AACN established a cooperative agreement titled Academic Partnerships to Improve Health (APIH) with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). APIH focuses on improving the health of individuals and communities through alliances among academic associations and CDC. APIH drives improvement of health outcomes by:
- Working within the educational systems for nursing, public health, and medical students to enhance teaching of population health concepts
- Aligning academic approaches (curricula, teaching materials, or methods) and field experiences with ground-level public health priorities and practice needs
- Fostering inter-professional collaboration and learning in health professional education
- Strengthening academia’s linkages to public health practice
- Providing opportunities for hands-on experience for students working with communities and public health partners
Along with AACN, CDC supports three other national academic associations that represent colleges and universities for the education of public health professionals and physicians: