11.Q. Round table: A Guide for creating a code of ethics for public health professionals and institutions
Authors:   Organised by: EUPHA-ETH, Global Network for Academic Public Health, Faculty of Public Health (UK), ASPHER,   Chair persons: Els Maeckelberghe (EUPHA-ETH), Mary Codd (Ireland)
Published: October 2024

Abstract

The professional discipline of public health is driven by its values. Public health professionals face decisions that have far-reaching ethical implications. Our norms, values, beliefs and the way we see the world, as individuals, communities and institutions which serve us, do matter and fundamentally affect our decisions, behaviours, policies, and practice. The ability to be aware and reflect on norms and values when taking decisions, is a decisive professional virtue in public health practice. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) Roadmap for the professionalisation of the public health workforce, has highlighted ethics as an essential pillar for professionalisation, a core competency, and the need for a Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for good public health practice. In order to further advance the issue the Global Network for Academic Public Health (GNAPH), ASPHER, the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), the UK Faculty of Public Health and other partners set up an expert international joint working group on public health ethics and law (PHELWG). The PHEL expert working group - which includes senior public health professionals, ethicists, lawyers and academics - has been working to carry out research and develop a guide for creating a Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for public health professionals and institutions. This has included consideration of the competencies, principles and values for good public health practice. The project has involved literature review, research and the wide professional experience of the international group of experts who have been working on the issue.The development of a guide for creating a code of ethics for public health professionals and institutions is part of the overall objective of the PHELWG to build a ethico-legal competency, capacity and resilience of public health workforce. The proposed Guide and related resources will be a timely resource, practical tool and support for public health professionals, organisations, or regulatory bodies to develop their own local country code of ethics and build further ethico-legal capacity of their public health professional workforce and institutions.
Purpose of the roundtable workshop will be to:
- present the guide on creating a code of ethics for public health public health professionals and institutions, which will be launched at that time
- Share the proposed ethical competencies/skills, principles and values for good public health practice, with particular consideration of Indigenous knowledge and world views
- reflect and consult with the workshop participants around the guide and the proposed pilot sites for implementing the Codes in various centres.

Key messages
• Development of Code of ethics and professional conduct is a key requirement for public health professionalization.
• The Guide for creating code of ethics by international expert group provides significant resource for development of codes locally.

Speakers/Panelists
Kasia Czabanowska
Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
Farhang Tahzib
Faculty of Public Health, Haywards heath, UK
Paul Athanasopoulos
Public Health Department, Stirling, UK