The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is a 501(c)(3) organization that administers the national public health accreditation program and the Pathways Recognition program.

As the sole national accrediting body for public health in the U.S., PHAB supports health departments to improve quality, accountability, and performance.

PHAB is also home to several Centers that contribute to innovation and transformation of public health practice. This includes the Public Health National Center for Innovations (PHNCI) and the Center for Sharing Public Health Services. PHAB also incubates the Center for School Health Innovation and Quality.

PHAB is currently developing an Excellence Recognition program to add to existing programming, including the Initial Accreditation, Reaccreditation, and Pathways Recognition programs.

Our Story

2003

Institute of Medicine(IOM) report,The Future of the Public’s Health, called for the establishment of a National Steering Committee to examine the benefits of accrediting governmental public health departments.

2004

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified accreditation as a key strategy for strengthening public health infrastructure in the Futures Initiative. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation convened public health stakeholders to determine whether a voluntary national accreditation program for state and local public health departments should be explored further.

2005

Exploring Accreditation project launched to develop recommendations regarding the feasibility and desirability to implement a national public health accreditation program.

2007

PHAB was formed as a non-profit to develop, implement and oversee national accreditation.

2009-2010

PHAB released the initial accreditation process and a set of draft standards and measures for public vetting. Thirty public health departments participated in a beta test of the accreditation process.

2011

Approval of the first version of Standards & Measure. National public health department accreditation launched September 14, 2011.

2013

Updated version of the Standards & Measures, Version 1.5, released and Reaccreditation established.

2015

PHAB established the Public Health National Center for Innovations

2018

PHAB added Vital Records/Health Statistics accreditation program and Army Public Health accreditation program

2022

PHAB launched the Pathways Recognition Program and Version 2022 of the Standards & Measures

For more information on the background of accreditation, see the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, January/February 2014, Volume 20, Number 1.

Partnerships

Collaboration is key. PHAB seeks the input of subject matter experts, public health professionals, and partners in various areas of public health to inform our programs. Think tanks, work groups, and expert panels ensure our programs and offerings reflect the current aspirations of the public health field, while pushing us forward in thought and practice.

PHAB has many public health partners and continues to develop partnerships with national public health organizations, agencies, and initiatives to strengthen public health practice.

  • American Public Health Association (APHA)
  • Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
  • National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
  • National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH)
  • National Indian Health Board (NIHB)
  • Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
  • The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI)
  • The National Public Health Informatics Institute (NPHII)

  • Public Health Foundation (PHF)

  • Trust for America’s Health (TFAH)

PHAB would like to thank the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) for their generous support in funding and content expertise since 2007.