INTERNATIONAL FORUM FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

Training Workshops

Continuing professional development in public health, nutrition, and allied health sciences.

Overview

IFPH runs training workshops for public health leaders, scientists, nutritionists, dietitians, and other health professionals who want to build their skills and stay current in their field. Completing an IFPH workshop gives organisations better-trained staff and gives participants greater confidence in their work and their careers.

The workshops combine taught sessions with practical work, including lab work on practical courses, so participants learn directly from tutors and from one another. IFPH also designs on-site courses tailored to an organisation’s needs. The workshop pages list the programmes currently on offer.

At a glance

Format	In-person workshops and lectures, with lab work on practical courses
Duration	3 or 5 days as standard, longer by arrangement
Hours	10:30 am to 3:30 pm, with one hour for lunch
Class size	1 to 9 participants; maximum numbers apply to certain courses
Location	IFPH London office, or on-site at the client’s premises
Languages	English, and/or English and other pre-agreed language for many workshops
Recognition	Attendance Certificate, optional IFPH Professional Certificate, and CPE credits

Background

IFPH’s short training courses in public health sciences bring together several disciplines to support better health across society. They cover the environment, food, nutrition, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and public health, as well as food safety and security and the use of nutraceuticals in health and disease.

IFPH’s mission is to advance these sciences in the UK and internationally through research, teaching, and training, and to improve understanding of public health and its effect on human health and development.

Based in London, IFPH offers interdisciplinary training for a wide range of health and science graduates. Its teaching staff come from analytical, nutritional, and public health backgrounds and have run international health and development projects across many subjects. Together they form a network of specialists working in the UK and abroad.

Who the courses are for and how they run

Participants can enrol in a workshop or in hands-on practical training depending on their needs. Standard courses begin on Monday and run for 3 or 5 days, with longer programmes arranged on request. Other specialist short courses can also be arranged from time to time; details are available on application.

Special courses

IFPH staff are happy to discuss tailored courses on any topic in this directory. Courses can be held at IFPH’s London office or at a client’s premises, in whatever format suits the organisation. Topics such as NCDs, nutrition and health, food safety, and instrument-based practical courses are common examples. IFPH has delivered special courses for a range of institutions, including health ministries and universities, particularly in developing countries across Africa, Asia, the Far East, and the Middle East.

Class size and location

Class size is 1 to 9 participants, and maximum numbers apply to certain courses so that facilitators can give each participant individual attention. All courses are held at IFPH premises unless stated otherwise.

Fees, cancellation, and refunds

Fees are payable in advance. If IFPH receives a cancellation at least 10 days before the course starts, 75% of the fee is refunded; once a course has started, no refund is given. IFPH may cancel or reschedule a course; if it does, participants receive a full refund.

Enrolment

To enrol, complete the application form and return it with the correct fee to:

The International Forum for Public Health (IFPH)
Training-Workshops Department
London, United Kingdom
Email: info@ifph.org
Web: www.ifph.org

Make cheques payable to “International Forum for Public Health”. Places are allocated first-come, first-served. When a course is full, a reserve list opens, and any cancelled places go to those waiting. If there is enough demand and staff are available, IFPH may run a second course.

Workshop topics

Globesity: challenges and management
Cardioprotective diets
Diabetes: control and management
Planning a nutrition intervention strategy
Managing and treating hypertension
Dyslipidaemia and cardioprotective diets
Metabolic syndrome
Public health and food security
Food control, hygiene, and safety

How the workshops work

IFPH workshops use action learning: they are participant-centred and shaped around the needs of the partner organisation. Each workshop opens with a broad exchange of ideas, then moves toward practical steps and ends with a concrete plan of action. Through plenary and small-group discussions, participants share their own experiences and insights.

Practical sessions take a step-by-step, hands-on approach to community diagnosis of public health problems, using appropriate tools and survey data. Facilitators are trained specialists who keep their teaching clear and approachable, and who draw on experience as practitioners and senior public health consultants. This mix supports strong public health education and helps participants develop skills in capacity building, sustainable development, and leadership.

Where workshops have been held

IFPH has delivered workshops in the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Qatar, Turkey, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.

Participants

Participants are chosen for their professional experience in capacity building, including allied health specialities, research, training and education, and programme planning and implementation in public health, community health, and wellbeing.

Training and facilitation methods

IFPH uses a range of methods, chosen to fit each course and to support both individual and group learning:

short presentations by the facilitator
group debriefs
individual and team exercises, indoors and outdoors
behaviour modelling and role-play
one-to-one and group discussion, followed by presentations
case studies, simulations, and small projects
video recording and playback
self-analysis questionnaires and learning instruments
a pre-test at the start and a post-test at the end of each workshop
individual action plans for follow-up and evaluation

Most workshops are led by bilingual facilitators (English and Arabic). On-site workshops run from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, including lunch; off-site workshops can run longer and more intensively.

