Hot Topics: Practice-Based Research in Public Health Systems: What's Known and What's Next

It is becoming increasingly important to understand how to organize and manage public health for improved outcomes in these changing times. Practice-based research is an effective way to better understand our current public health systems and where opportunities for improvement exist. The commitment to understanding public health systems and services is evident, with the National Public Health Performance Standards and the draft Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) standards calling for practice engagement in research and evaluation.

In the April Hot Topics session, Dr. Glen Mays will provide a brief overview of the history and current rationale for practice-based research applied within public health systems, an examination of topics and methodologies currently used in the field, and a perspective on where practice-based research should be moving. Hot Topics Participants will learn how findings from prior studies of public health systems and services can be applied within real-world practice settings, and learn to identify gaps in the public health evidence base that can be informed through the lens of systems and services research.