Graduates of public health could play an important role in the healthcare system at many levels – from prevention and health promotion, through health policy planning, to care coordination. Today, however, their potential remains largely unused. For several months, Wroclaw Medical University has been initiating and leading a nationwide discussion aimed at changing this situation through both educational reform and necessary systemic adjustments.

A key element of these efforts is the work on education standards for the public health degree programme. The team developing them includes representatives of Wroclaw Medical University: Prof. Agnieszka Piwowar, Vice-Rector for Students and Teaching and Chair of the KRAUM Committee for Education, and Dr hab. Łukasz Rypicz, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wroclaw Medical University and Chair of the KRAUM Committee for Public Health.

– The discussion on the underused potential of thousands of public health graduates began during the May meeting of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Medical Universities in Poland in Wrocław – recalls Dr hab. Łukasz Rypicz. – It became clear that the healthcare system does not have a well-defined place for these specialists. We decided to treat this issue seriously and propose solutions that could lead to real systemic change.

An important impulse for further action was a meeting with Beata Małecka-Libera, Chair of the Senate Health Committee. One result was the meeting “Public Health – a Degree with a Future. Education, Competences, Career”, held on 15 December 2025 at the Senat RP during a seminar session of the Health Committee. The event was co-organised by Dr hab. Łukasz Rypicz, representing the Conference of Rectors of Academic Medical Universities in Poland and Wroclaw Medical University.

– One of the key problems is the lack of unified education standards in public health – emphasises Dr hab. Łukasz Rypicz. – Each university educates differently, which makes it difficult to define graduates’ competences on the labour market. That is why we are working on a so-called “mini-standard” – a common minimum of competences, while respecting university autonomy and the interdisciplinary nature of the programme.

Wroclaw Medical University stresses that education must be closely linked to real needs of the healthcare system, particularly in prevention, population health planning and care coordination. The lack of clear career paths and legal frameworks means that public health graduates remain underused, which also affects interest in the field of study.

By initiating debate, working on education standards and cooperating with decision-makers, Wroclaw Medical University is taking co-responsibility for strengthening the role of public health in the healthcare system.