Action plans and follow-up

To help participants apply what they learn, IFPH can add an action plan section at the end of any workshop, completed before the workshop closes. On request, IFPH can also design a follow-up session or work with the partner organisation to support the transfer of learning into the workplace or community, and to address any issues that arise afterwards.

Feedback for partners

On request, IFPH can give the partner organisation’s management a short evaluation of participants (attendance and participation) and a summary evaluation of the workshop.

IFPH Professional Certificate (IFPH-PC)

The IFPH-PC recognises public health professionals who plan their own training and development toward a formal qualification. It is awarded to those who:

Attend one of the professional certification programmes in this directory
pass the assessment test given at the end of the programme
Complete the assigned project within the agreed timeframe, set by a programme leader appointed by IFPH

The certificate confirms that the holder has met the professional standards IFPH has developed over the years. Alongside the Attendance Certificate, successful participants receive the IFPH-PC, which lists the workshop and recognises them as a Certified Public Health Professional.

Details of the IFPH-PC

Tests are held at the end of each professional certification workshop, with a pass mark of 70%. Participants are told whether they passed, but exam scores are not released.
The programme leader agrees on the project topic with the participant and sets the standards and timelines.
Certification programmes also carry CPE credits, which IFPH assigns to each workshop.

INTERNATIONAL FORUM FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

IFPH Professional Standards

A framework for public health education, training, and practice, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and recognised global public health bodies.

1. Purpose and scope

The IFPH Professional Standards set out what IFPH expects of its training, its facilitators, and the professionals it prepares. They describe the knowledge, skills, and conduct that underpin sound public health practice, and they give partner organisations a clear basis for judging the quality of IFPH’s work.

The standards apply to three groups: the workshops and certification programmes IFPH delivers; the consultants and facilitators who design and teach them; and the professionals who hold the IFPH Professional Certificate (IFPH-PC). IFPH reviews its programmes against these standards and expects certificate holders to uphold them in their own practice.

2. How the standards are aligned

The standards are built on established international frameworks, so that a professional trained by IFPH works to expectations recognised across borders. They draw on the following sources.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda, in particular SDG 3 on good health and well-being, together with the health-related targets running through SDGs 2, 4, 5, 6, 10, 13, and 17.
The World Health Organization’s twelve Essential Public Health Functions and its 2024 Global Competency and Outcomes Framework, which groups public health competencies into six domains: community-centredness, decision-making, communication, collaboration, evidence-informed practice, and personal conduct.
The WFPHA Global Charter for the Public’s Health, which sets out three core services (protection, prevention, and promotion) and four enabling functions (governance, advocacy, capacity, and information).
Accreditation and professional standards from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA) and ASPHER, the American Public Health Association (APHA), the UK Faculty of Public Health, and the Royal Society for Public Health.

Alignment here means that IFPH standards are designed to be consistent with these frameworks and mapped to them. It does not imply accreditation or endorsement by any of the bodies named, which IFPH would state separately where it applies.

3. The standards

The standards are grouped into eight domains. Each domain opens with a short statement of intent, followed by numbered standards written as observable expectations.

Domain 1: Professional and ethical conduct

Public health work depends on trust. These standards cover integrity, accountability, and the ethical basis of practice.

1.1 Act with honesty, integrity, and transparency in research, teaching, and practice, and declare any conflict of interest.

1.2 Protect the confidentiality, dignity, and rights of individuals and communities, and obtain informed consent where it is required.

1.3 Practise within the limits of one’s competence, and seek supervision, support, or referral when a task exceeds them.

1.4 Apply recognised ethical principles to decisions that involve competing interests, scarce resources, or risk to populations.

1.5 Take responsibility for continuing professional development, and keep knowledge and skills current.

Domain 2: Evidence-informed practice and scientific rigour

Decisions and advice should rest on the best available evidence, applied with appropriate method and honesty about uncertainty.

2.1 Base assessments, interventions, and advice on the best available evidence, and state the strength and limits of that evidence.

2.2 Use sound methods to collect, analyse, and interpret health data, including surveillance and survey data.

2.3 Apply epidemiological and statistical reasoning suited to the question and the setting.

2.4 Evaluate interventions and programmes, and revise them in the light of results.

2.5 Draw on, and where possible contribute to, peer-reviewed research and recognised guidelines.

Domain 3: Health protection, disease prevention, and health promotion

These standards reflect the three core services of the WFPHA Global Charter and the WHO Essential Public Health Functions.

3.1 Identify and assess hazards to population health, including communicable disease, environmental, and food-safety risks, and support preparedness and response.

3.2 Design and deliver prevention across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

3.3 Plan health promotion that combines population-level approaches with individual behaviour change.

3.4 Address the major non-communicable diseases and their shared risk factors, including diet, physical activity, tobacco, and alcohol.

