Reflections on the Multidisciplinary Health Force: much done, but more to do

Abstract

Wright et al. are to be commended for providing a factual, historical and albeit rather staid, detailed account of the development of the multidisciplinary public health workforce in the UK.1 These authors ask if the work is ‘almost there?’ The assumption being that the work is perhaps effectively complete and that this is a reasonable question. This commentary is an unapologetically situated, opinionated and deliberately provocative response. My aim is to challenge the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) and other Public Health leaders to critically evaluate current practices, trends, and its wider responsibilities and opportunities to drive and define Public Health leadership globally. This response will also explore potential impacts of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on developments in the multidisciplinary public health (MDPH) workforce into the future.