Professionalization of the public health workforce: scoping review and call to action.

"data availability the data underlying this article are available in the article and in its online supplementary material which can be accessed via a doi"

"Conflicts of interest : None declared."

"Funding The authors did not receive funding to carry out this research. Conflicts of interest: None declared. Key pointsThe ‘WHO-ASPHER Roadmap to Professionalizing the Public Health Workforce in the European Region’ provides recommendations for strategic and systematic workforce planning around professionalization levers including: (i) competencies, (ii) training and education, (iii) formal organization, (iv) professional credentialing and (v) code of ethics and professional conduct as well as taxonomy and enumeration.The development of a competent PHW is a key component of the nation’s public health infrastructure and should become a focus of increasing attention especially in view of recent challenges and events, which underscore the critical role of public health professionals in disease prevention, health protection, safety and security.In spite of efforts to professionalize the PHW, this process is fragmented and not fully recognized and supported.There is an urgent need to engage policymakers and stakeholders to prioritize investments in strengthening the PHW worldwide."