3.5 Apply a One Health perspective that connects human, animal, and environmental health.

Domain 4: Health equity, community-centredness, and cultural humility

Good public health reaches the people who need it most and works with communities rather than only for them.

4.1 Assess and act on the social, economic, and commercial determinants of health.

4.2 Design work to reduce health inequalities and to reach underserved and vulnerable groups, so that no one is left behind.

4.3 Involve communities in defining problems and shaping solutions.

4.4 Practise with cultural humility, and adapt materials and methods to local context and language.

4.5 Take account of gender and other dimensions of disadvantage in assessment and intervention.

Domain 5: Communication, health literacy, and public trust

Clear communication protects the credibility of public health and helps people act on advice. The 2024 revision of the Global Charter gives particular weight to countering misinformation.

5.1 Communicate clearly and accurately with professional, policy, and public audiences.

5.2 Build health literacy, and present risk in ways people can understand and use.

5.3 Identify and respond to misinformation, and protect the credibility of public health advice.

5.4 Tailor communication to culture, language, and channel.

Domain 6: Collaboration, partnership, and intersectoral working

Public health problems cross sectors and borders, and so must the response.

6.1 Work across sectors and disciplines, and with governments, NGOs, academia, civil society, and the private sector.

6.2 Build and sustain partnerships that respect each partner’s role and contribution.

6.3 Support global health security and coordinated response through shared standards and timely information.

6.4 Contribute to policy development and advocacy grounded in evidence.

Domain 7: Leadership, governance, and capacity building

These standards reflect the enabling functions of the Global Charter and the decision-making domain of the WHO framework.

7.1 Provide ethical, accountable leadership and sound decision-making under uncertainty.

7.2 Strengthen systems, workforces, and institutions for the long term, in the service of sustainable development.

7.3 Manage resources, risk, and quality responsibly.

7.4 Mentor and develop others, and build local capacity that outlasts any single project.

Domain 8: Education, training, and certification quality

These standards align IFPH’s own training with the expectations of recognised education accreditors.

8.1 Design training on a competency basis, with clear learning outcomes mapped to recognised frameworks.

8.2 Use active, participant-centred methods, and assess learning fairly, including pre- and post-testing and applied projects.

8.3 Set transparent standards for the IFPH Professional Certificate, including pass criteria and a route to appeal.

8.4 Review and update curricula regularly against current evidence and international standards.

8.5 Evaluate the quality of training, and act on feedback from participants and partners.

4. Alignment crosswalk

The table below maps each IFPH standards domain to the Sustainable Development Goals, the WHO competency domains, the WFPHA Global Charter, and other recognised frameworks. SDGs are shown by number.

IFPH standards domain	SDGs	WHO competency domain	WFPHA Charter	Other frameworks
1. Professional and ethical conduct	3, 16, 17	Personal conduct	Governance	APHA ethics; CEPH conduct criteria
2. Evidence-informed practice	3	Evidence-informed practice	Information	CEPH foundational competencies
3. Protection, prevention, promotion	2, 3, 6	Cross-domain	Protection, Prevention, Promotion	WHO 12 EPHFs
4. Equity and community-centredness	5, 10	Community-centredness	Advocacy	Ottawa and Shanghai charters; ASPHER
5. Communication, literacy and trust	3, 4	Communication	Information	RSPH; WHO risk-communication guidance
6. Collaboration and partnership	17	Collaboration	Governance, Advocacy	WFPHA; WHO IHR
7. Leadership, governance, capacity	3, 17	Decision-making	Capacity	UK Faculty of Public Health
8. Education and certification quality	4	Education outcomes	Capacity	CEPH; APHEA; ASPHER

5. Applying and maintaining the standards

The standards work only if they are used and kept current. IFPH applies them as follows.

Programme design: every workshop and certification programme is mapped to the relevant domains before it is offered.
Facilitators: consultants and facilitators are expected to meet the conduct and practice standards, and to teach to them.
Certification: the IFPH-PC is awarded against Domain 8, with the assessment and project requirements set out in the workshops directory.
Review: IFPH reviews the standards on a regular cycle, and whenever the underlying frameworks are revised, so that they track the SDGs, the WHO framework, and the Global Charter as those develop.
Feedback: partners and participants can raise concerns about quality or conduct, and IFPH acts on them as part of its review.

References and source frameworks

United Nations (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. New York: United Nations.

World Health Organization (2024). Global competency and outcomes framework for the essential public health functions. Geneva: WHO. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/376577

World Federation of Public Health Associations (2016; revised 2024). A Global Charter for the Public’s Health. Geneva: WFPHA.

Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Accreditation criteria and foundational competencies. Silver Spring, MD: CEPH.

Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA) and Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER). Accreditation criteria for public health education.

American Public Health Association (APHA). Public health code of ethics and professional standards.

UK Faculty of Public Health and Royal Society for Public Health. Public health competency and professional standards.