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Use training resources for learning and professional development
An understanding of public health law is important for anyone interested in improving population health outcomes. Use Public Health Law Academy research and training materials to teach the concepts that all public health practitioners need to know.
PHLA Overview Teach
How can we better prepare public health practitioners to use law for improving health outcomes?

We have made it easier for you! Our resources support anyone interested in teaching public health students and professionals about the integral role that law plays in the everyday practice of public health. Materials include video shorts to include in your curriculum, plus facilitator’s guides, slide decks, and checklists we have developed for Public Health Law Academy courses.

PHL Training Report
Read our report about public health law training in educational settings

Our multi-year assessment included an environmental scan, data collection and analysis, and key informant interviews. This summary report presents key findings, identifies challenges and barriers, and offers opportunities and recommendations.

Learn more
Watch a video Q&A with public health law practitioners

Watch four professionals in the field describe their experiences with using public health law in their work, including how law is an essential tool for protecting the public’s health and promoting health equity.

Read more >>

Opportunities identified in our report

1

Alignment

Build support and align priorities across stakeholders, organizations, and fields to increase awareness of public health law’s significance and value in educational settings.

2

Access

Increase access to public health law training for students through master’s of public health courses and programs

3

Capacity

Increase the capacity of schools, programs, and faculty to teach public health law through training opportunities.

4

Educational Diversity

Increase access to public health law training for non-MPH students through educational settings other than MPH programs.

Start with highlights from full-length trainings

Our collection of short video introductions to public health law provides core concepts for improving population health, and background on current topics. Each video is 7-9 minutes long and can be used as to sample a full-length training or as a standalone to focus on its specific topic. Videos are free for use in educational and training settings.

What Are the Basic Structure and Functions of Government?

A quick introduction to the different ways that government affects the health of communities and individuals and the enumerated, implied, and concurrent powers of government.

Watch

What Is the Scope of Public Health Authority?

This brief presentation explains what gives governments the power to authorize and implement public health interventions and explains how individual liberties are protected from government overreach.

Watch

What Types of Laws Can Governmental Agencies Enact and Enforce?

A short video that explains the types of laws that different branches of government can create, enact, and enforce and how executive orders, judicial decisions, and administrative law decisions can affect public health.

Watch

What Is Preemption? How Does It Affect Public Health?

This brief presentation covers the different types of preemption and explains how preemption prevents state or local governments from passing laws that govern certain issue areas.

Watch

What Is Legal Epidemiology?

A short video that introduces some foundational principles of legal epidemiology and explains how laws can cause or prevent disease and injury.

Watch

Dive into facilitator materials for each training series

For each training, we provide a facilitator's package that includes a preparation checklist, guide for customizing the training to your needs, script that can be modified for your audience, and a PowerPoint slide deck to use for presentation. Explore each series to see what is available for each individual training session.

Introduction to Public Health Law
Administrative Law & Health Equity
Hot Topics in Public Health Law
Legal Epidemiology
PHLA - Students
Legal epidemiology resources
This collection of resources supplements our 3-part Legal Epidemiology series and has been curated for researchers, educators, students, and practitioners in health departments.
Take a Look
Spring 2024 Cohort
Voices from CDC’s Public Health Law Fellowship
The Public Health Law Fellowship offers on-the-job training to prepare graduate students for careers in public health law or policy. We’re excited to share a Q&A with four fellows from the Spring 2024 cohort.
Read the Q&A