collaboration on perinatal health outcomes in different racial and ethnic groups, - Studies should examine the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving collaboration and perinatal health outcomes
Investigating the Relationship Between Highly Collaborative Local Health Jurisdictions and County-Level Perinatal Health Outcomes · 2026 · DOILittle is known about the role that grant requirements have in directing the functioning of CHCs.
The problem of programmatic funding: flexibility challenges for community health centers · 2025 · DOIAbstract Few studies have investigated historical pandemics from a public health perspective.
A wider implementation is warranted, extending its teaching to the full width of medical teaching, with longitudinal learning pathways providing a promising route for more integrative health advocacy teaching.
Conceptualization and teaching health advocacy in undergraduate medical education: a document analysis · 2024 · DOIBACKGROUND: Health advocacy is considered to be a core competence for physicians, but it remains unclear how the health advocacy role, despite being described in overarching competency frameworks, is operationalized in undergraduate medical education (UME).
Conceptualization and teaching health advocacy in undergraduate medical education: a document analysis · 2024 · DOIThere was insufficient resilience in these local health protection systems and an inability to scale up the specialist health protection workforce, as required in a pandemic situation.
‘A system that is struggling’: understanding health protection resilience in England during the COVID-19 pandemic through the experiences of local health protection responders · 2024 · DOIDespite this vital function, few studies have explored the lived experience of health protection responders managing COVID-19.
‘A system that is struggling’: understanding health protection resilience in England during the COVID-19 pandemic through the experiences of local health protection responders · 2024 · DOIFor other problems, regulatory or legal action is insufficient, enforcement of the law is difficult, and voluntary compliance at some stage is necessary for effective health promotion.
Sustaining the AEF program, strengthening faculty mentorship capacity, reviewing policies that affect advancement, and continuing to monitor climate trends.
The lack of inclusive academic environments that support the success and advancement of historically excluded and minoritized scholars and students. The need for data-driven approaches to identify and address barriers to equity.
The need for transformative public health education to address emerging challenges - The lack of inclusivity and context-specific strategies in traditional educational models
There is a gap between supply and demand of the healthcare workforce. The healthcare system faces challenges such as waiting times and workforce shortages.
Future research should investigate the impact of ideologization on public trust in health experts and public health policies. Further studies should explore the effectiveness of evidence-based advocacy in building public trust during health emergencies.
Trustworthy Public Health Advocacy. Reconciling Different Roles for Epidemiologists During a Health Emergency · 2026 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the role of epidemiologists in public discourse and the importance of trustworthy public health advocacy. The author highlights the need for further research on the impact of ideologization on public trust in health experts and public health policies.
Trustworthy Public Health Advocacy. Reconciling Different Roles for Epidemiologists During a Health Emergency · 2026 · DOIThere are significant gaps in understanding the potential impacts of PHVMs on American Indian reservations. The study aims to explore associations between PHVM implementation and shifts in infectious disease transmission and overdose morbidity and mortality.
Exploring Perspectives About Public Health Vending Machine Implementation on an American Indian Reservation in the Northern Midwest, United States · 2026 · DOIFuture research should focus on strengthening patient and community engagement. Future research should also focus on establishing a shared vision for LHSs and building upon, aligning, and strengthening existing LHS assets.
The gap identified is the need to strengthen meaningful partnerships with patients and the community. The need to establish a shared vision for LHSs was also identified as a gap.
Current approaches to teaching social determinants of health are fragmented and often optional. There is a need for structured, longitudinal advocacy training to better prepare future physicians to address inequities and advance social accountability in healthcare.
Embedding ethics and regulation into digital public health education. Strengthening digital public health literacy with a salutogenic approach. Defining interdisciplinary competencies for the future workforce.
The need for further research on the development of core competency matrices for digital public health education. The importance of investigating the impact of interdisciplinary education on public health outcomes. The requirement for studies on the effectiveness of different pedagogical approaches in digital public health education.
The emergence of zoonotic diseases. The need for effective risk communication and community engagement. The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and evidence-based research.
The need for effective risk communication and community engagement in managing health risks and improving preparedness. The importance of the Central Health Education Bureau in strengthening the One Health approach.
There is a need for research on public health systems and services in Canada. The field of public health systems and services research is relatively nascent in Canada. There is a gap in knowledge on the roles of state and non-state actors in strengthening public health systems.
CIHR-IPPH investments in public health systems and services research | A theory of change to drive impact · 2026 · DOILimited funding, lack of leadership commitment, insufficient staff training, and resistance to change hinder progress in implementing OHL. Technological hurdles, such as inaccessible digital platforms, further exclude those most in need. OHL could be adopted tokenistically, reduced to checklists or toolkits, or framed as another responsibility for frontline staff without providing necessary resources.
Every sector is a health sector: expanding organizational health literacy to advance equity and trust · 2026 · DOI
Most-cited papers in Public Health Policies and Education
- An Ecological Perspective on Health Promotion Programs · Health Education Quarterly · 1988 · 6,362 citations
- Evaluating the public health impact of health promotion interventions: the RE-AIM framework. · American Journal of Public Health · 1999 · 5,871 citations
- On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health · Journal of Political Economy · 1972 · 4,649 citations
- Health professionals for a new century: transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world · The Lancet · 2010 · 4,282 citations
- From social integration to health: Durkheim in the new millennium · Social Science & Medicine · 2000 · 3,600 citations
- Making Neighborhood-Disadvantage Metrics Accessible — The Neighborhood Atlas · New England Journal of Medicine · 2018 · 3,153 citations
- Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health · The Lancet · 2008 · 3,131 citations
- Place effects on health: how can we conceptualise, operationalise and measure them? · Social Science & Medicine · 2002 · 1,537 citations
- The Concepts and Principles of Equity and Health · International Journal of Health Services · 1992 · 1,257 citations
- Defining equity in health · Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health · 2003 · 1,225 citations
Most recent work
- Fear of immigration enforcement is driving a public health crisis in Minnesota · BMJ · 2026
- Health security needs a European health and care workforce strategy, and it needs it now · Health Policy · 2026
- When Disregard for Population Health Becomes US Policy · JAMA · 2026
- Same actors, same processes, same outcomes: Global health architecture reform or restoration? · PLOS Global Public Health · 2026
- Teaching salutogenesis: the relevance to public health education · International Journal of Health Promotion and Education · 2026
- Every sector is a health sector: expanding organizational health literacy to advance equity and trust · Frontiers in Public Health · 2026
- Devolution can create new opportunities for better health · BMJ · 2026
- Andy Burnham’s goal of good growth could be a health-creating mission that supports environmental action · BMJ · 2026
- Why Promoting Health Equity in Canada Requires a Social Movement · Community Health Equity Research & Policy · 2026
- Public Health’s Misinformation Era · NEJM Catalyst · 2026
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